Akina Nakamori, the Showa-era diva, lost consciousness due to overwork and went to the hospital with a sprained right knee during rehearsals… “Kohaku” of Akina Nakamori, the Showa-era diva

Mitsuko Mori asks Akina, “So how would you like the match inside?” and ……

As Akina gazed at Match, dressed in an ancient costume designed by Itchiku Kubota and wearing 20 cm thick pokkis, host Mitsuko Mori turned to Akina and asked, “How do you like Match’s fashion?” Akina said, “He looks like a god. Akina said, “He looks like a god. Then, how do you like the match inside? Akina laughed and tried to cover it up, but Mori immediately said, “That was a foolish question.

In January of the following year, Seiko held a tearful separation press conference, saying, “We promised each other that if we were reborn again, we would definitely be together,” and “We loved each other and parted ways. She returned to singing four months later with “Kohaku.

Akina and Match duo shared the “Song of the Year” award with Match for “Daisho” and the “Record Award” with Akina for “Mi Amore”. In the “Kohaku” competition, under the catchphrase “Brilliant Young Elegance,” Akina sang against Match’s colleague Toshihiko Tahara, aka Toshi-chan.

The following year, 1986, was the fourth Kohaku. The popularity polls showed that Masako Mori, who had been the top-ranking singer until last year, had retired after getting married, so Sayuri Ishikawa, who had sung “Amagi koshi” the year it was released, took the top spot for the first time. Akina remained in second place, followed by Sachiko Kobayashi and Hibari Misora in fourth place. Among the male group, Itsuki Hiroshi remained No. 1, followed by Mori Shinichi (No. 2), Hosokawa Takashi (No. 3), and Kitajima Saburo (No. 4). Checkers and Safety Zone followed, and Match came in at No. 7.

Akina won the “Song of the Year Award” with “Fin” and the “Record Award” just before the “Kohaku” with “Desire” for the second year in a row, and continued to rank first among all singers in terms of record sales.

Akina headed to the “Kohaku” venue from the “Record Grand Prize”. In the opening procession that year, men and women appeared from the back center of the stage in the order in which they were to sing, and shook hands firmly at the center of the stage. That year, Akina was sixth from the front to sing against veterans Julie and Kenji Sawada. The top performers, Shonen-tai and Yoko Oginome, appeared first, but Akina, who had won the Grand Prize, was not able to make it in time. When announcer Masaho Senda said, “Akina Nakamori hasn’t arrived yet,” Akina ran from the top sode and managed to slip in next to Julie.

She was called the “Queen of the Top Ten.” ……

In the following year (1987), she won the “Japan Cable Awards” Most Requested Singer Award for five consecutive years, and her three songs “Tango Noir”, “Blonde”, and “Shipwreck” all made the Top Ten on the Oricon singles chart that year, and her total sales as an artist were the fourth highest in her career. The song also topped the Oricon singles chart for the fourth time (1983, 1985, 1986, and 1987), the most in its history.

She was also ranked No. 2 in the “Kohaku” popularity poll, and performed her famous song “Shipwreck” for the fifth time against the Checkers, and sang it with great dignity.

Furthermore, in May of 63 (1988), yes, the newly revived “TATTOO” was released this year. It also reached No. 1 on the Oricon Chart. It was the 15th song to reach No. 1 in a row, and it had been No. 1 for 69 weeks on the TBS program “The Best Ten,” the most in the program’s history. She was also called the “Queen of the Best Ten” for boasting the highest number of No. 1 songs in the program (17).

Then, in 1989. I MISSED “THE SHOCK”” was released in November following “TATTO,” and she made her sixth appearance in Kohaku, but her highest ranking song on the Oricon chart was No. 3. However, its highest position was No. 3 on the Oricon chart, finally breaking the record for the top position. The next generation of idols, including Shizuka Kudo, who appeared in the Kohaku for the first time that year, and Miho Nakayama, who passed away the other day, were rising to prominence.

At that time, the mass media was writing about Akina’s poor health and her depression. Chieko Kishi, a minyo singer who performed with Akina in Kohaku that year, said, “People are saying that, but she was totally different. She was polite and kind. Because I was a minyo singer, I felt like I was standing alone in the Kohaku, but Akina took care of me and talked to me. But Akina-chan was alone, too,” said Kishi, who remained unwavering in her praise of Akina until her death. The following year, the Showa era became the Heisei era.