| Hako Yamasaki | |
| Native Name: | 山崎ハコ |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Name: | 山崎 初子 |
| Birth Date: | 18 May 1957 |
| Birth Place: | Ōita, Japan |
| Occupation: | Singer, actress, writer |
| Genre: | Folk |
| Years Active: | 1975- |
| Label: | Pony Canyon (1975-1984) Universal Music Japan (1985-1992) Victor Entertainment (1994-1995) Zetima (1997) Tokuma Japan (2002-2006) Nippon Columbia (2008) Teichiku Records (2011-) |
| Website: | https://web.archive.org/web/20211107124114/http://www.hako.esy.es |
,[1] (birth name) is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter, actor, and writer. She recorded her first album in 1975. In 1991, she made her acting debut.
In 1974, while attending high school, Yamasaki won the Grand Prix Prizef at the, "Join Us Folk Competition".[2] During the contest, music producer Tomoi Hoshino scouted and recruited her into his agency, Imadoki. She made her debut in 1975 with the album "Tobimasu", which was released under Pony Canyon records. During her debut, she received the nickname "a rival to Miyuki Nakajima", who similarly wrote dark lyrics about love. Yamasaki had moderate success with her career, with albums that sold over 50,000 copies.[2]
During the 1980s, there was a decline in album sales coupled alongside a growing unpopularity of the folk genre of music. In 1985, Yamasaki transferred to Universal Music Japan. Following the release of her live album in 1986, Yamasaki went on a temporary hiatus. In 1994, Yamasaki's first cover album of the year received an award for the Best Planning album at the 36th Japan Music Awards. It was during the 1990s however, when Yamasaki's agency Imadoki went bankrupt. [3] [4] In 2002, Yamasaki made her major musical comeback with her single, "Yasashii Uta" which was released under the Tokuma Japan label.[2] In the same year, she made her voice acting debut in the anime television series, Chibi Maruko-chan.[5]
With the 2020s, Yamasaki's popularity has seen a rise online worldwide, with millions of views of her songs on platforms such as Spotify and YouTube.[6]
Following the bankruptcy of her musical agency, "Imadoki" in 1998, Yamasaki was left on the verge of homelessness, working part-time as a dishwasher to make a living.[4] [7] In 2001, she married guitarist Hiromi Yasuda.[4] Their marriage lasted until 2020, when Yasuda passed away due to colorectal cancer.[8] [9]
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| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Label | Formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Physical | ||||
| 1978 | "Nagareyoi Uta" （流れ酔い唄） | 97 | Canyon | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming |
| 1979 | "Jigoku Kokoro dake Aishite" （地獄「心だけ愛して」） | - | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| "Lullaby Yokosuka" （ララバイ横須賀） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1980 | "Otoko no Whisky" （男のウ井スキー） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1981 | "Orie no Uta" （織江の唄） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1982 | "Gensou Ryokou" （幻想旅行） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1983 | "Ame ni Utaenai" （雨に唄えない） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1984 | "Kaze no Uta" （風の歌） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Machi yo" （町よ） | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1985 | "Tell a lie" （テル・ア・ライ） | Universal Music Japan | CD, LP, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |
| 1990 | "Anou" | CD, Cassette, digital download, streaming | ||
| "Kibun wo Käte" （気分を変えて） | CD, Cassette, digital download, streaming | |||
| 1992 | "Hotaru" （蛍） | CD, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1994 | "Acacia no Ame ga Yamu Toki" （アカシアの雨がやむとき） | Victor | CD, digital download, streaming | |
| 1995 | "Watashi ga Umareta Hi" （私が生まれた日） | CD, digital download, streaming | ||
| 1997 | "Tadoritsuitara Itsumo Ame Furi" （たどりついたらいつも雨ふり） | Zetima | CD, digital download, streaming | |
| "Wasshoi Nippon" （わっしょいニッポン） | CD, digital download, streaming | |||
| "Tazunehito: Boukensha" （たずね人 -冒険者-） | CD, digital download, streaming | |||
| 2002 | "Yasashii Uta" （やさしい歌） | Tokuma Japan | CD, digital download, streaming | |
| 2004 | "Setsuna no Yume" （刹那の夢） | CD, digital download, streaming | ||
| 2006 | "Tessen Komoriuta" （てっせん子守唄） | CD, digital download, streaming | ||
| 2008 | "Beetle" | Nippon Columbia | CD, digital download, streaming | |
| 2011 | "Anata no Koe" （あなたの声） | Teichiku | CD, digital download, streaming | |
| Title | Year | Artist | Album/Single |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Shiroi Hana" | 1978 | Mirei Kitahara | Sumie no Uta |
| "Nosappu Misaki" | 1981 | Best Album | |
| "Dancing Doll" | 1980 | Miyuki Matsuda | Dancing Doll |
| "Chiisana Mondai" | 1984 | Agnes Chan | Chiisana Mondai |
| "Glass no Pinocchio" | 1990 | Nae Yuuki | Glass no Pinocchio |
| "Fuyu no Tokyo", "Nijiiro no Sekai Chizu" | 1993 | Shun | |
| "Art of Loving" | Minami Saori | Art of Loving | |
| "Daredare no Buki" | 1995 | Nae Yuuki | Alamode |
| "Hanabi" | 2012 | Sayuri Ishikawa | X-Cross |