Enka is a form of Japanese ballad. Its lyrics present a romanticized and nostalgic look at the past, tragedy, and love and loss, like a Japanese form of blues. The instruments are a mixture of modern Western instruments and traditional Japanese instruments. Likewise, its singers are usually clad in either Western style formal wear, such as an evening dress, or traditional Japanese clothing; kimonos being the popular pick.

Enka uses a pentatonic scale, another similarity to blues, which means it uses five notes per octave. More specifically, it uses a scale called the “yonanuki scale”, yonanuki meaning “fourth and seventh removed”. As the name suggests, the fourth and seventh notes are not used (perhaps to avoid the foul four and similar sounding seven?).

The Government Mandated Beginning

Enka originally got its start during the Meiji era in the late 1800s. Back then, the government had banned public speeches complaining about politics to prevent dissent, like a 19^th century equivalent of turning off the comments section. But some clever activists noticed a loophole in the law: they never mentioned that people couldn’t sing complaints about politics!

In the early 20^th century, people began to switch to narrative songs playing with a shamisen called roukyoku. Enka was no longer the genre of choice for singing your complaints. Despite this, it continued to evolve, incorporating Western style instruments, such as guitar and violin.

After the war, roukyoku began to decline in popularity. By this time, enka was known as just “popular music”. Hibari Misora was a popular singer who had debuted a hit jazz song at the age of 12. Her enka music became extremely popular in the 60s, and she recorded over 1,200 songs and starred in several movies. She was called the Queen of Enka. Michiya Mihashi took it even farther, recording 2,500 songs, and selling a record 100 million records by 1983.

The Rise…

Misora and Mihashi, along with several other artists in the 50s, helped shape the modern form of enka. Its popularity continued to grow into the 60s, and in 1969 Keiko Fuji, daughter of a singer and a shamisen player, joined the scene. Her hit song “Shinjuku no Onna” brought the term enka back to the genre, and the following year, she teamed up with Hibari Misora to win the 21^st Kouhaku Uta Gassen, an annual televised music competition. She retired in 1979, and would later give birth to popular singer Hikaru Utada.

Enka’s golden age continued into the 70s, which saw the first non-Japanese enka singer, Sarbjit Singh Chadha, who sold 100,000 records, before a visa problem forced him to return to his home country of India. Another popular debut was Sayuri Ishikawa. In the last 40 years, she’s released over 100 albums and has appeared on Kouhaku Uta Gassen 35 times. Her 1977 hit song “Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyugeshiki” is still a popular karaoke choice to this day.

…And The Fall

Sadly, enka’s popularity began to slow during the 80s. In 1989, as if signaling the end of an era, Hibari Misora passed away at the age of 52. Her final song, “Kawa no Nagare no you ni”, is played on her birthday to honor the late Queen of Enka. Enka continue to decline in popularity into the 90s, with the decade’s youth preferring the more modern J-pop.

But enka refused to die. With the dawn of the new millennium, enka rose from the ashes, like a surprisingly musically inclined phoenix. New artists, born during enka’s heyday, continue to evolve the genre. Kiyoshi Hikawa is known as the Prince of Enka and, like the Queen before him, is bringing enka to his generation, along with older fans of enka.

Likewise, Jero debuted in 2008 as the first black enka singer. After moving to Japan to live with his grandmother, he promised her he would one day compete on Kouhaku Uta Gassen. Although she died in 2005, he eventually fulfilled his promise. His dedication to his family, combined with his modern hip hop image, makes him popular fans both young and old.

And so, enka begins to grow again. Like in the past, it evolves, with new instruments used by new artists inspired by new genres. Although it may never regain the popularity it had in the past, it seems Japan’s future still has room for that nostalgic look at the past.

Bonus Track

Although your ears will never experience the combined talents of Hibari Misora and Jero, at least your eyes can, thanks to the always awesome Aya.

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Sources:
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/11/18/news/enka-still-strikes-nostalgic-nerve/
http://www.technogirls.org/enka/