Hibari Misora (美空ひばり Misora Hibari, May 29, 1937 - June 24, 1989) was a Ja… Read Full Bio ↴Hibari Misora (美空ひばり Misora Hibari, May 29, 1937 - June 24, 1989) was a Japanese singer and the predominant figure in postwar enka music. Born Kazue Kato (加藤和枝) in Yokohama, she was an accomplished singer by the age of seven, and appeared in film for the first time at age 12. Between 1949's Kanashiki kuchibue and 1971's Onna no Hanamichi, she appeared in over 60 movies.

In April of 1987, on the way to a performance in Fukuoka, she suddenly collapsed. Rushed to hospital, she was diagnosed with bilateral femoral necrosis brought on by chronic hepatitis. Until August she was confined to hospital and eventually showed signs of recovery. She commenced recording a new song Midaregami in October, and in 1988 performed at a concert called Fushichou konsaato (Phoenix Concert) at the Tokyo Dome. Against overwhelming pain in her legs, she performed a total of 39 songs while assuring her fans that she had completely recovered. However, on 24 May 1989, having been re-admitted to the Juntendou hospital in Tokyo, she died from interstitial pneumonitis at the age of 52.

In July 1989 after her death, she became the first female recipient of the National Prize of Honour (国民栄誉賞) for her longstanding contributions to the music industry.

In 1993, the Misora Hibari-kan opened in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Its popularity with fans and tourists has endured through to the present.

Her most famous song, "Kawa no nagare no yō ni," (1989) was voted #1 in a 1997 NHK poll of the best Japanese songs of all time.

この道を行く
美空ひばり Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

誰もおしえたわけじゃない
好きで選んだ道なのさ
十五二十五三十年
いつも苦労を友として
真実ひとすじこの道を行く

辛い涙をわけあって
泣いた日もある母さんと

生きた旅路の思い出が
胸を彩どる虹となる
今日も明日もこの道を行く

想う一念貫いて
巌も砕くぞ心意気
歌が私のいのちなら

燃えるのぞみをくちびるに
ひとり求めてこの道を行く

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 美空ひばり's song "この道を行く" (Kono Michi Wo Yuku) talks about the singer's chosen path in life. She did not learn it from anyone but chose it because she loves it. Through fifteen, twenty-five, and thirty years, she always experiences hardships with her friends. Despite those difficulties, she remains loyal to the truth, and that is why she keeps walking on this path.

The song also touches on the singer's past struggles with her mother. She cried with her mother during difficult times, and those memories are now coloring her heart like a rainbow. Even today and tomorrow, the singer will walk on this road, reflecting on her past and sculpting her future.

The singer sings about moving on this path, maintaining her beliefs inspired by her experiences, hopes, and desires. She firmly insists that her spirit, strong enough to rule, will not cave in like a big rock crushed to pieces but, beyond everything, she will go on singing as long as her heart beats. The song encourages you to create your path in life, to believe in yourself and your choices.

Line by Line Meaning

誰もおしえたわけじゃない
No one taught me about this path

好きで選んだ道なのさ
I chose this path because I like it

十五二十五三十年
15, 25, 30 years

いつも苦労を友として
I always keep hardship as my friend

真実ひとすじこの道を行く
I will follow this path of truth

辛い涙をわけあって
We shared bitter tears

泣いた日もある母さんと
I cried with my mother on some days

生きた旅路の思い出が
Memories of my journey through life

胸を彩どる虹となる
Are like a rainbow that colors my heart

今日も明日もこの道を行く
Today and tomorrow, I will follow this path

想う一念貫いて
My single-minded determination