Aki Yashiro, real nameAkiyo Masuda , is a Japanese enka singer and painter. Her stage name "Yashiro" is adopted from her hometown, "Yatsushiro".
History
Yashiro originally sang jazz standards in hostess clubs, but made her debut as an enka singer in 1971, with the single "Ai wa Shindemo ", under the label of Teichiku Records. Seeing the single's lack of success, she appeared on the YTV's Zen Nihon Kayō Senshuken audition, winning it for 10 consecutive weeks. In 1973, her single and album "Namida Koi" sold up to 1.2 million copies. Since then, her songs like "Shinobigoi", "Ai Hitosuji", "Onna no Yume", "Mō Ichidō Aitai", "Onna Minatomachi", and "Ai no Shūchakueki" also became great hits at the time, in which the songs portrayed a woman's emotion. In 1979, her single "Funauta" also made a great hit, followed by "Ame no Bojō " in 1980. "Ame no Bojō" won the 22nd Japan Record Award of the year. She continued collaborating with Teichiku until 1981, before turning to Century Records, where she releasedsingles like "Umineko", "Nihonkai", and "Koisegawa", until 1986. Currently, she is recording under the Nippon Columbia label since 1986. Yashiro was the first female enka singer to have seven top 10 singles on the main Oricon chart, as well as being listed as the fourth enka singer behind male singers Kiyoshi Hikawa, Hiroshi Itsuki and Shinichi Mori. She also achieved top 10 on the Oriconalbum charts for three consecutive years.
Yashiro has performed 23 times in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen. She performed consecutively for 15 years, but was not invited to perform in 1988. She was qualified again in 1989. Thereafter, she performed for the next consecutive 5 years and lost the qualification again in 1994, and return to participate again for 3 consecutive years since 1999. She last performed in the prestigious annual show in 2001. She was invited but declined to perform in 2005 with the popularity poll "Sukiuta". She has 3 singles which have been sung more than once, which are "Namida Koi", "Mō Ichidō Aitai", and "Funauta".
