山崎ハコ (Japanese singer)

Hatsuko Yamasaki (山崎 初子; born May 18, 1957), known professionally as Hako Yamasaki (山崎ハコ, Yamasaki Hako), is a Japanese folk singer-songwriter, actress, and writer. She recorded her first album Tobimasu in 1975. In 1991, she made her acting debut. In 1974, while attending high school, Yamasaki won the Grand Prix Prize at the "Join Us Folk Competition". 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. 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. In 2002, Yamasaki made her major musical comeback with her single, "Yasashii Uta" which was released under the Tokuma Japan label. In the same year, she made her voice acting debut in the anime television series, Chibi Maruko-chan. 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. 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. In 2001, she married guitarist and longtime collaborator Hiromi Yasuda. Their marriage lasted until 2020, when Yasuda died due to colorectal cancer. "山崎ハコのプロフィール". 8 November 2023. "THE BLUE BALLADS OF HAKO YAMASAKI". sabukaru.online. 14 June 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "山崎ハコ 情念や怨念を独特な雰囲気で弾き語り". tokyo-sport.co.jp. 3 April 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "山崎ハコ、"人間嫌いキャラ"で世間にウソを…脱却のきっかけは亡き夫・安田裕美さん". jprime.jp. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "本編を忘れるほど怖い！アニメのエンディング3選 苦情殺到の曲も？". magmix.jp. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "Hako Yamasaki Tsunawatari". hhv-mag.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "Hako Yamasaki Tobimasu". hhv-mag.com. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "山崎ハコの夫・安田裕美さん死去 63歳大腸がん 山崎「悲し過ぎて色々な事を考えられません」". chunichi. Retrieved January 11, 2024. "山崎ハコの夫ギタリスト安田裕美さん死去 大腸がん". nikkan. Retrieved January 11, 2024. Official website Hako Yamasaki on Oricon (in Japanese)