-- Thank you for sharing such a rare all-enka 45s set with us. It was also a rather unique setting, performing at a record all-you-can-pack event. Did you have a particular theme or concept in mind when putting the set together?
I often decide my set based on the atmosphere of the venue and how I’m feeling at the time. I brought around 60 records with the theme of “Sweet Enka,” and in the end I think the selection leaned toward light, mellow tracks that would be easy to listen to even for people who aren’t used to enka or mood kayokyoku.
-- Technics kindly provided the DJ setup for the event. What did you think of playing on the latest SL-1200MK7 turntables?
I use the MK3 myself, so I was grateful to be able to play on equipment that felt familiar.
-- Among the records you played today, were there any tracks you were especially excited to play or particularly wanted to introduce to the audience?
There’s a song called “Souemoncho Blues” by Heiwa Katsuji & Dark Horses, which went on to become a massive hit, selling over a million copies. Today, I played an earlier self-released version that Heiwa Katsuji put out before the song became a hit. I believe it was probably a record that was only distributed to people involved at the time, but what makes it so special is the backing band. It has this raw, aggressive sound that feels almost like garage punk or garage soul. It’s incredibly cool.
-- Before you started digging into enka records, what kind of music were you listening to, playing, and creating?
I liked listening to indie rock, Brazilian music, Japanese folk, Okinawan folk songs, and things like that. In the music group I run, Super VHS, I make pop music with a private, intimate texture, and even after getting deeply into enka, it hasn’t had a major influence on that.
-- What was it that first made you realize there was something fascinating about enka?
There’s an active enka singer in Okinawa named Akira Jo, and the trigger was buying his debut single locally. At the core of my musical experience is the video game Ganbare Goemon, so I was already familiar with enka-like melodies. Jo was the person who triggered my deeper dive into enka.
-- When you're digging for enka records, what are you looking for? What makes a record stand out to you, and what makes you pass it by?
If it’s in a major key and in 6/8 time, I’ll buy it 100% of the time. If I’m somewhere I can’t listen before buying, I judge the likely sound from the song title, the atmosphere of the jacket, the singer’s fashion, the region, the year of release, and so on. If it’s 100 yen or less and I don’t already own it, I basically buy everything.
-- Roughly how many enka 45s do you have in your collection these days?
I’d say somewhere around 3,000 to 4,000 copies.
-- And by the way, how many records do you own outside of enka?
Just under 1,000 records.
-- Are there any enka records that have become highly collectible and now sell for premium prices?
They do exist, but my impression is that the market prices are unstable. Even with enka, records with atmospheric and rare jackets, tracks that can be used by DJs as interesting material, records recommended in guidebooks or by well-known people, and records with a standout groove can command decent prices.
-- Are there any record shops you’d particularly recommend for digging enka records?
Disk Union Showa Kayou-kan, and recycle shops that are hard to access.
-- Are there other DJs who play enka from a perspective similar to yours? If so, are you connected with one another in any way, or do you have a community where you share information, records, and discoveries?
I run a loose DJ collective called Musebinaku Tokyo Mood Kaigi, and we hold events from time to time. Everyone approaches enka and mood kayokyoku from their own perspective, so I find it very inspiring. People give me records, share sale information with me, and tell me about rare songs. I’m always receiving things from the other members, so I’m constantly grateful to everyone involved.
-- Looking ahead, do you have a particular vision for how you’d like people to engage with or discover enka in the future?
I’m hoping for a reevaluation from overseas. For example, it would be incredibly interesting if Numero released a compilation. Ideally, I’d like enka to be appreciated from within Japan as something cool and separate from Showa kayou or so-called wamono, but I think there’s a limit to what I can do alone. So I’d like more people to find it interesting together with me.
Right now, buying companies are bringing huge numbers of records into the market as household unwanted items, but I think it’s easy to imagine the fate that awaits many enka records. My immediate goal is to improve that situation, even a little. In order for these records to be listened to, they first have to become records that can be sold.
-- Do you have a message for young music fans who have yet to discover the world of enka?
You should buy them while you still can!
-- Lastly, could you tell us about any plans or projects you have lined up for 2026?
We’ll be holding Mood Kaigi two more times before the end of the year. If you’re interested, please come!
