Editing Enka (section)

=== Late 1940s–1954: The arrival of new singers ===
{{See also|Japanese jazz}}
As [[jazz]] became popular in early postwar Japan, Japanese singer [[Hibari Misora]] released her debut song "Kappa [[boogie-woogie]]" on [[Nippon Columbia]] in 1949 at the age of only 12. She went on to sing jazz songs throughout the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009OLPF6|title=Jazz & Standard Complete Collection 1955-66|website=Amazon |access-date=2009-02-09|archive-date=2022-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227202257/https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009OLPF6|url-status=live}}</ref> She later did many ''enka'' songs in the 60s and 70s.

In 1948, [[Hachiro Kasuga]] won King Records' first talent contest. He joined the record label the next year where [[Haruo Oka]] was his senior. His debut single {{Nihongo|"Akai Lamp no Shū Ressha"|赤いランプの終列車|lit. "Last Train with Red Lamp"}} was released in 1952. The [[kabuki]]-style song {{Nihongo|"Otomi-san"|お富さん|lit. "Miss Otomi"}} was originally made for Oka, but was sung by Kasuga, and in 1954, "Otomi-san" became a very popular hit in Japan.<ref name="kabuki">{{cite web|url=http://www.news.janjan.jp/column/0702/0702130008/1.php|script-title=ja:歌舞伎ソング・《お富さん》のブーム|publisher=[[JANJAN]]|date=2007-02-15|access-date=2009-02-09|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100504210600/http://www.news.janjan.jp/column/0702/0702130008/1.php|archive-date=2010-05-04}}</ref> Kasuga took part in the [[NHK]] ''[[Kōhaku Uta Gassen]]'' for the first time with "Otomi-san" that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.town.aizubange.fukushima.jp/Members/syoukoukankou/contents/guide/kankou/kasugalife.html|title=Hachiro Kasuga Profile|publisher=[[Aizubange, Fukushima]]|access-date=2009-02-12|language=ja|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917235305/http://www.town.aizubange.fukushima.jp/Members/syoukoukankou/contents/guide/kankou/kasugalife.html|archive-date=2012-09-17}}</ref> The song's composer, Masanobu Tokuchi, was born on [[Okinawa Island]] and grew up in [[Amami Ōshima|Amami]] and became an important figure for introducing the [[Ryukyu Islands]]' music into the Japanese mainstream.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.breast.co.jp/soulflower/library/disc/detail/sf-070.html|title=Deracine Ching-dong|publisher=[[Soul Flower Union]] Official Website|access-date=2009-05-06|language=ja|archive-date=2021-05-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513020557/https://www.breast.co.jp/soulflower/library/disc/detail/sf-070.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>