When we talk about Japanese music, one of the most cited is undoubtedly the traditional Japanese music called Enka [演歌]. Do you know how it originated? In this article, we will see some curiosities and the most popular Enka.
When it comes to Enka, some people have the impression that it is old music only listened to by older people. In fact, it is not quite like that; you will see that Enka has played a significant role in the history of Japan and even in other countries.
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How does enka music work?
Enka is a unique and modern style that primarily uses the yonanuki tan-onkai scale, a minor scale without the four and seven (D and G). The music is based on the pentatonic scale and has similarities with the blues.
The lyrics of modern enka songs generally talk about love, loss, loneliness, enduring difficulties, perseverance, hardships in life, suicide, and even death.
The enka singers employ a melisma style, where a single syllable of the text is sung while moving between various different notes in succession called Kobushi in Japanese.
Enka suggests a traditional, idealized, or romanticized aspect of Japanese culture and attitudes. Enka singers, predominantly women, often perform in kimono or evening dresses.
Male enka artists tend to wear formal attire or, in some performances, traditional Japanese clothing. Nod to traditional Japanese music is common in enka.
The melodies of enka are Western and use electronic instruments like synthesizers and distorted guitars, but their musical instruments also include guitar, shakuhachi, and the shamisen.
History and origin of enka
Created during the Meiji and Taisho eras, enka is a type of traditional music with foreign melodies; it was initially used more as protest, a speech in the form of music, for political activism.
Its roots come from Ryūkōka, a type of traditional Japanese popular music that emerged around World War I and preceded what we now call J-Pop.
Before modern enka, during the Meiji Period, street singers used the term Enka, which in the early 20th century were political songs and included violin sounds.
Between 1920 and 1940, it was shaped by Japanese popular music Ryukoka. Soon after, during World War II, Enka was influenced by Jazz, reaching its peak popularity in the 1960s.
Enka was a commercial success from the 1960s to the 1980s, where it lost its definition and eventually declined in the 1990s. Even today, enka is very popular among fans, including in the West.
Enka vs Trot
For those who don’t know, Enka emerged alongside a very similar style of music from Korea called Trot. Both were influenced by the traditional Japanese music called Ryūkōka and emerged with the same goal of showing freedom of expression.
The trot [트로트] emerged around 1920 and was the most popular style of music in Korea until the 1980s. It cannot be said that trot is a branch of enka or vice versa. Still, both share influences and almost identical similarities.
The only and biggest difference is that enka is sung by native Japanese, while trot is sung by native Koreans. Generally, a woman in traditional clothing is accompanied by melodies, rhythms, and arrangements that are almost identical.
In fact, some still question and claim that Enka emerged thanks to the influence of Trot, which became popular even earlier. However, modern enka differs quite a bit from the music of the early century.
Some claim that in the 1920s, the Japanese composer Masao Koga mixed traditional Korean music with Western gospel music, which later became Enka and Trot, but it is not considered a major influence.
Kōhaku Uta Gassen
On January 3, 1951, the Japanese public TV NHK created a program called Kōhaku Uta Gassen, which on New Year’s Eve offers musical performances, enka, and J-pop.
Competitions between artists usually take place. Without a doubt, this is one of the programs that keeps the flame of enka alive, being one of the most popular in Japan.
Many famous and popular singers who contributed to making this style increasingly popular appear on the show. Among them is the famous Hibari Misora:
Curiosities about enka
In 2008/2009, a singer named Jero (Jerome Charles White Jr), an African American and grandson of a Japanese woman, became quite popular in Japan and, influenced by his grandmother, began singing the enka musical style.
He is considered the first black person to sing enka; below you can check out a performance of his:
Enka has become popular in other Asian countries, especially among descendants of Japanese living abroad. Those who occasionally attended Japanese events like Obon ended up getting to know the enka style and falling in love with the modern songs that actually sound traditional.
Did you know that Keiko Fuji, known as Junko Abe, a notable enka singer and mother of the famous Hikaru Utada, committed suicide in 2013? Another example that fame does not bring happiness.
The enka is divided into two major sub-groups: Yonanuki major and Yonanuki minor. The Yonanuki major are songs intended for men, with songs generally calming and soothing. The Yonanuki minor, on the other hand, tends to be more emotional, recurrently addressing despair, and is used more in songs for women.
If you like more “modern” music like current Japanese pop and rock, you might not like this musical style very much; however, who knows, starting to listen you might end up liking it? I myself like heavier, more elaborate or classic rock and ended up enjoying this musical style.
Top 10 enka artists
An online survey reveals a list of the 20 most popular Enka. The list may end up being unfair to some, as others sing various styles of music that may influence their popularity in the ranking.
- Hibari Misora;
- Sayuri Ishikawa;
- Hiroshi Itsuki;
- Miyuki Nakajima;
- Aki Yashiro;
- Rimi Natsukawa;
- Takashi Hosokawa;
- Fuyumi Sakamoto;
- Jero;
- Saburo Kitajima;
- Chiemi Eri;
- Shinichi Mori;
- Michiya Mihashi;
- Naomi Chiaki;
- Yuko Nakazawa;
- Hideo Murata;
- Keiko Fuji;
- Chiyoko Shimakura;
- Ringo Sheena;
- Shingo Murakami;
List of Enka Artists
To conclude the article, let’s leave a complete list of the main Enka artists and singers who have left their mark in Japan:
- Aiko Moriyama
- Akemi Misawa
- Akemi Mizusawa
- Aki Yashiro
- Akina Nakamori
- Akira Kobayashi
- Akira Mita
- Asami Mori
- Asami Hayashi
- Atsumi Hirohata
- Aya Shimazu
- Ayako Fuji
- Ayako Yashio
- Cai Gui
- Chang Hsiu-ching
- Cheuni
- Chen Ying-Git
- Chikai Oka
- Chiyuki Asami
- Chiyoko Shimakura
- Cho Yong-pil
- Chris Hung
- Eduardo Toshiaki Yoshikawa
- Eigo Kawashima
- Eiko Segawa
- Eisaku Ōkawa
- Etsuko Shimazu
- Frank Nagai
- Fumiko Utagama
- Fuyumi Sakamoto
- Genta Chiba
- Gorō Kagami
- Hachirō Izawa
- Hachirō Kasuga
- Haruka Yabuki
- Haruo Minami
- Harumi Miyako
- Hibari Misora
- Hideo Murata
- Hideyo Morimoto
- Hiroko Hattori
- Hiroko Matsumae
- Hiroshi Itsuki
- Hiroshi Kadokawa
- Hiroshi Kitaoka
- Hiroshi Kanō
- Hiroshi Mizuhara
- Hiroshi Moriya
- Hiroshi Takeshima
- Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five
- Hiroyuki Nishikata
- Hitomi Ayase
- Hitomi Matsunaga
- Hitomi Shimatani
- Ichirō Toba
- Ikue Asazaki
- Ikuzō Yoshi
- Itsurō Ōizumi
- Iwasa Misaki
- Jero
- Jirō Atsumi
- Jirō Kanmuri
- Jody Chiang
- Jōji/George Yamamoto
- Junko Ishihara
- Junko Misaki
- Kanjani Eight
- Kaori Kōzai
- Kaori Mizumori
- Kaori Uesugi
- Katsuki Nana
- Kazuha Yasuda
- Kazuko Mifune
- Kazuo Chiba
- Kazuo Funaki
- Kazusa Wakayama
- Keiko Fuji
- Keiko Matsuyama
- Keisuke Hama
- Keisuke Yamauchi
- Kenichi Mikawa
- Kenji Niinuma;
- Killer Bee
- Kim Yeon-ja
- Kiyoko Suizenji
- Kiyoshi Hikawa
- Kiyoshi Maekawa
- Kōji Tsuruta
- Komadori Shimai
- Kōtarō Satomi
- Kotomi Maki
- Kunio Naitō
- Kumi Iwamoto
- Kye Eun-sook
- Risa Yoshiki
- Machiko Kitano
- Madoka Ōishi
- Maeda Yuki
- Maiko Takigawa
- Masako Mori
- Masao Sen
- Masuiyama Daishirō II )
- Matsumura Kazuko
- Maya Sakura
- Meiko Kaji
- Michiya Mihashi
- Midori Kayama
- Midori Sasa
- Mieko Makimura
- Mika Shinno
- Mika Tachiki
- Mikasa Yuko
- Mina Aoe
- Misaki Iwasa
- Mitsuko Nakamura
- Miyako Ōtsuki
- Miyuki Kawanaka
- Miyuki Nagai
- Murakami Sachiko
- Nana Mizuki
- Naomi Chiaki
- Natsuko Godai
- Nobue Matsubara
- Ogata Daisaku
- Ono Enka
- Osamu Miyaji
- Reiko Izuhara
- Rikuo Kadowaki
- Rimi Natsukawa
- Ryotarō Sugi
- Saburō Kitajima
- Sachiko Kobayashi
- Sanae Jōnouchi
- Sarbjit Singh Chadha
- Satomi Kojō
- Sayuri Ishikawa
- Shin Kōda
- Shinichi Mori
- Shinji Tanimura
- Shinobu Otowa
- Shirakawa Chiemi
- Shirō Miya
- Shohei Naruse
- Snaree
- Takao Horiuchi
- Takashi Hosokawa
- Takeo Fujishima
- Takuya Jo
- Takeshi Kitayama
- Teresa Teng
- Teruhiko Saigō
- Teruhisa Kawakami
- Tetsuya Gen
- Toshie Fujino
- Toshimi Tagawa
- Tsukasa Mogamigawa
- Tsuzuko Sugawara
- Vanesa Oshiro
- Velvet.kodhy
- Watanabe Mika
- Yasuo Tanabe
- Yeh Hsien-hsiu
- Yolanda Tasico
- Yoshimi Tendō
- Yoshio Tabata
- Yōko Nagayama
- Youko Masaki
- Yujiro Ishihara
- Yuki Maeda
- Yukio Hashi
- Yuri Harada
- Yutaka Yamakawa
- Yuki Nagaho
- Yuuki Nishio
- Yūko Maki
- Yuko Nakazawa
- Yūko Oka
- Yutaka Ooe
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