Hibari Misora

Life and career

Misora was born Kazue Katō (加藤 和枝, Katō Kazue) on May 29, 1937 in Isogo-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Her father, Masukichi Katō (加藤 増吉, Katō Masukichi), was a fishmonger and her mother, Kimie Katō (加藤 喜美枝, Katō Kimie), a housewife. Katō displayed musical talent from an early age after singing for her father at a World War II send-off party in 1943 at the age of six. Masukichi invested a small fortune from the family's savings to begin a musical career for his daughter. In 1945, at the age of eight, Kazue made her debut at a concert hall in Yokohama. At that time, she changed her surname from Katō to Misora (美空; lit. "beautiful sky"), at the suggestion of her mother.

In 1946, at the age of nine, Kazue Misora (美空 和枝, Misora Kazue) entered the NHK Nodo Jiman singing competition. Judges did not pass her because they felt her voice was too mature and that it was inappropriate for a child to sing an adult song. Later that year, she appeared on another NHK broadcast, and this time impressed Japanese composer Masao Koga with her singing ability. He considered her to be a child prodigy with the courage, understanding, and emotional maturity of an adult. Over the next few years, Misora became an accomplished singer and toured notable concert halls to sold-out crowds. While the general public loved her, she was criticized by the social and cultural elites for sounding too much like a grown woman and for singing boogie woogies and love songs rather than children's songs.

Kazue began her recording career in 1949 at the age of 12, now with the name Hibari Misora (美空 ひばり, Misora Hibari), which means "lark in the beautiful sky," and starred in the film Nodojiman-kyō jidai (のど自慢狂時代). The film gained her nationwide recognition. That same year, she recorded her first single Kappa Boogie-Woogie (河童ブギウギ, Kappa bugiugi) for Nippon Columbia. 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.

As an actress, Misora starred in more than 150 movies between 1949 and 1971, and won numerous awards. Her performance in Tokyo Kid (1950), in which she played a street orphan, made her symbolic of both the hardship and the national optimism of post-World War II Japan.

In June 1950, Misora was one of the first entertainers from Japan to visit the United States after the war. She performed in Hawaii and California.

In 1956, Misora was briefly engaged to musician Mitsuru Ono. Their engagement was called off when Misora was told she would have to give up her career in order to marry.

On January 13, 1957, Misora was attacked and injured with hydrochloric acid at Asakusa International Theater. The suspect was identified as a fanatical admirer of hers.

In 1962, Misora married actor Akira Kobayashi. They divorced in 1964, and she never remarried. Her mother, who had been opposed to the marriage, later stated that the unhappiest moment in her life was when her daughter married Kobayashi and the happiest moment was when they divorced.

Between 1949 and 1971, Misora appeared in 8 to 12 films per year, usually with top billing. These films ranged from light contemporary romances to period films with sword-fighting action. In many of her period films, she was cast either in male roles or in female roles disguised as men. After she ended her film career, Misora sometimes sang in male drag in her many television performances. Her performances in these roles became a recurring feature of her public image, particularly in entertainment programs where she sometimes performed songs while dressed as a man.

In 1973, Misora's younger brother, Tetsuya Katō, was prosecuted for gang-related activity. Although NHK did not acknowledge any connection, Misora was excluded from Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time in 18 years. Offended, she refused to appear on any NHK programs for years afterwards. Nevertheless, Misora eventually did make peace with NHK and appeared in the 1979 Kōhaku as a special guest. This was her final appearance on the program. Misora appeared occasionally on other NHK programs, but felt she no longer had a reason to perform on Kōhaku.

In 1978, Misora adopted her seven-year-old nephew, Tetsuya's son Kazuya Katō.

In 1980, on the 35th year anniversary of her debut, Misora performed a recital at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo.