Kayokyoku
Encyclopedia
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. Kayōkyoku in the narrower and more practical sense, however, excludes J-pop
and enka
.
Unlike "J-pop" singers such as Southern All Stars
' Keisuke Kuwata
, the singers of the kayōkyoku genre do not use stylized pronunciations based on the English language, but prefer traditional Japanese. There are exceptions, such as in singer Momoe Yamaguchi
's song "Rock 'n' Roll Widow".
Unlike enka
, kayōkyoku is also not based on emotional displays of effort while singing.
Famous kayōkyoku artists include Kyu Sakamoto
, The Peanuts
, The Tigers, Candies, Pink Lady
, Seiko Matsuda
, The Checkers
and Onyanko Club
.
"lied
" in Japan. However, NHK
radio began to use the term as another name of ryūkōka
around 1927, and this took hold in the late 10's of the Showa Era. (1935 – 1944). However, many songs popular during this era became lost due to the association with memories involving World War II
.
and the popular genre of Showa 30s (1955 – 1964) was kayōkyoku.
In Showa 30s, Frank Nagai
, inspired by jazz
, sang new songs called . During the Japanese post-war economic miracle
, Mood Kayō music became one of most popular genres in Japan. "Mood Kayō" was influenced by latin
and jazz
music. On the other hand, in Showa 30s, modern enka began to be formed and rock and roll
began to have an influence on Japanese popular singers such as Kyu Sakamoto
.
In 1949, 12-year-old Hibari Misora
made her recording debut with song "Kappa Boogie Woogie". In 1950s, Misora, Chiemi Eri
and Izumi Yukimura
were called "Sannin Musume" (lit. "Three Girls"). Hachiro Kasuga
, Michiya Mihashi
and Hideo Murata
were called "Three crows
". In the early 1960s, Kyu Sakamoto
and The Peanuts
became famous. Shinichi Mori
debuted in 1966. Linda Yamamoto
also debuted in 1966. In the late 1960, Group Sounds
became famous. Teruhiko Saigo
, Yukio Hashi
and Kazuo Funaki
were called "Gosanke
" in 1960s. Keiko Fuji
debuted in 1969 and the music genre like her songs was called enka
, which was like Japanese traditional music. In 1969, Japanese child singer Osamu Minagawa made the Japanese Oricon
weekly number-one single "Kuroneko no Tango" at the age of only six, establishing the still-standing youngest record to top the Oricon single charts.
During the 1950s and 60s, many Kayōkyoku groups and singers gained experience performing on US military bases in Japan. Around the same time, Yakuza
manager Kazuo Taoka
reorganized the concert touring industry by treating the performers as professionals.
(who belonged to Johnny & Associates
at that time), Hideki Saijo
and Goro Noguchi were called "New Gosanke
". Saori Minami, Mari Amachi
and Rumiko Koyanagi
were called "Shin Sannin Musume" (lit. "New Three Girls"). Akiko Wada
, who came from "Jazz Cafe", also became popular. Momoe Yamaguchi
, Junko Sakurada
and Masako Mori
were called "Hana no Chūsan Torio" (lit. "Flower Junior High School Three Grade Trio"). Yū Aku
became one of most famous lyricists of kayōkyoku. He wrote Finger 5
's 1973 song "Kojin Jugyō" and female duo Pink Lady
's 1976 debut song "Pepper Keibu
."
In 1980s, many female idols such as Seiko Matsuda
and Akina Nakamori
became popular. Johnny's male solo singer Masahiko Kondō
also became popular and his song "Orokamono" won the 29th Japan Record Awards
Grand Prix Award in 1987. The music genre kayōkyoku is regarded as a base of another genre "J-pop
". In 1980s, a part of Japanese idol
was independent from kayōkyoku and associated with Japanese rock
musicians. Late 80s' popular band Onyanko Club
was a band of borderline era between "kayōkyoku" and "J-pop". Although Japanese kayōkyoku-style music after Hikaru Genji and Dreams Come True was called "J-pop", several people claimed that "J-pop" was a subgenre of kayōkyoku music.
In 1980s, remained kayōkyoku music except Japanese idol's music became regarded as enka
. After Hibari Misora
died in 1989, the genre called kayōkyoku mostly vanished and several kayōkyoku singers were regarded as enka singers without any change of sounds. However, Shinichi Mori
and Kiyoshi Maekawa
considered themselves to be not enka
singers but kayōkyoku singers. Maekawa claimed that an example of true enka singers was Saburō Kitajima
, who could use a lot of kobushi (a kind of vocalism) for singing. As the result, the music of the genre caused some confusion. For example, Kiyoshi Maekawa's song "Himawari
", produced by pop singer Masaharu Fukuyama
, was regarded as enka for no special reason. When Junko Akimoto
became popular in 2008, however, she was said to be a modern example of kayōkyoku singers.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
genre, which became a base of modern 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...
. The Japan Times
The Japan Times
The Japan Times is an English language newspaper published in Japan. Unlike its competitors, the Daily Yomiuri and the International Herald Tribune/Asahi Shimbun, it is not affiliated with a Japanese language media organization...
describes kayōkyoku as "standard Japanese pop" or "Showa era
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...
pop".
Kayōkyoku is Western-style-inspired music of Japan. Music in this genre is extremely varied as a result. Kayōkyoku in the narrower and more practical sense, however, excludes 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...
and enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese 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 as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
.
Unlike "J-pop" singers such as Southern All Stars
Southern All Stars
, also known by the abbreviations or SAS, is a Japanese pop/rock band that formed in the mid 1970s.The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata , Yuko Hara , Kazuyuki Sekiguchi , Hiroshi Matsuda and Hideyuki "Kegani" Nozawa...
' Keisuke Kuwata
Keisuke Kuwata
has gained fame as a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and frontman for the Southern All-Stars, as well as his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Gakuin University....
, the singers of the kayōkyoku genre do not use stylized pronunciations based on the English language, but prefer traditional Japanese. There are exceptions, such as in singer Momoe Yamaguchi
Momoe Yamaguchi
is a former Japanese singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. In that time, she became one of the most notable singers in Japanese music, and an acclaimed actress. She withdrew from the entertainment business at the peak of her career to marry her frequent costar, fellow...
's song "Rock 'n' Roll Widow".
Unlike enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese 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 as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
, kayōkyoku is also not based on emotional displays of effort while singing.
Famous kayōkyoku artists include 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...
, The Peanuts
The Peanuts
is a Japanese vocal group consisting of twin sisters Emi Itō and Yumi Itō . They were born in Tokoname, Aichi, on April 1, 1941; soon after their birth, the family moved to Nagoya....
, The Tigers, Candies, Pink Lady
Pink Lady (band)
is a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda...
, Seiko Matsuda
Seiko Matsuda
is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal idol" by the Japanese media.- Biography :...
, The Checkers
The Checkers
The Checkers was a Japanese pop/rock band famous in the 1980s. The band was formed by Toru Takeuchi, the leader and the guitarist, who asked Fumiya Fujii to start a band with him. They made a debut on 21 September 1983 and split up on 31 December 1992. All of their single releases entered top 10...
and 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...
.
1920s–1940s: Origin
The term kayōkyoku originally referred to Western classicalClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
"lied
Lied
is a German word literally meaning "song", usually used to describe romantic songs setting German poems of reasonably high literary aspirations, especially during the nineteenth century, beginning with Carl Loewe, Heinrich Marschner, and Franz Schubert and culminating with Hugo Wolf...
" in Japan. However, 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....
radio began to use the term as another name of 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...
around 1927, and this took hold in the late 10's of the Showa Era. (1935 – 1944). However, many songs popular during this era became lost due to the association with memories involving World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
1950s–1960s: Mood kayō era
Kayokyoku, though associated with ryūkōka, also refers to a specific musical genre unique from ryūkōka. For example, said that the popular genre of Showa 20s (1945 – 1954) was ryūkōkaRyukoka
- 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...
and the popular genre of Showa 30s (1955 – 1964) was kayōkyoku.
In Showa 30s, Frank Nagai
Frank Nagai
Frank Nagai was a Japanese singer. Known for an attractive low tone voice. His real name is Kiyoto Nagai .- Life :...
, inspired by 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...
, sang new songs called . During the Japanese post-war economic miracle
Japanese post-war economic miracle
The Japanese post-war economic miracle is the name given to the historical phenomenon of Japan's record period of economic growth following World War II, spurred mainly by Japanese economic policy, in particular through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry...
, Mood Kayō music became one of most popular genres in Japan. "Mood Kayō" was influenced by latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
and 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...
music. On the other hand, in Showa 30s, modern enka began to be formed and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
began to have an influence on Japanese popular singers such as 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...
.
In 1949, 12-year-old 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...
made her recording debut with song "Kappa Boogie Woogie". In 1950s, Misora, Chiemi Eri
Chiemi Eri
, was a Japanese popular singer and actress.Eri was born as Chiemi Kubo on January 11, 1937 in Tokyo, Japan. She started her singing career at the age of 14 with her version of "Tennessee Waltz." She sang American songs such as "Jambalaya" & "Come on-a My House". Eri started her career as an...
and Izumi Yukimura
Izumi Yukimura
is a Japanese popular singer and actress.Yukimura made her debut with the song in 1953. Her style of singing varied from jazz to rock and roll. She became one of the three most popular female singers in the early postwar Japan, along with Chiemi Eri and Hibari Misora.On her 1974 album Super...
were called "Sannin Musume" (lit. "Three Girls"). 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...
were called "Three crows
Three crows
Crows, and especially ravens, often feature in European legends or mythology as portents or harbingers of doom or death, because of their dark plumage, unnerving calls, and tendency to eat carrion.-English folklore:...
". In the early 1960s, 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...
and The Peanuts
The Peanuts
is a Japanese vocal group consisting of twin sisters Emi Itō and Yumi Itō . They were born in Tokoname, Aichi, on April 1, 1941; soon after their birth, the family moved to Nagoya....
became famous. 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 in 1966. Linda Yamamoto
Linda Yamamoto
is a Japanese singer and actress whose greatest hit song was in 1973.-Biography :Yamamoto was born March 4, 1951 in Kitakyushu to a Japanese mother and an American father. Her father was a U.S. serviceman who died in the Korean War when she was only two years old. Yamamoto moved to Yokohama as a...
also debuted in 1966. In the late 1960, Group Sounds
Group Sounds
Group Sounds is a genre of Japanese rock music. Inspired by The Beatles, Group Sounds became popular in the mid to late 1960s. Group Sounds initiated fusion of Japanese kayōkyoku music and rock music...
became famous. Teruhiko Saigo
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....
, 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:*...
and 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 :*...
were called "Gosanke
Gosanke
The , also called simply Gosanke or even Sanke, were three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu and Yorifusa and allowed to provide a shogun in case of need. The three houses were called Owari House of Tokugawa,...
" in 1960s. 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...
debuted in 1969 and the music genre like her songs was called enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese 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 as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
, which was like Japanese traditional music. In 1969, Japanese child singer Osamu Minagawa made 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...
weekly number-one single "Kuroneko no Tango" at the age of only six, establishing the still-standing youngest record to top the Oricon single charts.
During the 1950s and 60s, many Kayōkyoku groups and singers gained experience performing on US military bases in Japan. Around the same time, Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
manager Kazuo Taoka
Kazuo Taoka
was one of the most prominent yakuza Godfathers.Known as the "Godfather of Godfathers", Taoka was third kumicho of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's largest yakuza organization, from 1946 to 1981....
reorganized the concert touring industry by treating the performers as professionals.
1970s–1980s: Idol kayō era
In 1970s, Hiromi GoHiromi Go
is a Japanese singer, part of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His real name is .In the 1970s, he was called "New Big Three" with Goro Noguchi and Hideki Saijo. He belonged to Johnny & Associates, but later left the agency...
(who belonged to 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:...
at that time), Hideki Saijo
Hideki Saijo
is a Japanese singer and television celebrity most famous for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song Y.M.C.A., called Young Man. Although the original version was camp, Saijō's version was intended to seriously inspire "young men"....
and Goro Noguchi were called "New Gosanke
Gosanke
The , also called simply Gosanke or even Sanke, were three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu and Yorifusa and allowed to provide a shogun in case of need. The three houses were called Owari House of Tokugawa,...
". Saori Minami, Mari Amachi
Mari Amachi
is a Japanese female singer and actress, who was famous in 1970s' Japan. On October 1, 1971, she debuted with the single "Mizuiro no Koi." She was born as Mari Saito in Omiya, Saitama Prefecture. She got five Oricon number one songs, a record as a female singer which was later broken by Seiko Matsuda...
and Rumiko Koyanagi
Rumiko Koyanagi
is a Japanese actress and singer. She won the award for best new artist at the 13th Japan Record Awards and won the Japan Music Award in 1972. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 6th Japan Academy Prize for To Trap a Kidnapper and the award for best actress at the 7th Japan Academy...
were called "Shin Sannin Musume" (lit. "New Three Girls"). Akiko Wada
Akiko Wada
is a female Japanese singer and television performer of Korean ancestry, originally hailing from , Ikuno-ku, Osaka. Born Kim Bok-Ja , like many Zainichi Koreans, she also had a name for everyday use, which was Japanicized . On her selection of Japanese citizenship, her name became , which upon...
, who came from "Jazz Cafe", also became popular. Momoe Yamaguchi
Momoe Yamaguchi
is a former Japanese singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. In that time, she became one of the most notable singers in Japanese music, and an acclaimed actress. She withdrew from the entertainment business at the peak of her career to marry her frequent costar, fellow...
, Junko Sakurada
Junko Sakurada
is a Japanese singer and actress. She was part of a music trio in 1973, which included Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. Sakurada then became successful in a solo music career. In 1979 Sakurada appeared in a film made by the production company Toho, and became popular as an actress...
and Masako Mori
Masako Mori
Masako Mori may refer to:*Masako Mori - Japanese politician *Masako Mori - Japanese singer and former 1970s idol , see 25th Japan Record Awards...
were called "Hana no Chūsan Torio" (lit. "Flower Junior High School Three Grade Trio"). Yū Aku
Yu Aku
, , was a Japanese lyricist, poet, novelist.He was famous for thousands of his lyrics he contributed to many recording artists since 1967. Mainly during the 1970s, more than 20 of them reached the number-one on the Japanese Oricon chart, and 7 singles sold more than a million copies...
became one of most famous lyricists of kayōkyoku. He wrote Finger 5
Finger 5
was a Japanese pop group, composed of the four Okinawan Tamamoto brothers, Kazuo, Mitsuo, Masao, Akira, and sister Taeko. Their greatest hit was "Koi No Dial 6700 "....
's 1973 song "Kojin Jugyō" and female duo Pink Lady
Pink Lady (band)
is a Japanese female pop music duo of the late 1970s and early 1980s, featuring Mitsuyo Nemoto and Keiko Masuda...
's 1976 debut song "Pepper Keibu
Pepper Keibu
- Morning Musume version :A cover of "Pepper Keibu" was released by the idol pop group Morning Musume as a single on September 24, 2008 under the Zetima label to promote their upcoming ninth album, Cover You, a tribute to producer Yū Aku. The Single V DVD of the single was released on October 22,...
."
In 1980s, many female idols such as Seiko Matsuda
Seiko Matsuda
is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal idol" by the Japanese media.- Biography :...
and 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....
became popular. Johnny's male solo singer Masahiko Kondō
Masahiko Kondo
or Matchy is a Japanese singer, lyricist and actor represented by Johnny & Associates.Kondō is also a semi-professional racing driver and a racing team owner. He founded the racing team Kondo Racing in 2000 which competes in Formula Nippon and the Super GT.- 1980–1987: Early recording career :As a...
also became popular and his song "Orokamono" won the 29th Japan Record Awards
29th Japan Record Awards
The 29th Japan Record Awards were held in 1987. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.- Award winners :*Japan Record Award:**Masahiko Kondo for "Orokamono"*Best Vocalist:**Miyako Otsuki*Best New Artist:**Risa Tachibana...
Grand Prix Award in 1987. The music genre kayōkyoku is regarded as a base of another genre "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...
". In 1980s, a part of Japanese 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...
was independent from kayōkyoku and associated with Japanese rock
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...
musicians. Late 80s' popular band 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...
was a band of borderline era between "kayōkyoku" and "J-pop". Although Japanese kayōkyoku-style music after Hikaru Genji and Dreams Come True was called "J-pop", several people claimed that "J-pop" was a subgenre of kayōkyoku music.
In 1980s, remained kayōkyoku music except Japanese idol's music became regarded as enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese 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 as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
. After 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...
died in 1989, the genre called kayōkyoku mostly vanished and several kayōkyoku singers were regarded as enka singers without any change of sounds. However, 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....
and 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"...
considered themselves to be not enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese 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 as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
singers but kayōkyoku singers. Maekawa claimed that an example of true enka singers was 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....
, who could use a lot of kobushi (a kind of vocalism) for singing. As the result, the music of the genre caused some confusion. For example, Kiyoshi Maekawa's song "Himawari
Niji/Himawari/Sore ga Subete sa
is the eighteenth single by Japanese artist Masaharu Fukuyama. It was released on 27 August 2003. This single sold around 356,600 copies in its first week. It remained at the number 1 position on the Oricon chart for 5 consecutive weeks, breaking the artist record of four consecutive week from his...
", produced by pop singer Masaharu Fukuyama
Masaharu Fukuyama
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, actor, radio personality, and photographer from Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture. He is the best-selling male solo artist in Japan. He is a member of entertainment company Amuse, Inc. and is known for his low, deep voice. Among fans, he is...
, was regarded as enka for no special reason. When 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...
became popular in 2008, however, she was said to be a modern example of kayōkyoku singers.