Haru Kobayashi (小林 ハル, Kobayashi Haru; 24 January 1900 – 25 April 2005) was a Japanese goze, singing songs accompanied by shamisen. Kobayashi became blind at three months old. She started goze training at age five and started her career at age eight. She continued performing until 1978, traveling throughout most of Niigata Prefecture as well as through parts of the Yamagata and Fukushima Prefectures. In 1978, she was named one of the Living National Treasures of Japan, as a key figure of the traditional goze art form. In 1979, she was awarded the Medal of Honor with Yellow Ribbon.
Source: “Haru Kobayashi”, English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), excerpt