Japan's Showa, where the ancient and the modern are intertwined, always exudes a nostalgic atmosphere. Among them, the optimism and strength revealed by the seemingly gentle and weak appearance of Showa women still have the same influence as their works.
Even after being born into a broken family, Chiyoko Shimakura, who loved singing since childhood, envisioned the figure of the Miku Skylark and the long-cherished wish of her sister who suffered from polio, and won the Japan National Singing Grand Prix at the age of 16.
The debut song is this "World Flower", which has sold 2 million records. At the time, almost everyone fell in love with her singing, including the new Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, who had long expressed his love for the song.
With his naturally good voice and perfect singing style, he flourished in Japan's post-war song world. The long high notes are full of delicate vibrato, and this slightly "crying" singing style has become synonymous with Chiyoko Shimakura, and it firmly grasps the hearts of the Japanese people who were running around with the goal of post-war reconstruction at that time.
In contrast to the bright and cheerful Skylark, Chiyoko Shimakura has become a presence that can be equal to her idols with her illusory singing.
In 1957, at the age of 19, Chiyoko Shimakura was inducted into the Red and White Song Festival with another million-dollar single, "Mom, Tokyo." Since then, it has been on stage for 30 consecutive years, becoming the first singer in Japan with the most appearances, and still maintains the highest record for female singers in the red group.
The popularity of that year was no less than that of the current top stream, and the concert was crowded with people, and it was difficult to find a ticket.
Just when everyone was expecting Chiyoko Shimakura to sing more excellent works, she chose to get married.
Like many actresses born during the Showa period, their upheaval or impoverished childhoods made them desperately crave love.
At the age of 25, when many people are still just starting their careers, chiyoko Shimakura, who has been debuting for nearly a decade, has chosen to retire from the torrent and marry a woman. And this seems to have become the beginning of the second half of Chiyoko Shimakura's sad life.
The object of marriage was Katsumi Fujimoto, the star player of the Hanshin professional baseball team at that time, a popular female singer and a star athlete, and the marriage between the two also caused a lot of shock at the time.
Chiyoko Shimakura, who finally got her wish and entered the palace of marriage, did not think so much. Taking the opportunity of marriage, she not only suspended all singer activities, but also moved to Osaka with her husband and lived a life centered on a good housewife.
However, the big star who has been active on the stage since the age of 16, can not cook, is not good at housework, and married life makes it difficult for her to get used to for a while.
Although it was a bit hard, because it was her dream of marrying life, Chiyoko Shimakura also struggled to adapt, and soon found that she was finally pregnant for a long time.
However, something went wrong on her husband's side, and after the athletes retired, the club run by her husband failed, and Chiyoko Shimakura was also saddled with a debt of 60 million yen.
After her husband ran away and married for 5 years, Chiyoko Shimakura, who was only 30 years old, faced with high debts after divorce, chose to swallow sleeping pills to commit suicide, but fortunately was saved in time.
In order to pay off the debt, Chiyoko Shimakura had to restart her career as a singer, which caused her to miscarry the child.
After raising money, spending all her savings, and finally paying off her husband's debts, thinking she could resume a normal life, Chiyoko Shimakura began dating a doctor.
The relationship between the two developed day by day, and even once reached the point of talking about marriage, and Chiyoko Shimakura was also very trusting of the doctor, and under the persuasion of the other party, she acted as a guarantor for the real estate, and she even gave the seal to the other party.
One night, the man ran away with everything he could take away with him, leaving behind a pile of bad debts and a huge debt of 400 million yen (about 26 million yuan). Chiyoko Shimakura, as the collective guarantor, had to bear the 400 million yen alone.
Chiyoko Shimakura's attitude was much calmer than the last time, as if she had become accustomed to such things.
During the day she records and participates in various concerts as usual, and in the evening, she is introduced by acquaintances to perform in various taverns or snack bars.
Chiyoko Shimakura has been paying back this huge debt for more than a decade, and by the time she actually pays off all the debts, the amount of profit has reached 1.6 billion yen (about 100 million yuan).
"All Kinds of Life" is chiyoko Shimakura's most widely circulated golden song, which not only contains a portrayal of the singer's own life, but also evokes the listener's own imagination.
While repaying the loan, Chiyoko Shimakura hosted a party for the 30th anniversary of her singer's life for fans who still supported her.
There, Chiyoko Shimakura herself, who had been dreaming of herself, also came to the scene and gave gifts.
And the gift is: "Please spend a life that will never be deceived again." Never let the seal leave you! This congratulatory remark became a major topic in society at that time and was deeply certified by me.
After learning the story of Chiyoko Shimakura, lyricist Mr. Daisaburo Yamayama invited her to compose the lyrics of the song together. In 1987, at the age of 49, Chiyoko Shimakura released the famous song "All Kinds of Life", which became the most popular song in her life.
The era coincided with Japan's bubble economy, and the record still set a staggering record of 1.3 million copies after its release. The proceeds also helped Chiyoko Shimakura to pay off her debts one step closer.
Just like another sentence in the lyrics, it is written that "life is colorful, men are also diverse, and women are also full of styles, like blooming flowers." The hurt that the two partners brought to Chiyoko Shimakura also made her realize that only continuing to sing was the meaning of her life.
However, the blow of life to her is far from over. In 1993, at the age of 54, Chiyoko was diagnosed with breast cancer.
At a press conference, she said, "In my mind, the word 'cancer' is equivalent to death," and looking back on life so far, there are too many things. Finally all sorts of things are over, and life can finally calm down, so I don't want to get cancer. For me, there are so many things I am grateful for that I want to sing, because I like to sing, so in order to become energetic, I want to keep singing. ”
After that, Chiyoko Shimakura underwent surgery, holding the belief that she did not shrink back from the 1.6 billion debt, and desperately insisted on receiving radiation therapy every day. Finally, after 1 month of painful chemotherapy, breast cancer was finally overcome.
After being discharged from the hospital only 24 days later, Chiyoko Shimakura returned to work, not only holding concerts but also expanding the scope of her activities to tv.
She has appeared actively in various variety shows, and her naturally innocent personality and still cheerful smile have made her warmly welcomed by the public again.
In all kinds of life, the "why did you die" thing that Chiyoko Shimakura had once worried about will still come.
In 2010, she was diagnosed with liver cancer again, and was sent to the hospital for rescue three times with complications, but she still did not give up.
At the same time as fighting the disease, in 2013, on her 75th birthday, she starred in a commemorative concert where the company's popular singers gathered together, and under the blessing of the actors, she still showed her full of spirit.
Unlike when she had breast cancer, this time she remained silent about her illness because she did not want to be affected by the concert that had been planned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the singer's event. For herself, this is the goal she wants to accomplish even if she dies.
And for this concert, I also asked fans who have become lyricists to create a new song for themselves. So there is this song "The Path of The Goji".
In fact, when singing this song, Chiyoko Shimakura's body was already at the end of the crossbow, and she advanced the original planned time by 10 days, and she thought, "Even if it is a sound, she must stay."
The staff transported the equipment to her home, and Chiyoko Shimakura, who had to rely on a wheelchair for her usual travels, finally recorded the whole song perfectly.
The staff present were all pleasantly surprised by her state and wished her a speedy recovery and continued to show her singing voice on stage. Chiyoko Shimakura did not answer.
That night, Chiyoko Shimakura fell into a coma at home and died three days later.
At this point, the 75-year life of the Showa legend Katsuhime came to an end.
The funeral was so grand that it included many famous singers, bringing in more than 3,000 people. The day included the last recorded song, and also played chiyoko Shimakura's own final confession.
Among the relics given to Sachiko Kobayashi, who is like a daughter who is like herself, is a ring with a ninja character engraved on it. It's like her life.
Chiyoko Shimakura healed people with her songs in turbulent times and experienced a life of ups and downs.
Debt, cancer... In the rolling tide of life, I still love to sing, and living for songs may be my fate.
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