Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora was a Japanese singer and actress whose career made her one of the defining entertainers of postwar Japan. Born Kazue Katō in Yokohama, she became especially associated with enka, a style of emotionally expressive Japanese popular song. Her enduring cultural stature was recognized when she became the first woman to receive Japan’s People’s Honour Award, shortly after her death in 1989.