Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora was born on May 29, 1937 in Yokohama, Japan as Kazue Kato.

Misora displayed musical talent from an early age after singing for her father at a World War II send-off party in 1943. He invested a small fortune taken from the family's savings to begin a musical career for his daughter.

In 1945 she debuted at a concert hall in Yokohama, at the age of eight. At the same time, she changed her last name, Kato, to Misora (lit. "beautiful sky"), at the suggestion of her mother. A year later, she appeared on a NHK broadcast, and impressed the Japanese composer Masao Koga with her singing ability. He considered her to be a prodigy with the courage, understanding, and emotional maturity of an adult. In the following two years, she became an accomplished singer and was touring notable concert halls to sold-out crowds.

A monument depicting Hibari's portrait with an inscribed poem was erected in her memory near Sugi no Osugi in Otoyo, Kochi. In 1947 Hibari Misora, at the age of 10 years, was involved in a traffic accident in Otoyo, Kochi. While recovering from injuries she stayed in the town and reportedly visited Sugi no Osugi and wished to become a famous singer. She returned to Tokyo where her recording career began in 1949.

She recorded her first single Kappa Boogie-Woogiefor Columbia Records in 1949. It became a commercial hit, selling more than 450,000 copies. She subsequently recorded "Kanashiki kuchibue", which was featured on a radio program and was a national hit.

Famous Japanese singer. Her most hit songs were "Ringo Oiwake" (lit. "Apple trees at intersection"; 1952), "Yawara" (Softness; 1964), "Kanashii Sake" (Lonesome with sake; 1966), "Makkana Taiyo" (Bright red sun; 1967) and "Kawa no nagare no yoni" (Like a river run; 1989). The most successful of them was judo-related "Yawara" (almost two million sells) that became an unofficial anthem of the Japanese judo team at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo (the first that introduced judo as an olympic sport).

On January 13, 1957, Misora was attacked with hydrochloric acid, and injured in Asakusa International Theater. The criminal was an overly enthusiastic fan of hers. Fortunately, the wound did not scar her face.

She was an actress, known for Sen-hime to Hideyori (1962), So Young, So Bright (1955) and Tsukigata Hanpeita (1952). She was married to Akira Kobayashi.

In 1973 Tetsuya Kato, Misora's brother, was prosecuted for gang-related activity. Although NHK did not acknowledge any connection, Misora was excluded from Kohaku Uta Gassen for the first time in 18 years. Offended, she refused to appear on NHK for years afterwards.

Didn't have biological children. In 1978, she adopted her 7-year-old nephew, Kazuya Kato.

In April 1987, on the way to a performance in Fukuoka, Misora suddenly collapsed. Rushed to hospital, she was diagnosed with avascular necrosis brought on by chronic hepatitis. She was confined to a hospital in Fukuoka, and eventually showed signs of recovery in August. She commenced recording a new song in October, and in April 1988 performed at her final concert at the Tokyo Dome. Her triumph was short-lived. Misora died on June 24, 1989 from pneumonia at the age of 52, at a hospital in Tokyo. Her death was widely mourned throughout Japan.

Beginning in 1990, television and radio stations annually play her song "Kawa no Nagare no Yo ni" on her birthdate to show respect. In a national poll by NHK ( Nippon Hoso Kyokai, official English name: Japan Broadcasting Corporationin) 1997, the song was voted the greatest Japanese song of all time by more than 10 million people.

After she died consumer demand for her recordings grew significantly and by 2001 she had sold more than 80 million records.

A bronze statue of her debut was built as a memorial in Yokohama in 2002, and attracts around 300,000 visitors each year.

In 1994, the Hibari Misora Museum opened in Arashiyama, Kyoto. This multistorey building traced the history of Misora's life and career in multi-media exhibits, and displayed various memorabilia. It attracted more than 5 million visitors, until its closedown on November 30, 2006, as to allow a scheduled reconstruction of the building. The main exhibits were moved into the Showa period section of the Edo-Tokyo Museum, until reconstruction was complete. The new Hibari Misora Theater opened on April 26, 2008, and included a CD for sale of a previously unreleased song.

A memorial concert for Misora was held at the Tokyo Dome on November 11, 2012. It featured numerous musicians such as Ai, Koda Kumi, Ken Hirai, Kiyoshi Hikawa, Exile, AKB48 and Nobuyasu Okabayashi amongst others, paying tribute by singing her most famous songs.