Katsutaro Kouta, born November 6, 1904 in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, started as a geisha before becoming a singer. She debuted in Tokyo under the name Katsutaro and signed with Victor Records in 1931. Her breakthrough came with "Sado Okesa" (1931), "Yanagi no Ame" (1932), and "Shima no Musume" (1932), which sold 350,000 copies in just three months. She collaborated with Issei Mishima on "Tokyo Ondo" (1933), which sold 1.2 million copies. Kouta also left the geisha world in 1933 to focus on her recording career. She performed for Japanese troops in China during the late 1930s. Post-war, she moved to Columbia Records (1948) and Teichiku Records (1948), releasing the hit "Oshima Jowa" (1948) and performing internationally. Kouta received the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1971. Kouta passed away on June 21, 1974, at Fuchu City in Tokyo.
