Meiko Kaji

Meiko Kaji, born in 1947, is a Japanese singer and actress. In 1970, with little success but extensive experience in the movie business, she signed up with the Nikkatsu movie studio and was subsequently cast in more or less important roles in the Stray Cat Rock series, films about juvenile girl gang confrontations. In 1973 she took on the role of Yuki in the revenge-themed film Lady Snowblood, which has later been popularized as a cult film in the West. Her singing career was heavily interweaved with her movie career, often singing on the soundtracks of films she starred in. Owing to this, she has seen a surge of renewed interest with the releases of Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 and their soundtracks. The theme song to Lady Snowblood, "Flower of Carnage" (Shura no Hana), and the theme song of the Sasori series, "Urami Bushi" (lit. Grudge Song), both sung by Kaji, were used in Tarantino's film.