It has been reported that Yashiro Aki, a Japanese Enka singer, passed away on December 30 last year. She was 73 years old. Aki Yashiro was from Yatsushiro City in Kumamoto Prefecture and gained nationwide popularity with songs such as Ame no Bojou and Funauta, which have been loved by many people.

Following her death, Kumamoto Prefecture’s Governor, Ikuo Kabashima, announced that she would be awarded the Prefectural Honor Award in recognition of her achievements. At the same time, her hometown of Yatsushiro City also decided to honor her with the title of Honorary Citizen of Yatsushiro City.

Aki Yashiro’s passing has been widely mourned, but her music continues to be loved by many, and the beauty and impermanence of the Japanese ballads that she devoted her life to expressing will likely be spoken of for a long time to come. Her music will, no doubt, continue to resonate in the hearts of many, along with the deep emotions she herself invoked.