Photo/Illutration Aki Yashiro on stage in Tokyo in 2015 (Asahi Shinbun file photo)

Sultry-voiced Aki Yashiro, beloved as the “queen of enka” (Japanese ballads), died of rapidly progressive interstitial pneumonia on Dec. 30, her office announced on Jan. 9.

She was 73.

With her distinctive husky and deep voice, she sang melancholy songs about romantic relationships in her inimitable seductive style.

Yashiro was battling anti-MDA5 (melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis, a type of connective tissue disease, according to her office.

She publicly disclosed her disease in September and took a break from her activities to recuperate.

A native of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Yashiro first worked as a bus guide.

After moving to Tokyo, she was discovered while singing at a club in the Ginza district.

She made her debut as an enka singer in 1971 with “Ai wa Shindemo” (Even if love dies), and “Namida Koi” (Love in tears), released in 1973, became her breakout hit.

Her signature songs include “Ame no Bojo” (Yearning in love), which won the Japan Record Award in 1980, “Funauta” (A boatman’s song) and “Ai no Shuchakueki” (Terminal station of love).”

Yashiro’s activities were not limited to enka.

She also released jazz albums and performed as a jazz singer in New York.

She was active as a painter. She held exhibitions and her works won prizes in a public competition in France.

Music critic Masakazu Kitanaka said Yashiro opened up a new realm of enka.

“She could sing pop-like enka because she sang jazz before her debut and had a background in Western music,” Kitanaka said.

“Her songs gave a cool and urban impression, compared with conventional enka, which had the flavor of traditional popular songs, such as folk music-style vocalization.”

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