Enka - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a popular Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism

Nationalism

Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

as nihonjinron
Nihonjinron
The term literally means theories/discussions about the Japanese. The term refers to a genre of texts that focuses on issues of Japanese national and cultural identity. The literature is vast, ranging over such varied fields as sociology, psychology, history, linguistics, philosophy, and even...

, while adopting a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than ryūkōka
Ryukoka
- 1914–1927: Origin :In 1914, Sumako Matsui's song "Katyusha's song", composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was used as a theme of the rendition Resurrection in Japan. The record of the song sold 20,000 copies...

music, popular during the prewar years.

Modern enka, as developed in the postwar era, is a form of sentimental ballad music. Some of the first modern enka singers were Hachiro Kasuga

Hachiro Kasuga

, born as Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer".Having seen the stage of Ichiro Fujiyama, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he joined the Japanese army in 1944, but returned from Taiwan to Japan in...

, Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi , born Michiya Kitazawa in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was a famous enka singer in postwar Japan...

, and Hideo Murata

Hideo Murata

was a Japanese rōkyoku and enka singer. He had taken part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen 27 times.Murata was born as a son of rōkyoku singer and . However, he was immediately adopted by and became his stepfather. His real name was . He studied rōkyoku under one of Kumoemon Tochuken's disciples, Kumo...

. The revival of enka in its modern form is said to date from 1969, when Keiko Fuji

Keiko Fuji

, real name , is a Japanese enka singer and actress. She had success in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s with her ballad-type songs. Her parents were itinerant musical performers. Her father was a rōkyoku singer. Her mother was a blind shamisen player or goze...

made her debut.

The term

The term enka was first used to refer to political texts set to music which were sung and distributed by opposition activists belonging to the Freedom and People's Rights Movement

Freedom and People's Rights Movement

The was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy in 1880s....

during the Meiji period

Meiji period

The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

(1868–1912) as a means of bypassing government curbs on speeches of political dissent – and in this sense the word is derived from , meaning "speech song."

Another theory holds that modern enka means , meaning "performance song."

The genre called enka is also said to be an expedient classification for record labels as well as J-pop

J-pop

, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...

. For example, Harumi Miyako

Harumi Miyako

is a Japanese singer of enka.Born Harumi Kitamura in Kyoto, she made her debut in 1964. Her popularity has lasted: She makes frequent appearances in the annual television spectacular Kōhaku Uta Gassen and has acted in a number of films....

, who has been usually considered as an enka singer, said "I don't think that I sing 'enka'" and "In fact, there was no such term as 'enka' when I debuted."Original text: "わたし、自分が演歌をうたってるとは思ってませんから。"
"じっさい、あたしがデビューしたころは、特に演歌なんて言い方はしなかったですよ。"

Musical style

Modern enka's mainstream scale is called or "Minor Scale without Four and Seven (re and sol)," and is a modified version of or "Major Scale without Four and Seven (Fa and Ti)," which came from an older Japanese scale, the . One of the earliest Japanese songs that was said to have partly used it is Rentarō Taki's "Kōjō no Tsuki

Kojo no tsuki

is a Japanese song written in the Meiji period.Japanese pianist and composer Rentarō Taki composed the music as a music lesson song without instrumental accompaniment in 1901. The song was included in the songbook for Junior High School students. The music of the song was inspired by the ruins of...

," which was called or "school song" in the Meiji period

Meiji period

. The seventh- scale degree

Degree (music)

In music theory, a scale degree or scale step is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic...

is not used in "Kōjō no Tsuki", a song of B minor

B minor

B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....

.

The music, based on the pentatonic scale

Pentatonic scale

A pentatonic scale is a musical scale with five notes per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the major scale and minor scale...

, has some resemblance to blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

(which has been duly noted by Japanese-American enka singer Jero

Jero

Jerome Charles White, Jr. , better known by his stage name , is an enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.- Biography :...

). Enka lyrics are usually written similarly around the themes of love and loss, loneliness, enduring hardships, and persevering in the face of difficulties, even suicide or death. Although enka is a genre of kayōkyoku
Kayokyoku
is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. The Japan Times describes kayōkyoku as "standard Japanese pop" or "Showa era pop".Kayōkyoku is Western-style-inspired music of Japan. Music in this genre is extremely varied as a result...

, it is considered to be more expressive and emotional, though there is no clear consensus on the matter.

Archetypal enka singers employ a style of melisma

Melisma

Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...

—where a single syllable of text is sung while moving between several different notes in succession—known as kobushi. Kobushi occurs when the pitch

Pitch (music)

Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...

of the singer's voice fluctuates irregularly within one scale degree

Degree (music)

In music theory, a scale degree or scale step is the name of a particular note of a scale in relation to the tonic...

: This compares with vibrato

Vibrato

Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...

, which vibrates in a regular cycle. The kobushi technique is not limited to enka, as can be heard in the Italian song "Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia is a traditional Neapolitan song. It was transcribed by Teodoro Cottrau and published by the Cottrau firm, as a "barcarolla", at Naples in 1849. Cottrau translated it from Napuletano into Italian during the first stage of the Risorgimento, the first Neapolitan song to be given Italian...

." In the late 1930s and early '40s, the music of composer Masao Koga

Masao Koga

was a Japanese composer and guitarist known for creating melodies, and a pioneer of Japanese popular music. He was regarded as a notable figure for establishing the genre enka, though Koga considered that he was a ryūkōka composer...

began to resemble Buddhist shomyo
Shomyo
Shōmyō is a style of Japanese Buddhist chant, used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two styles: ryokyoku and rikkyoku, described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively....

-chanting possibly because his record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

asked him to product music. Although Koga became a composer whose work is considered seminal to the creation of the genre, present-day enka is different from Koga's primary music because the singing styles of many postwar singers were different from the kobushi of Koga's musical note. Modern enka singer Takeshi Kitayama himself admitted in 2006, "I was even confused because [Koga's] musical note was different from that of an old singer."Original text: "昔の人が歌った音資料と楽譜が違って戸惑いもしました"

Enka suggests a traditional, idealized, or romanticized aspect of Japanese culture and attitudes. Enka singers, predominantly women, usually perform in a kimono

Kimono

The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...

or in evening dress. Male enka performers tend to wear formal dress, or in some performances, traditional Japanese attire. Nods to traditional Japanese music are common in enka. The melodies of enka are fundamentally Western harmonies, and electronic instruments are used, such as synthesizers and electric lead guitar with plenty of distortion, but its musical instruments also include traditional Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...

and the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...

.

19th century–1920s: Sōshi enka and violin enka

The political songs called enka in the Meiji period (1868–1912) are also called to distinguish it from modern enka. Street singers were called . The first enka song is said to be . The songs during this time include Otojiro Kawakami

Otojiro Kawakami

was a Japanese actor and comedian from present-day Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, who led the Kawakami Theatre Troupe on successful overseas tours in 1899-1901...

's "Oppekepe Bushi."

In the Taishō period

Taisho period

The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...

(1912–26), enka-shi began to incorporate the violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, thus their songs were called violin enka. An enka-shi of the period was , who in turn taught Haruo Oka

Haruo Oka

born as Tatsuo Sasaki was a Japanese popular music singer.He studied music as enka-shi or a street musician. At that time, he was encouraged by Taro Shoji in Ginza. He signed with King Records in 1938. He debuted with song "Kokkyō no Haru" in 1939. He married with Kiyoko Okuda in 1940...

.

In present-day Japan, Road Traffic Law regulates the appearance street performers. However, Japanese performers such as have still sung enka from the Taishō period. When the 1995 earthquake

Great Hanshin earthquake

The Great Hanshin earthquake, or Kobe earthquake, was an earthquake that occurred on Tuesday, January 17, 1995, at 05:46 JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It measured 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale , and Mj7.3 on JMA magnitude scale. The tremors lasted for approximately 20...

broke out, Soul Flower Mononoke Summit, a musical project of the rock band Soul Flower Union

Soul Flower Union

Soul Flower Union, also known as SFU, is a Japanese musical group that incorporates Asian styles and world music styles into a rock and roll band. They are known for their blend of psychedelic, rock, Okinawan music, Celtic music, chindon , swing jazz, as well as Japanese, Chinese and Korean folk...

, played sōshi enka to help buoy the spirits of disaster victims.

1920s–1940s: The era of ryūkōka

In the early Shōwa period

Showa period

The , or Shōwa era, is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of the Shōwa Emperor, Hirohito, from December 25, 1926 through January 7, 1989.The Shōwa period was longer than the reign of any previous Japanese emperor...

in the late '20s, record companies produced ryūkōka
Ryukoka
- 1914–1927: Origin :In 1914, Sumako Matsui's song "Katyusha's song", composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was used as a theme of the rendition Resurrection in Japan. The record of the song sold 20,000 copies...

in place of street performers (enka-shi). Enka-shi began to use guitar

Guitar

The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

and were dubbed . Haruo Oka

Haruo Oka

debuted with the 1939 song on the Japanese record label King Records. However, the term enka became uncommon in the postwar years.

Late 1940s–1954: The arrival of new singers

As jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

became popular in the early postwar Japan, Japanese singer Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora

was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...

released her debut song "Kappa boogie-woogie

Boogie-woogie

Boogie-woogie has the following meanings:*Boogie-woogie, a piano-based music style*Boogie-woogie , a swing dance or a dance that imitates the rock-n-roll dance of the 1950s*"Boogie Woogie" , a song by EuroGroove and Dannii Minogue...

" on Nippon Columbia in 1949 at the age of only 12. She went on to sing jazz songs throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She later did many enka songs in the 60s and 70s.

In 1948, Hachiro Kasuga

Hachiro Kasuga

won King Recordss first talent contest. He joined the record label the next year where Haruo Oka

Haruo Oka

was his senior. His debut single was released in 1952. The Kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

-style song was originally made for Oka, but was sung by Kasuga, and in 1954, "Otomi-san" became a very popular hit in Japan. Kasuga took part in the NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Kohaku Uta Gassen
, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...

for the first time with "Otomi-san" that year. The song's composer, Masanobu Tokuchi, was born on Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and is home to Naha, the capital of Okinawa Prefecture. The island has an area of...

and grew up in Amami

Amami Oshima

is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...

, and became an important figure for introducing the Ryukyu Islands

Ryukyu Islands

The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...

' music into the Japanese mainstream.

1955–1959: Early history of modern enka

Although "Otomi-san" was popular, Kasuga

Hachiro Kasuga

himself was not completely satisfied with it and recorded the song by Toru Funamura. The song was released in 1955 and was later regarded as a true enka song. The song, ironically, was also influenced by tango music

Tango music

Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...

's rhythm because Funamura felt that tango seemed similar to enka in its local color. "Wakare no Ippon-sugi" was later covered by singers as various as Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi , born Michiya Kitazawa in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was a famous enka singer in postwar Japan...

, Hideo Murata

Hideo Murata

, Keiko Fuji

Keiko Fuji

, Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora

, Saburō Kitajima

Saburo Kitajima

is a well-known Japanese enka singer, lyricist and composer.He was born Minoru Ōno , in a little town in Hokkaidō to a fisherman. He was very poor because of the effects of World War II, and he was forced to work while he studied....

, Takashi Hosokawa

Takashi Hosokawa

, born 細川貴志 on 15 June 1950, Makkari, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese male enka singer.In 1975, he debuted with song "Kokoro Nokori". Hosokawa immediately became one of the most popular enka and pop singers in Japan...

, and Hiroshi Itsuki

Hiroshi Itsuki

is a Japanese male singer and composer. He sold 20 million records of singles and 4 million copies of LP albums by 1987.Itsuki is usually regarded as an enka singer, but he even covered Southern All Stars' J-pop song "Tsunami"....

. Kasuga was later called the first enka singer.

Michiya Mihashi, who originally sang Japanese folk min'yō
Min'yo
is a genre of traditional Japanese music. The term is a translation of the German word "Volkslied" and has only been in use during the twentieth century...

music and learned tsugaru-jamisen
Tsugaru-jamisen
Tsugaru-Shamisen is a genre of shamisen music originating in Aomori prefecture in the northernmost area of the Japanese island of Honshū. It is today performed throughout Japan, though associations with the Tsugaru area of Aomori remain strong....

, released his debut single "Sake no Nigasa yo" as a recording singer in 1954. Mihashi's "Onna Sendō Uta" was a hit in 1955. Funamura's friend Kimio Takano, the lyricist of "Wakare no Ippon-sugi", died in 1956 at the age of 26. Hibari Misora's music turned to enka when she was no longer regarded as a teen idol

Teen idol

A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...

.

Around the postwar period, rōkyoku
Rokyoku
Rōkyoku is a genre of traditional Japanese narrative singing. Generally accompanied by a shamisen, rōkyoku became very popular in Japan during the first half of the 20th century.-Notable performers:...

(or naniwa-bushi), famous during the war, declined in popularity mainly because their speaking lengths were considered too long. Enka, on the other hand, which became popular around that time, was said to be a shortened version of rōkyoku because several enka singers such as Hideo Murata and Haruo Minami

Haruo Minami

Haruo Minami was an enka singer in postwar Japan.He was born Bunji Kitazume in Nagaoka, Niigata...

were originally rōkyoku singers and enka has many themes in common with the genre. One notable rōkyoku singer who had an influence on enka was Kumoemon Tochuken, whose student's pupil was Murata. Minami debuted on Teichiku Records

Teichiku Records

Teichiku Records is a Japanese record label, run by the Teichiku Entertainment company, that specialises in enka, kayōkyoku, and similar music. Teichiku is an abbreviation for , the former name of the company...

in 1957 and Murata on Nippon Columbia in 1958. Murata covered the song , composed by Masao Koga

Masao Koga

. Haruo Minami was known for wearing a kimono

Kimono

The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...

, which was at the time was considered an unusual style for a male singer.

1960s: Commercial success

In the early 1960s, rockabilly

Rockabilly

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...

influenced by Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

began to gain popularity. Kyu Sakamoto

Kyu Sakamoto

was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...

, who came from Japanese rockabilly, joined Japanese popular music. However, many Japanese music critics complained about rockabilly, and Hideo Murata

Hideo Murata

's 1961 "pure Japanese style"-like song "Ōsho," composed by Toru Funamura, became a million-selling single in Japan. When Kyu Sakamoto took part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen

, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music show on New Year's Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas broadcasters which bought the program...

for the first time with the song "Ue o Muite Arukō" (aka "Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki (song)

The cover version by A Taste of Honey reached number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also went to number 1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart and Soul chart)....

") in 1961, Hideo Murata also made his debut with song "Ōsho" at the same show.

Young enka singer Yukio Hashi

Yukio Hashi

is a Japanese Enka singer. He is also an actor. Yukio's real name is , using a different kanji.-External links:*...

appeared in 1960, Saburō Kitajima

Saburo Kitajima

in 1962, and Harumi Miyako

Harumi Miyako

in 1964. Sachiko Kobayashi debuted with the 1964 single at the age of only 10. The most well-known and beloved performer of enka is Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora

(1937–1989), known as the "Queen of Enka" and "Queen of Shōwa" for the period in which she lived and was celebrated. Misora's song "Yawara," composed by Masao Koga, won the grand prix award at the 1965 Japan Record Award

Japan Record Award

for outstanding achievements in the Japan Composer's Association, is major music awards show held annually in Japan.- Categories :The Japan Record Award are four awards which are not restricted by genre....

. Masaru Matsuyama also made his debut in 1965, but was not able to achieve commercial success and changed his stage name to Hiroshi Itsuki

Hiroshi Itsuki

in 1971.

Mina Aoe

Mina Aoe

was a Japanese female enka singer who had a series of popular hits in the late 1960s and continued charting late into her career.With her distinctive husky voice, she acquired the nickname of "Queen of the Blues". Due to her frequent appearances on television programs , she is fondly remembered by...

appeared with the single in 1966, pioneering the "enka-blues

Blues

" genre. Shinichi Mori

Shinichi Mori

is a Japanese male enka singer and composer, who also sings folk and pop music. Nishinippon Shimbun claims that his total sales of gramophone records and CDs has been over 90 million copies....

debuted with the 1966 single . His 1969 song topped the Japanese Oricon

Oricon

, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...

single charts for five weeks and sold over one million copies. Keiko Fuji

Keiko Fuji

came out with the 1969 single at the age of 18. The term enka which had not been used in postwar era, was revived by her performance.

1970s: Maintaining popularity

Keiko Fuji

's 1970 song "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" won the mass popularity award of the 12th Japan Record Awards

12th Japan Record Awards

The 12th Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1970, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:...

and the grand prix award of the first Japan Music Awards

Japan Music Awards

for outstanding achievements in the Broadcast Music Producers Federation, was major music awards show held annually in Japan from 1969 to 1993. The only year that the award is not held is 1988.- List Japan Music Award :- Members of Federation :...

. That year, she also took part in the 21st Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen

with the song. Her 1970 album established a record-breaking consecutive number-one record to top the Oricon

Oricon

charts for 20 "consecutive" weeks. It is a record that still stands.

The best-selling enka after the Oricon charts began in 1968 is Shiro Miya

Shiro Miya

is a Japanese enka singer, lyricist and composer. His band Shiro Miya and the Pinkara Trio's 1972 song "Onna no Michi", became the second best-selling single in Japanese Oricon charts history, selling over 3.25 million copies.- Life and career :...

and Pinkara Trio's 1972 "Onna no Michi

Onna no Michi

is the debut single by Shiro Miya and the Pinkara Trio released on May 10, 1972, in Japan. The lyrics are simple, but sad. The song is written about a woman who devoted herself to her only man but was deserted by him and was crying...

." The song topped the Japanese Oricon single charts for 16 consecutive weeks and sold over 3.25 million copies, to become the second best-selling single in Japan behind "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun

Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun

is a song by Japanese singer Masato Shimon, released by Canyon Records on December 25, 1975. The B-side "Ippon Demo Ninjin" was sung by Japanese folk singer Kenichi Nagira. However, the label claimed that the song was a children's song because the song was used in Japanese child television program...

."

Hiroshi Itsuki

Hiroshi Itsuki

's song "Yozora" won the grand prix award at the 15th Japan Record Awards

15th Japan Record Awards

The 15th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1973, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:...

in 1973. Shinichi Mori

Shinichi Mori

is a Japanese male enka singer and composer, who also sings folk and pop music. Nishinippon Shimbun claims that his total sales of gramophone records and CDs has been over 90 million copies....

released single "Erimo Misaki" in 1974. Although the song was composed by non-enka musician Takuro Yoshida

Takuro Yoshida

is a Japanese male singer-songwriter. He was born on April 5, 1946 in Okuchi, Kagoshima and raised in Hiroshima. He made his debut with the single "Imeji no Uta / Maku II" on June 1, 1970...

, "Erimo Misaki" won the grand prix at the 16th Japan Record Awards

16th Japan Record Awards

The 16th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1974, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:...

that year. Harumi Miyako

Harumi Miyako

's song "Kita no Yado kara

Kita no Yadokara

is a song by Japanese enka singer Harumi Miyako. The song won the 18th Japan Record Awards' Grand Prix Award....

" also won the grand prix at the 18th Japan Record Awards

18th Japan Record Awards

The 18th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1976, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:...

in 1976. New enka singers, who debuted in '70s, include Sayuri Ishikawa

Sayuri Ishikawa

, is a Japanese enka singer. She is a popular contestant on the annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast, having appeared 32 times since 1977. Ishikawa made her name performing the classic "Tsugarukaikyo-Fuyugeshiki"...

and Takashi Hosokawa

Takashi Hosokawa

who were both Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi , born Michiya Kitazawa in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was a famous enka singer in postwar Japan...

's pupils.

Masao Koga died in 1978, after a career of composing about 5,000 songs. Toru Funamura became self-employed in 1978, beginning live performances and returning to the original position for his old friend Kimio Takano. Keiko Fuji announced her retirement in 1979 and went to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, where bizarrely enough, in 2006, the $400,000 she was carrying in cash was confiscated by the DEA. She denied any wrongdoing and in 2008 was cleared of all charges and the money returned to her.

1980s: Losing definition

Takashi Hosokawa

's song "Kita Sakaba" won the grand prix at the 24th Japan Record Awards

24th Japan Record Awards

The 24th Japan Record Awards were held December 31, 1982. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from this year.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Takashi Hosokawa for "Kita Sakaba"*Best Vocalist:**Junko Ohashi*Best New Artist:**Shibugaki Tai...

in 1982. His song "Yagiri no Watashi" also won the grand prix at the following Japan Record Awards

25th Japan Record Awards

The 25th Japan Record Awards were held December 31, 1983. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the this year.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Takashi Hosokawa for "Yagiri no Watashi"*Best Vocalist:**Masako Mori*Best New Artist:...

. The total sales of Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi , born Michiya Kitazawa in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was a famous enka singer in postwar Japan...

work surpassed 100 million records in 1983, making him the first artist to achieve that in Japan.

On June 11, 1986, Sanae Jōnouchi, a member of idol

Japanese idol

In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...

group Onyanko Club

Onyanko Club

was a large all-girl Japanese pop idol group in the 1980s. The group gave a new approach to the idol formula with its 52 official members and three unofficial members...

, released the enka single "Ajisai Bashi," written by Yasushi Akimoto

Yasushi Akimoto

is a Japanese television writer, lyricist, record producer, professor and vice president at Kyoto University of Art and Design. He also created some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise.- Career :...

. The single debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon weekly single charts. Ikuzo Yoshi

Ikuzo Yoshi

is the stage name of ', a Japanese famous Enka singer-songwriter.Enka is a popular genre akin to Japanese folk music or blues music in the Western world. He has released several popular albums. Amongst his most famous hits are "Sake-yo", "Suika", and "Yuki Guni".He also claimed that he became the...

's 1986 single "Yukiguni" became the Oricon's 300th number-one single in 1987.

Other new enka singers around that time included Fuyumi Sakamoto

Fuyumi Sakamoto

is a Japanese female enka singer under EMI Music Japan.-Career:On March 4, 1987, Sakamoto debuted as a recording singer with the single "Abare Daiko". In 1988, she took part in the 39th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time...

and Ayako Fuji

Ayako Fuji

, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese enka singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Japan. Born in Kakunodate, Akita, Fuji graduated from Akita Prefectural Kakunodate South High School.- Hit songs :* Utakata no Koi, 1998* Miren, 1995...

. Hibari Misora

Hibari Misora

, at the age of 50, released the single "Midaregami" on December 10, 1987. "Midaregami" reached the No. 9 position on the Oricon weekly charts. Yasushi Akimoto wrote the lyrics of her 1989 single "Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni

Kawa no nagare no yo ni

is the last single recorded by Japanese enka singer Hibari Misora, as she died soon after its release. It was composed by Akira Mitake, with lyrics by Yasushi Akimoto. It was voted the greatest Japanese song of all time during a national poll in 1997 by NHK, with more than 10 million votes...

". However, she died in 1989 and the enka range expanded into the genre kayōkyoku
Kayokyoku
is a Japanese pop music genre, which became a base of modern J-pop. The Japan Times describes kayōkyoku as "standard Japanese pop" or "Showa era pop".Kayōkyoku is Western-style-inspired music of Japan. Music in this genre is extremely varied as a result...

while the genre kayōkyoku was vanishing.

1990s: Decline

Hachiro Kasuga

died in 1991. As enka's traditional themes were no longer appreciated among younger Japanese and Western-style J-pop

J-pop

music became more popular, enka sales declined. However, the genre still had many adherents. Besides on TV programs, enka could be heard in many restaurants, drinking establishments, karaoke

Karaoke

is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...

bars, and cafes. On the other hand, "bright" enka singer Yoshimi Tendo, who was ignored when the "dark" enka songs like Keiko Fuji's song "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" were popular, took part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen

for the first time in 1993. Other new enka singers was also apparing on TV enka programs such as Toshimi Tagawa and Fuyumi Sakamoto who kept enka alive. Chinese diva Teresa Teng

Teresa Teng

Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...

was also singing Japanese and covering enka songs since the 70s until she died 1995 at the age of 42.

2000s: Musical hybridity

Enka's popularity among younger Japanese, however, increased in the first decade of the 21st century. Kiyoshi Hikawa

Kiyoshi Hikawa

is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name is and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity...

debuted on Nippon Columbia in 2000 with the single "Hakone Hachiri no Hanjirō," which became a smash hit. The early solo releases of then-Morning Musume

Morning Musume

, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...

member Yuko Nakazawa

Yuko Nakazawa

is a Japanese pop and enka singer, and actress, best known as one of the original members of the all-female J-pop group Morning Musume. She is currently a member of Dream Morning Musume.- Biography :...

were also enka. In contrast, Nana Mizuki

Nana Mizuki

is a popular Japanese singer-songwriter and voice actress. She was born and raised in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, Mizuki was trained as an enka singer. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1998; however, she released her debut single "Omoi", under the King Records label on December 6, 2000...

, who learned enka as a child, became a voice actress (or seiyū
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...

) and also appeared as a singer on King Records in 2000.

On August 25, 2004, Johnny & Associates

Johnny & Associates

is a talent agency formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962. Johnny & Associates trains and promotes groups of male idols, collectively known as , in Japan.-1962–1989:...

' group Kanjani Eight

Kanjani Eight

is a seven-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency, Johnny & Associates, and signed to Imperial Records. The group was formed in 2002 and made their CD debut in 2004 as "Johnny's modern enka group", though after the year 2006, their...

debuted with the Kansai-limited release of "Naniwa Iroha Bushi" under the Teichiku Records

Teichiku Records

. The song was based on "Kawachi ondo

Kawachi ondo

Kawachi Ondo is a kind of Japanese folk song that originates from Yao City in the old Kawachi region of Japan, now part of modern-day Osaka Prefecture. This song's style and melody are said to have evolved from another folk song called Gōshū Ondo from Shiga Prefecture, known as Goshu in earlier days...

" and featured rap

Rapping

Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

. The song was a hit and reached No. 8 on the Oricon weekly singles chart on the strength of Kansai sales alone. Then, on September 22, 2004, "Naniwa Iroha Bushi" was released nationwide and re-debuted on the Oricon weekly singles charts at the No. 1 spot, becoming the first enka single to reach No. 1 in seventeen years since Yujiro Ishihara

Yujiro Ishihara

was a Japanese actor and singer born in Kobe. His elder brother, Shintaro Ishihara, is an author, politician, and the current Governor of Tokyo. Yujiro debuted in 1956 in "Season of the Sun," based on a novel written by his brother...

's 1987 single "Kita no Tabibito" according to Oricon.

Hikawa also released the single "Hatsukoi Ressha" on February 9, 2005, which debut at the No. 1 position on the Oricon charts, Hikawa's first number-one single on Oricon weekly charts. Older female singer Junko Akimoto

Junko Akimoto

is a Japanese kayōkyoku singer. She also sing jazz, chanson, canzone and min'yō. She made her debut in 2005. She attended the 59th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. Her song reached number-one on the Japan's Oricon charts in January 2009. By this, she became the eldest singer to reach the number-one position...

also debuted on King Records, releasing her first single "Madison-gun no Koi" on July 21, 2005. However, her musical style was '70s kayōkyoku style.

Veteran enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki

Hiroshi Itsuki

, at 58, released the single "Takasebune" on April 19, 2006 becoming his first Top 10 single in 22 years since 1984's "Nagaragawa Enka." It debuted at the number-nine position on the Oricon charts.

Hikawa's song "Ikken" won the grand prix at the 48th Japan Record Awards

48th Japan Record Awards

The 48th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the New National Theatre in Shibuya, Tokyo, on December 30, 2006, starting at 6:30PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.- Awards winners :*Japan Record Award: Ikken...

on December 30, 2006. Kanjani Eight was transferred to the pop/rock record label Imperial Records, the sublabel of the Teichiku Records

Teichiku Records

in 2007. In the same year, 80s superstar Akina Nakamori

Akina Nakamori

is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....

paid her respect to enka music by releasing an album—full of light enka songs.

Junko Akimoto released the single "Ai no Mama de…" on January 23, 2008, reaching the top of the Oricon weekly single charts in January 2009, making her, at the age of 61, the oldest solo singer to top the charts. That same year, Hikawa released two consecutive number-one singles—"Ryōkyoku Ichidai" and "Tokimeki no Rumba"—on the Oricon weekly charts. Fuyumi Sakamoto

Fuyumi Sakamoto

's 2009 song "Asia no Kaizoku", composed by Ayumi Nakamura, was an enka song featuring rock music

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

. Sakamoto said "If Ayumi sings the song, it's a rock song. If I sing the song, however, it's an enka song."Original text: "この曲もあゆみさんが歌ったらロックなのに、私が歌ったら、演歌になる"

2010s

On January 1, 2010, 73-year-old Saburō Kitajima

Saburo Kitajima

released the single , emerging at No. 10 on the Oricon weekly charts, making him the first solo artist to reach Top 10 in his 70s. After Fuyumi Sakamoto

Fuyumi Sakamoto

appeared on Masahiro Nakai

Masahiro Nakai

is a singer, actor and host for music events and variety shows such as the long-running music show Utaban. He is the leader of the Japanese idol group SMAP.-Early life:...

's TV program Nakai Masahiro no Kinyōbi no Sumatachi e on March 19, 2010, her double A-side single "Mata Kimi ni Koi Shiteru/Asia no Kaizoku" reached Top 10 for the first time, ranked at No. 9 on the Oricon charts. The single became her first Top 10 single in 21 years since "Otoko no Jōwa," which had ranked in Top 10 on the Oricon charts in 1989.

International popularity

The first non-Japanese singer of enka was Sarbjit Singh Chadha

Sarbjit Singh Chadha

Sarbjit Singh Chadha is an Indian singer, who is said to be the first non-Japanese enka singer. He went to Japan for studying agricultural industry, but he began to like enka. He gained popularity via Japanese television program Kinyō 10 Ji: Uwasa no Channel. He debuted as an enka singer with...

from India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. His enka album was released in 1975 and became a success in Japan, selling 150,000 copies. He went back to India a few years later, but returned to Japan in 2008.

In 2002, Yolanda Tasico became the first Filipino

Filipino people

The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....

enka singer, going to Japan

Japan

with his singles "Shiawase ni Naroo," "Nagai Aida," and many others.

In the United States, while enka remains popular among a section of the (typically older) Japanese-American population, enka has many fans among non-Japanese. There are some enka orchestras and performers active in the country, such as the San Jose Chidori Band, which occasionally performs at O-Bon festivals in the summer. In 2008, Jero

Jero

Jerome Charles White, Jr. , better known by his stage name , is an enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.- Biography :...

became the first black

Black people

The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

enka singer with his debut single "UmiYuki" (海雪, lit. "Sea Snow"), written by Yasushi Akimoto, emerging at No. 4 on the Oricon charts, wearing his hip hop

Hip hop

Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...

street attire.

Enka artists

Enka artists include:

Akemi Misawa
Akemi Mizusawa
Aki Yashiro
Aki Yashiro
, real name Akiko Masuda on August 29, 1950 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan), is a Japanese enka singer and painter...
Akira Kobayashi
Akira Kobayashi
is a Japanese actor. His nickname is .- Biography :He successfully became an actor in the Nikkatsu Corporation. He attended Meiji University but left before graduating. Kobayashi made his debut in 1959 in the film Nangoku Tosa o Ato ni Shite . He also starred in the TV series "Wataridori" and...

(also an actor)
Akira Mita (also an actor)
Asami Mori
Asami Hayashi
Atsumi Hirohata
Aya Shimazu
Ayako Fuji
Ayako Fuji
, better known by her stage name , is a Japanese enka singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Japan. Born in Kakunodate, Akita, Fuji graduated from Akita Prefectural Kakunodate South High School.- Hit songs :* Utakata no Koi, 1998* Miren, 1995...
Ayako Yashio
Cheuni (Korean singer)
Chikai Oka (also a composer)
Chiyuki Asami
Chiyoko Shimakura
Chiyoko Shimakura
is a female enka singer and TV presenter in Japan.She has a long career as a singer - almost 50 years. Despite her long career, Chiyoko remains cute and lovely in her stage work.Chiyoko is considered as "the Goddess of Enka"...
Cho Yong-pil
Cho Yong-pil
Cho Yong-pil is a South Korean pop singer born in 1950. Cho is considered to be the most influential figure in Korean pop music and has produced many memorable hits of Korean pop music history, including "Return to Busan Port," "Dear Friend," and "The Lady Outside the Window."-Early years:...

(Korean singer)
Eigo Kawashima
Eiko Segawa
Eiko Segawa
is a Japanese female enka singer and actress. Eiko is as tall as 168 cm height, comparatively taller than most female singers in Japan. She has her father with careers of singer, . Her 1986 single "Inochi Kurenai" reached #2 on the Japanese Oricon charts and sold 692,000 copies.-External links:*...
Eisaku Ōkawa
Etsuko Shimazu
Frank Nagai
Frank Nagai
Frank Nagai was a Japanese singer. Known for an attractive low tone voice. His real name is Kiyoto Nagai .- Life :...
Fumiko Utagama
Fuyumi Sakamoto
Fuyumi Sakamoto
is a Japanese female enka singer under EMI Music Japan.-Career:On March 4, 1987, Sakamoto debuted as a recording singer with the single "Abare Daiko". In 1988, she took part in the 39th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time...

- http://www.fuyumi-fc.com/
Genta Chiba
Gorō Kagami
Hachirō Izawa
Hachirō Kasuga
Hachiro Kasuga
, born as Minoru Watabe, was a Japanese enka singer. He has been dubbed "the first enka singer".Having seen the stage of Ichiro Fujiyama, he attempted to become a popular singer. After he graduated from the Toyo Music School, he joined the Japanese army in 1944, but returned from Taiwan to Japan in...
Haruka Yabuki
Haruo Minami
Haruo Minami
Haruo Minami was an enka singer in postwar Japan.He was born Bunji Kitazume in Nagaoka, Niigata...
Harumi Miyako
Harumi Miyako
is a Japanese singer of enka.Born Harumi Kitamura in Kyoto, she made her debut in 1964. Her popularity has lasted: She makes frequent appearances in the annual television spectacular Kōhaku Uta Gassen and has acted in a number of films....
Hibari Misora
Hibari Misora
was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...

(also an actress)
Hideo Murata
Hideo Murata
was a Japanese rōkyoku and enka singer. He had taken part in the Kōhaku Uta Gassen 27 times.Murata was born as a son of rōkyoku singer and . However, he was immediately adopted by and became his stepfather. His real name was . He studied rōkyoku under one of Kumoemon Tochuken's disciples, Kumo...
Hiroko Hattori
Hiroko Matsumae
Hiroshi Itsuki
Hiroshi Itsuki
is a Japanese male singer and composer. He sold 20 million records of singles and 4 million copies of LP albums by 1987.Itsuki is usually regarded as an enka singer, but he even covered Southern All Stars' J-pop song "Tsunami"....
Hiroshi Kadokawa
Hiroshi Kitaoka
Hiroshi Kanō
Hiroshi Mizuhara
Hiroshi Moriya
Hiroshi Takeshima
Hiroshi Takeshima
is a Japanese enka singer. He has one major hit with "Sapporo Elegy.- References :...
Hiroyuki Nishikata
Hitomi Ayase
Hitomi Matsunaga
Hitomi Shimatani
Hitomi Shimatani
, is a female pop singer signed to the Avex Trax label.Shimatani started her career as an Enka singer with the release of her debut single in 1999, but later decided to get into the dance/pop style for her music. Shimatani's music has also appeared in video games and also anime series.- Early life...

(later a J-pop singer)
Ichirō Toba
Ikuzō Yoshi
Ikuzo Yoshi
is the stage name of ', a Japanese famous Enka singer-songwriter.Enka is a popular genre akin to Japanese folk music or blues music in the Western world. He has released several popular albums. Amongst his most famous hits are "Sake-yo", "Suika", and "Yuki Guni".He also claimed that he became the...
Itsurō Ōizumi
Jero
Jero
Jerome Charles White, Jr. , better known by his stage name , is an enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.- Biography :...

(American singer)
Jirō Atsumi
Jirō Kanmuri
Jōji/George Yamamoto
Junko Ishihara
Kanjani Eight
Kanjani Eight
is a seven-member Japanese boy band from Japan's Kansai region. They are managed by the multimedia talent agency, Johnny & Associates, and signed to Imperial Records. The group was formed in 2002 and made their CD debut in 2004 as "Johnny's modern enka group", though after the year 2006, their...

(group)
Kaori Kōzai
Kaori Mizumori
Kaori Mizumori
' is a Japanese female enka singer. Her real name is .Her songs are usually titled after Japanese landmarks and Japanese nature. Thus Kaori gained her popularity as an Enka singer in Japan.- External links :*...
Kaori Uesugi
Katsuki Nana
Kazuha Yasuda
Kazuko Mifune
Kazuo Chiba
Kazuo Chiba
Kazuo Chiba is an aikido teacher from Japan who has spent a considerable part of his teaching career in the United Kingdom and United States. He is an 8th dan in the aikido organisation Aikikai, and founder of dojos in London and San Diego, California...
Kazuo Funaki
Kazuo Funaki
is a Japanese Enka singer. Kazuo also has a career as a stage actor, a film actor, and a TV actor.His real name is .- TV actor :* Taiga Drama** Ako Roshi** Minamoto no Yoshitsune** Motonari Mori- External links :*...
Kazusa Wakayama
Keiko Fuji
Keiko Fuji
, real name , is a Japanese enka singer and actress. She had success in Japan in the 1960s and 1970s with her ballad-type songs. Her parents were itinerant musical performers. Her father was a rōkyoku singer. Her mother was a blind shamisen player or goze...
Keiko Matsuyama
Keisuke Hama
Kenichi Mikawa
Kenichi Mikawa
is a Japanese singer and TV personality, known for his outspoken views and style.Mikawa was born in Suwa, Nagano as . He recorded a number of hit songs as a male enka singer in the 1960s and 1970s. The most well-known of his songs include "Sasoriza no Onna" and "Yanagase Blues"...
Kenji Niinuma - http://columbia.jp/artist-info/kenji/
Kim Yeon-ja (Korean singer)
Kiyoko Suizenji
Kiyoshi Hikawa
Kiyoshi Hikawa
is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name is and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity...

- http://columbia.jp/~hikawa/
Kiyoshi Maekawa
Kiyoshi Maekawa
is a Japanese singer and tarento.He is best known as the first lead vocalist of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, which was formed in 1967 and debuted in 1969 with the Japan Record Award-winning song "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Ame Datta"...
Koji Tsuruta
Koji Tsuruta
was a Japanese actor who appeared in almost 260 feature films.-Career:Born in Shizuoka Prefecture as Eiichi Ono, Tsuruta was studying at Kansai University when he was drafted into the Japanese Imperial Navy. After the war he joined Kōkichi Takada's theater troupe and made his film debut at Shochiku...

(also an actor)
Komadori Shimai (sisters)
Kōtarō Satomi
Kotaro Satomi
is a Japanese actor from the city of Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. He appears in both contemporary and jidaigeki roles.-Selected filmography:Satomi has appeared in over 130 films...

(also an actor)
Kumi Iwamoto
Kye Eun-sook (Korean singer)

Machiko Kitano

Madoka Ōishi

Maeda Yuki (sings traditional enka with modern influence)

Maiko Takigawa

Maki Kotomi

Masako Mori

Masao Sen

Maya Sakura

is an enka singer and child actress. In 2008, she made her debut with the single at the age of 10. In 2009, she received a "New Artist" award at the 51st Annual Japan Record Awards, becoming the youngest person to do so....

Meiko Kaji (also an actress)

Michiya Mihashi

Michiya Mihashi , born Michiya Kitazawa in Kamiiso, Hokkaidō, was a famous enka singer in postwar Japan...

Midori Kayama

Midori Sasa

Mieko Makimura

Mika Shinno

Mika Tachiki

Mina Aoe

Mitsuko Nakamura

Miyako Ōtsuki

Miyuki Kawanaka

Miyuki Kawanaka is a Japanese Enka singer.She was born Kimiko Kawanaka in Suita, Osaka. At a young age she moved to Osaka where she grew up. In 1973 she debuted as Kasuga Harumi with the song Shinjuku Tenshin. She later tried to become an idol with the release of Kantsubaki no Shima Kara...

Miyuki Nagai

Murakami Sachiko

Nana Kondō

Nana Mizuki

Naomi Chiaki

, is a Japanese singer and actress who worked from the late 1960s to the early 1990s.Chiaki made her debut as a singer in 1969, and released her breakthrough single "Yottsu no Onegai" in the following year. "Kassai", a song which has been commonly considered her signature song was released in 1972...

Natsuko Godai

Nobue Matsubara

Osamu Miyaji

Reiko Izuhara

Rikuo Kadowaki

Rimi Natsukawa

is an Okinawan singer. She is best known for her 2001 single "Nada Sōsō."- Childhood :Natsukawa was born in Ishigaki, the largest city in the Yaeyama Islands chain. From a young age she enjoyed singing, and wanted to be a singer after hearing her father sing Yaeyama folk songs, such as and...

- http://www.rimirimi.jp/free/

Ryotarō Sugi

Ryotaro Sugi

is a Japanese singer and actor. He was born in Kobe. He is the father of actor Jundai Yamada.Among Sugi's roles is a role in Sukima Kaze, which sold over a million copies. His acting credits include eighteen films...

Saburō Kitajima

Saburo Kitajima

- http://www.kitajima-music.co.jp/sabu/

Sachiko Kobayashi - http://www.sachiko.co.jp/kobayashi.php

Sanae Jōnouchi

Saori Hara

is a former Japanese AV idol, model and actress who has also used the name .-Life and career:Saori Hara was born in Hiroshima Prefecture to a Japanese mother and a father of mixed German-Japanese parentage.-Mai Nanami:...

Sarbjit Singh Chadha

(Indian singer)

Satomi Kojō

Sayuri Ishikawa

- http://www.ishikawasayuri.com/

Shin Kōda

Shinichi Mori

is a Japanese male enka singer and composer, who also sings folk and pop music. Nishinippon Shimbun claims that his total sales of gramophone records and CDs has been over 90 million copies....

- http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/mori/

Shinji Tanimura

is a Japanese singer and songwriter.- Biography :In 1971, Tanimura set up the musical group, Alice, along with Takao Horiuchi, and in 1972 produced his first extended play musical album. Two years later, they produced their first album from the musical group...

- http://www.tanimura.com/

Shinobu Otowa

is a Japanese enka singer.She was born as Chieko Yoshimura in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi.- Singles :* しのぶの渡り鳥 9/5/2001* しのぶの一番纏 5/21/2002...

Shirakawa Chiemi

Shirō Miya

Shiro Miya

Shohei Naruse

Takao Horiuchi

is a Japanese pop and enka singer. He won a 1990 Japan Record Award for enka.- External links :*...

Takashi Hosokawa

Takeo Fujishima

Takuya Jo

Takeshi Kitayama

Teresa Teng

(Chinese-Taiwanese singer who also sang enka)

Teruhiko Saigo

is a Japanese singer and actor. As a singer, he is known as one of the three "Gosanke", referring to gosanke, the three great Tokugawa houses....

Teruhisa Kawakami

Tetsuya Gen

Toshie Fujino

Toshimi Tagawa

Tsuzuko Sugawara

Vanesa Oshiro

is a Nikkei enka singer born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She debuted in 2000 at the age of eighteen.- External links :* * at Toshiba EMI...

Watanabe Mika

Yolanda Tasico (Filipino singer)

Yoshimi Tendō

Yoshio Tabata

is a Japanese ryūkōka and enka singer, songwriter and electric guitarist. He is one of this country's superstars. His debut song was released in 1939. Although his music was amateurish, he became very popular...

Yōko Nagayama

Yoko Nagayama

Yōko Nagayama is a Japanese enka singer, former J-pop singer, and actress.- Early life :Nagayama was born in Tokyo. At the age of four, she began attending min'yo group singing lessons with her father...

(also a pop singer)

Youko Masaki

Yūjirō Ishihara

Yujiro Ishihara

(also an actor, producer)

Yuki Maeda

is a Japanese enka singer within Hello! Project. She started her career under the renowned enka record label Teichiku in 2000 with her debut single "Naki Usagi", but did not have any charting singles in Japan until she signed with Up-Front Works and their label Zetima in 2003...

Yukio Hashi

is a Japanese Enka singer. He is also an actor. Yukio's real name is , using a different kanji.-External links:*...

Yuri Harada - http://www.kitajima-music.co.jp/yuri/index.html

Yutaka Yamakawa

Yuki Nagaho

Yuuki Nishio

Yūko Maki

Yūko Nakazawa

Yuko Nakazawa

(also a J-pop singer in Morning Musume

Morning Musume

)

Yūko Oka

External links

Barbara's Enka Site including introductions to artist and album reviews
Enka – Song of sweet resignation three page introduction
Enka: Suffering and Nostalgia for an Imagined Past A nice introduction to enka, which also analyzes its lasting popularity
Jero: Japan's first black Enka singer
Jero: Japan's First African-American Enka Singer - Article - Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

The term

Musical style

19th century–1920s: Sōshi enka and violin enka

1920s–1940s: The era of ryūkōka

Late 1940s–1954: The arrival of new singers

1955–1959: Early history of modern enka

1960s: Commercial success

1970s: Maintaining popularity

1980s: Losing definition

1990s: Decline

2000s: Musical hybridity

2010s

International popularity

Enka artists

Further reading

External links