Enka

Kasuga Hachirou, one of the first Enka stars

The process of cultural influence that led to the flowering of J-Pop produced numerous offshoots. Some of the earliest Japanese pop, which has a distinctly 1950’s vibe, is preserved admirably in the radio broadcasts of Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H; but while the British Invasion swept Japan as well, a certain genre has remained stuck in the 50’s: Enka.

Sometimes thought of as Japan’s answer to country music, Enka has an unmistakably Japanese sound, yet no could confuse it with what is generally lumped together as the “Japanese culture” of tea and calligraphy. Even its most recent mutations strongly recall the post-war period, in all its Western-tinged desperation and grunge. In a lilting ballad-like style, Enka singers express human misery; and as far as I can tell, no sentiment more hopeful than nostalgia (or that of a three-day bender). This is the sort of music you will hear if you sing karaoke with Japanese people–at least, if any of them are over thirty.

Below is Itsuki Hiroshi singing a famous Enka song, Furusato (”Hometown”). The refrain translates roughly: “Ah, everyone / has a hometown / they all have / a hometown.”

It’s far more moving in the original, I swear

Knowing this stuff will earn you major Culture Points in Japan; but while it may not be to everyone’s taste, if you think you’ve never heard Enka before, there’s a slight chance you are mistaken: