was an

Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japan and the Russian Far East *Ainu languages, a family of languages **Ainu language of Hokkaido **Kuril Ainu language, extinct language of the Kuril Islands **Sakhalin Ainu la ...

singer and mukkuri player. Her participation in Oki Kano's second album ''Hankapuy'', helped her gain recognition. She recorded several albums, including her solo debut album, ''Ihunke'', produced by Oki in 2001, that was praised by critics and artists alike, and many music publications in Japan declared it the best world music album of the year. It was followed by her second studio album, ''Upopo Sanke'', in 2003, with ''Chikar Studio'', which gained worldwide attention. She died from cancer on July 15, 2004, at her hometown Makubetsu-cho, Hokkaido, at the age of 71. She is featured posthumously on the '' Samurai Champloo'' soundtrack with her song . The seventeenth episode, "Lullabies of the Lost", which featured this song, was dedicated to her memory with the message "May her soul rest in peace" in the ending credits.

Discography

*''Ihunke'' (2001) *''Spirits From Ainu'' (2002) *''Upopo Sanke'' (2003) *''Keutowm''

External links

Umako Ando receives the Ainu Cultural AwardUmeko Ando biography in Oki's official websiteUmeko Ando
at Discogs 1932 births 2004 deaths Japanese Ainu people People from Obihiro, Hokkaido Musicians from Hokkaido 20th-century Japanese musicians Ainu artists Japanese folk singers 20th-century Japanese women singers 20th-century Japanese singers {{ainu-bio-stub