Thread: Anyone for Enka?

So Japanese music is all over the place--J-Pops, Visual Kei, Rock, rap...but I love me some Enka.

For the uninitiated, Enka is the kind of old fashioned music that Grandmas like. If Lawrence Welk had been Japanese, he would have played Enka. But that's not the whole story...it's a varied, and to me totally awesome, style. Maybe not for everyone, though...

My favorites:

Kiyoshi Hikawa. He's the very essence of a "nice boy"...middle aged women all love him.
Here's his biggest hit, but that's like saying "Here's Michael Jordan's best dunk".

YouTube - 氷��よ� �よ��ズンドコ節

Kitajima Saburo: The Great Granddaddy of Enka. He's the master, and he's the embodiment of "Japanese Spirit!" Especially in this song, Yosaku. I LOVE it. It kills at Karaoke...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvnhDOsGx_A

Check out this Bluegrass version, too...

YouTube - Yosaku

Then there's "Maturi", Japanese for "Festival.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek0HHKdYDWs

Yoshimi Tendo: She's been singing for YEARS, and it shows...she's got some pipes!

YouTube - 天度よã�—ã�¿ã€€é�“é*“å*€äººæƒ…　Tendo Yoshimi - Tonhori ninjyou

What about Jero?


FYI, I sung ENKA at my Wedding reception. My mother in law loves Enka and she was both surprised and extatic about my antics. My parents on the other hand were speecchless....

I let it be known after the fact that I had been going to practice at the local karaoke box every day for the previous two months. Enka is fun when you try to add in the 'kiai' and voice warbling.


Good times.

Yes, Jero is quite amazing.

Seth, what did you sing? I sang Yosaku at a couple of bo-nen-kai and got some standing ovations, but drunk people are easy.


I like Jero, and I think he's extremely talented, I just hope he's not a flash-in-the-pan...I hope that the fans stick around for more than just the novelty, because he DOES have a fantastic voice.

Originally Posted by JimR

Seth, what did you sing? I sang Yosaku at a couple of bo-nen-kai and got some standing ovations, but drunk people are easy.


I like Jero, and I think he's extremely talented, I just hope he's not a flash-in-the-pan...I hope that the fans stick around for more than just the novelty, because he DOES have a fantastic voice.

I sang 'Yagiri no Watashi', a Hosokawa Takashi song. My mother in law lives very near to the actual 'Yagiri no Watashi' and it is quite a popular song. I have to admit though that when I sang most of the people at the reception were already a fair ways into the sauce and it kept flowing afterwards.