Meiko Kaji , (born March 24, 1947 in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese E… Read Full Bio ↴Meiko Kaji , (born March 24, 1947 in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese Enka singer and actress.

Meiko Kaji first began work in the film industry under the name Masako Ota at Nikkatsu studio in 1965. In 1970, with little success but extensive experience in the movie business, Meiko Kaji signed up with the Nikkatsu movie studio and was subsequently cast in more or less important roles in the Stray Cat Rock series. The films concern juvenile girl gang confrontations and, although inventive, they suffer from poor scripts throughout the series. In 1971 Nikkatsu started moving into the financially lucrative pink film business. To avoid this Kaji moved to Toei where she met director Shunya Ito and made four women in prison films in the Female Prisoner Scorpion series, which made her famous throughout Japan. The films were adapted from a well-known manga by Toru Shinohara. In the fourth installment Toei replaced director Shunya Ito with Yasuharu Hasebe, a decision that Kaji was unhappy about, and she subsequently left the series, which continued until 1998 with six new installments of markedly lesser quality.

In 1973 she took on the role of Yuki in the revenge-themed film Lady Snowblood, which later gained popularity as a cult film in the West. It was based on a manga by Kazuo Koike who also created the Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub manga series. The film was one of the inspirations for Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films. It was followed by the sequel, Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance.

Kaji went on to appear in several of Kinji Fukasaku's films, most notably Yakuza Graveyard (1976). In 1978, she starred in a film adaptation of Sonezaki Shinju, for which she earned nominations for Best Actress at five different awards shows, winning four of them. However, the film remains unseen by many of her fans, due to the fact that it has never been released on video or DVD.

Kaji's singing career was closely tied to her movie career, and she often sang on the soundtracks of films she starred in. The theme song to Lady Snowblood, "Flower of Carnage" (Shura no Hana), and the theme song of the Sasori series, "Urami Bushi" (lit. Grudge Song), both sung by Kaji, were used in Tarantino's Kill Bill films. Owing to this, she has seen a surge of renewed interest in her work.

In 1989 Kaji portrayed Omasa, an informant, in the television jidaigeki Onihei Hankachō (the Shochiku-Fuji Television version starring kabuki actor Nakamura Kichiemon II).

Urami Bushi
梶芽衣子 Lyrics

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花よ綺麗とおだてられ
咲いてみせればすぐ散らされる
馬鹿なバカな
馬鹿な女の ... 怨み節

運命哀しとあきらめて
泣きをみせればまた泣かされる
女おんな

女なみだの怨み節

憎い口惜しい許せない
消すに消えない忘れられない
尽きぬつきぬ
尽きぬ女の怨み節

夢よ未練と嗤われて
覚めてみせますまだ覚めきれぬ
女おんな
女ごころの怨み節

真赤なバラにゃトゲがある
刺したかないが刺さずにゃおかぬ
燃えるもえる
燃える女の怨み節

死んで花実が咲くじゃなし
怨み一筋生きて行く

女おんな
女いのちの怨み節

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to 梶芽衣子's song Urami Bushi tells the story of a woman who has been wronged and betrayed. She is constantly being flattered and deceived by men, and when she finally lets her guard down and falls in love, she is inevitably hurt and abandoned. The opening verse captures this perfectly, as she is praised for her beauty only to be quickly cast aside. She feels helpless and hopeless, resigned to her fate of being constantly hurt and let down.

As the song progresses, the woman's anger and bitterness grow. She is unable to forgive those who have wronged her, and the thought of forgetting or moving on seems impossible. She is consumed by her hatred and resentment, and her desire for revenge is palpable. Even when she is told to accept her fate, she refuses, determined to keep fighting and seeking justice for herself.

Line by Line Meaning

花よ綺麗とおだてられ
Praised as beautiful flowers

咲いてみせればすぐ散らされる
But when they bloom, they quickly wither

馬鹿なバカな馬鹿な女の ... 怨み節
This is the lament of a foolish, stupid woman

運命哀しとあきらめて
Accepting a sad fate

泣きをみせればまた泣かされる
Showing tears, only to be made to cry again

女おんな女なみだの怨み節
This is the lament of a woman's tears

憎い口惜しい許せない
Hateful, frustrating, unforgivable

消すに消えない忘れられない
Can’t be erased, can’t be forgotten

尽きぬつきぬ尽きぬ女の怨み節
This is the never-ending lament of a woman

夢よ未練と嗤われて
Mocked for lingering desires and dreams

覚めてみせますまだ覚めきれぬ
Awakened, but could not shake off the dream