Harumi Miyako -- Sayonara Kaikyo（さよなら海峡）

My memory's a bit foggy about on which program I first saw the performance of "Sayonara Kaikyo" (Goodbye Strait) by current enka singer Yukino Ichikawa（市川由紀乃）. It was either "Uta Kon"（うたコン）or "Songs of Japanese Spirit", both on NHK.

The original was sung by enka legend Harumi Miyako（都はるみ）as her 80th single, released in August 1979. Depending on the arrangement, "Sayonara Kaikyo", about a woman who's heading up north to reluctantly flee a now-dead romance, can sound like the most shibui of enka songs or, as it sounds above, it can come across as somewhat Mood Kayo. In any event, wringing one's hands at heartbreak is a common Mood Kayo trope, and as Miyako sings it, she's also doing her fair share of self-flagellation.

Miyako performed "Sayonara Kaikyo" at her 15th appearance on the Kohaku Utagassen in 1979.

I'm uncertain as to whether "Sayonara Kaikyo" ever came out as an official single for Ichikawa, but it seems as if she's adopted it as one of her own. Lyrics were provided by Osamu Yoshioka（吉岡治）and music was by Shosuke Ichikawa（市川昭介）. And indeed, singer Ichikawa, whose birth name is Mari Matsumura（松村真利）, was given her stage name by her teacher and mentor, composer Ichikawa.