Enka
A warm, melancholy Japanese vocal tradition that crystallized in the postwar era and still lives through a few enduring stars and newer torchbearers.
Origins and context
Modern enka is documented as a Japanese genre associated with postwar popular song traditions, with roots and early development described in Japanese musical history sources and genre databases.
The sound
Instrument palette
The voices and tools most associated with this sound.
- Shamisen
- Shakuhachi
- Orchestra
Vocal style
- Highly emotive delivery
- Long sustained phrases
- Ornamental inflection
History
The word enka predates the modern genre, but the style most listeners mean today took shape in postwar Japan. MusicBrainz identifies enka as a Japanese genre associated with Japan and influenced by ryūkōka, while historical accounts place its modern development in the 1950s and its wider commercial rise in the 1960s and 1970s. That postwar version of enka grew into a form of urban nostalgia: songs that sounded older than the moment they came from, even when they were brand new. Singers such as Hibari Misora, Saburō Kitajima, and Hiroshi Itsuki helped define the genre’s public face, while later artists like Kiyoshi Hikawa kept it visible for younger audiences.
Notable artists
Essential listening
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Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- musicbrainz.org
Enka is a Japanese genre associated with Japan and linked to ryūkōka.
- en.wikipedia.org
Modern enka took shape in postwar Japan and became commercially prominent in the 1960s and 1970s.
- Apple Music
Apple Music lists Kiyoshi Hikawa as an enka artist.
- Apple Music
Apple Music lists Saburō Kitajima as an enka artist.
- Apple Music
Apple Music lists Hiroshi Itsuki as an artist in this tradition, with kayokyoku as the displayed genre on his page.
- Apple Music
Hibari Misora’s Apple Music page includes enka releases such as Arekara.
- Enka style overview
- Japanese Traditions genre overview