Sachiko Kobayashi

Sachiko Kobayashi (小林幸子, born December 5, 1953) is a Japanese enka singer from Niigata City, in what is now Chūō-ku, Japan. In 1963, at age 9, she won the grand championship on TBS's 『歌まね読本』 and was scouted by composer 古賀政男. She moved to Tokyo with her family in 1964 and made her debut that same year with 『ウソツキ鴎』. She began performing at age 10. Early in her career she recorded for Nippon Columbia, and she returned to the label in 1996. By 2026, her career had spanned 62 years since her debut. Her official website is sachiko.co.jp/kobayashi.php. After a long period of limited commercial success, Kobayashi broke through in 1979 with 『おもいで酒』. The song sold 2 million copies and led to her first appearance on NHK's 『紅白歌合戦』. She followed it with hits including 『とまり木』, 『もしかしてPartII』 with 美樹克彦, and 『雪椿』. Later, she also worked as an occasional voice actress and served as the voice provider for VOCALOID 4 Sachiko. In anime-related music, she performed the Pokémon ending "Pokemon Ondo (ポケモン音頭)". She later sang ending themes for "Crayon Shin-chan" and "Kobayashi-san Chi no Maid Dragon", including "Sayonara Arigatou", "Genki de Ite ne", and "Bokutachi no Hibi".