was a Japanese singer best known for her songs "Silhouette Romance" (1981) and "Tasogare My Love" (1978). She was known for her "overwhelming singing ability" and was mainly successful between late 1970s and early 1980s. Her discography consists of more than 20 albums. After a brief hiatus due to battling esophageal and

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

s, she returned to music in 2019. On November 9, 2023, Ohashi died in Tokyo at the age of 73.

Early life and education

Ohashi was born in

Yūbari, Hokkaido is a city located in Sorachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of January 31, 2024, the city has an estimated population of 6,374, with 3,863 households. The total area is 763.20 km2. Hemmed in by mountains, Yūbari stretches for 25 kilom ...

, Japan on April 26, 1950, the oldest of four children from a family that ran a restaurant. She graduated from Hokkaido Yubari High School, later attending and graduating from Fuji Women's Junior College. While at college, she joined a band.

Career

Ohashi made her debut as a singer with the album ''Feeling Now'' (1974). She had her breakout in 1978, with the hit "Tasogare My Love", the theme song of the TBS drama series ''Shishi no Gotoku''. During her initial stages of her career, she was known to sing

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

, but switched to soul after being inspired by artists

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...

and

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...

. She accompanied Kiyohiko Ozaki on a live tour, and later served as a supporting act. In 1976, she released the song "Paper Moon", which became a hit. With the success of the album of the same name, she formed the band Junko Ohashi & Minoya Central Station. In 1978, she released the song "Tasogare My Love", which won her a Gold Award during the 20th Japan Record Awards. In 1981, she released the song "Silhouette Romance", which ranked at number 7 on the

Oricon Singles Chart The Oricon Singles Chart is the Japanese music industry-standard Single (music), singles popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Chart rankings are based on physical singles' sales. Until 2017, Oricon did not track down ...

, was awarded best song at the 24th Japan Record Awards and sold over 500,000 copies. She also participated in several editions of the

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

competition, starting from 1979. In 2018, Ohashi announced that she would be on hiatus after her

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

diagnosis, returning to recording and touring in March 2019.

Personal life

Ohashi met composer Ken Sato while he was working at Yamaha, marrying him in 1979.

Health problems and death

In 2018, Ohashi revealed that she was diagnosed with early-stage

, cancelling tour dates in order to focus on her treatment, but was able to resume touring afterwards. However, in March 2019, Ohashi revealed that she was also suffering from

. On March 22, 2023, it was reported that Ohashi had relapsed and stopped touring again due to focusing on treating her esophageal cancer. Eight months later, on November 9, Ohashi died in a hospital in Tokyo at the age of 73. Her funeral was held at

Zōjō-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is the main temple of the Jōdo-shū ("Pure Land") Chinzei sect of Buddhism in the Kantō region. Its mountain name is San'en-zan (三縁山). Zōjō-ji is notable for its relations ...

temple on November 15 after she was

cremated Cremation is a method of Disposal of human corpses, final disposition of a corpse through Combustion, burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India, Nepal, and ...

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Cover albums

Self-cover albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohashi, Junko 1950 births 2023 deaths Singers from Hokkaido 20th-century Japanese women singers 21st-century Japanese women singers Japanese women pop singers Universal Music Japan artists Philips Records artists Epic Records artists Deaths from esophageal cancer in Japan