Fuyumi Sakamoto

Overview

Fuyumi Sakamoto (坂本冬美) is a Japanese enka singer and actress born on March 30, 1967, in Kamitonda, Nishimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture. She debuted in 1987 with "Abare Daiko" and became an instant success, going on to define her career with songs such as "Yozakura Oshichi" and "Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru." She has appeared at the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen 37 times.

Career

Early life

She was named "Fuyumi" ("winter beauty") because her skin was as white as snow. In a middle-school essay she wrote that she wanted to become an enka singer; she was then a fan of Sayuri Ishikawa and also admired Southern All Stars. After graduating from Wakayama Prefectural Kumano High School in 1985, she worked briefly for a company in Osaka, then returned to Wakayama, working at a pickled-plum company while attending karaoke lessons.

Debut and rise

In 1986 she won NHK's amateur show "Kachinuki Kayō Tengoku" and the Kansai Enka Award karaoke contest. Composer Kishō Inomata encouraged her to move to Tokyo, and from April of that year she trained for about two years as his live-in apprentice. She debuted in 1987 with "Abare Daiko," which sold more than 800,000 copies and won several newcomer awards, including at the 29th Japan Record Awards.

In 1988 "Iwai-zake" earned a Gold Prize at the 30th Japan Record Awards, and she appeared in the 39th Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time. In 1991 she received the Newcomer Award of the Minister of Education's Art Encouragement Prize and won the Best Vocalist Award at the 33rd Japan Record Awards for "Hi no Kuni no Onna." That year she also became vocalist of the group HIS with bassist and producer Haruomi Hosono and guitarist Kiyoshiro Imawano (the name comes from Hosono, Imawano and Sakamoto); the group released the album "Nippon no Hito" on July 19, 1991. Her early repertoire centered on "men's songs" such as "Otoko no Jōwa" (1989) and "Otoko Bore" (1992).

Her mentor Inomata died at age 55 in 1993. At that year's Kōhaku she dressed as Sailor Mercury, alongside Hiroko Moriguchi as Sailor Moon and Hikaru Nishida as Sailor Mars. In 1994 "Yozakura Oshichi," written by Takashi Miki, became a long-running hit and a rare song of hers that also appealed to younger listeners; she has performed it at Kōhaku eight times, and in 1996 she closed the Red team's show for the first time. In 1995 she joined Kaori Kōzai, Natsuko Godai, Yōko Nagayama and Ayako Fuji on "Kokoro no Ito," a charity song for victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake.

Hiatus and return

Her father died in a traffic accident in 1997, and illness, including appendicitis and worsening pancreatitis, followed. In March 2002, on her 15th anniversary, she suspended her career, missing the 2002 (53rd) Kōhaku, the only one she has missed. During the break she heard Yuriko Futaba's "Ganpeki no Haha," was moved, and asked Futaba for lessons. She announced her return on April 1, 2003, on NHK Kayō Concert.

Later career

In 2008 she became the first "Wakayama Furusato Ambassador." On January 7, 2009, she released the double A-side single "Asia no Kaizoku / Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru." It debuted at No. 13 on the Oricon weekly chart and peaked at No. 3, becoming her biggest hit; "Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru," a cover of Billy BanBan's song, gained further sales in 2010 and topped the RIAJ Digital Track Chart from March 31 to April 6, 2010. Her album "Love Songs: Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru" had sold 202,000 copies by July 13, 2010, making her the first female enka singer to reach 200,000 album sales since Teresa Teng in 1989. On May 22, 2011, she sang the national anthem solo before the Emperor and Empress at the 62nd National Tree-Planting Festival, and in September 2011 she released "Okaeri ga Omamori," a song about her love for her hometown. In 2016 she marked her 30th anniversary with "Kita no Kaikyō / Ai no Uta" and released "Onna wa Dakarete Ayu ni Naru," and won a Mainichi Art Award special prize. In April 2020, an event for the guitar version of "Ore de Ii no ka" was cancelled due to COVID-19, so she held a livestream from home on YouTube; in November 2020 she released "Buddha no Yō ni Watashi wa Shinda," written by Keisuke Kuwata, fulfilling her wish to have him write a song for her.

Acting and other work

She made her drama debut as the lead in TBS's "Onna Muhōmatsu Konatsu no Koi" (1992), followed by roles in the NHK taiga drama "Honō Tatsu" (1993), regular guest appearances on "Comedy Oedo de Gozaru" (1995–2004), the lead in "Yozakura Oshichi Satsujin Jiken" (2006), and "Hitoribocchi" (2023). She appeared in the film "Nodo Jiman" (1997) and voiced Okumoto in "Belle" (2021). A manga based on her, "Enka," was serialized in 2006.

Awards

Her honors include the Misora Hibari Prize at the 32nd Japan Record Awards (1990), the Grand Prix at the Shanghai Asian Music Festival (1991), the Best Vocalist Award at the 33rd Japan Record Awards (1991), the Album Award (1992), the Composition Award (1994) and Excellence Award (1996) at the Japan Record Awards, a Kamitonda special merit award (2008), and a Mainichi Art Award special prize (2016).

Musical style

Rooted in enka and kayōkyoku, Sakamoto began with powerful "men's songs" and later broadened her range with ballads such as "Yozakura Oshichi." She studied rōkyoku (naniwabushi) vocal technique under Yuriko Futaba, explored rock-oriented work through HIS, and has performed material by a wide range of writers, including Keisuke Kuwata and Ayumi Nakamura. She is also known for her devotion to Kishū Nankōume plums, which are sold at her concerts.