Editing Enka (section)

=== 1980s–1990s: Losing definition and decline ===
[[Image:Stele Yagiri no watashi Takashi Hosokawa.jpg|thumb|left|The 1984 monument of Naomi Chiaki's song covered by Takashi Hosokawa "Yagiri no Watashi" at [[Matsudo, Chiba|Matsudo City]]]]
[[Takashi Hosokawa]]'s song "Kita Sakaba" won the grand prix at the [[24th Japan Record Awards]] in 1982. He covered [[Naomi Chiaki]]'s originally song "Yagiri no Watashi" next year. It was also won the grand prix at the [[25th Japan Record Awards|following Japan Record Awards]]. The total sales of [[Michiya Mihashi]]'s work surpassed 100 million records in 1983, making him the first artist to achieve that in Japan.<ref name="goo" />

On June 11, 1986, [[Sanae Jōnouchi]], a member of [[Japanese idol|idol]] group [[Onyanko Club]], released the ''enka'' single "Ajisai Bashi", written by [[Yasushi Akimoto]]. The single debuted at No. 1 on the Oricon weekly single charts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/4743/|script-title=ja:12年ぶりの記録を打ち立てた女性…|publisher=Oricon|date=2005-04-12|access-date=2010-04-29|language=ja|archive-date=2008-05-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080518144732/http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/ranking/4743/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Ikuzo Yoshi]]'s 1986 single "Yukiguni" became the Oricon's 300th number-one single in 1987.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/070221_01.html|script-title=ja:ランキング特集『オリコン首位獲得シングル1000曲（1968～2007）』|publisher=Oricon|date=2007-02-21|access-date=2009-05-04|language=ja|archive-date=2007-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070223040157/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/special/070221_01.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other new ''enka'' singers around that time included [[Fuyumi Sakamoto]] and [[Ayako Fuji]]. [[Hibari Misora]], at the age of 50, released the single "Midaregami" on December 10, 1987. "Midaregami" reached the No. 9 position on the Oricon weekly charts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/32022/2/|title=Midaregami|publisher=Oricon|access-date=2009-05-16|language=ja|archive-date=2010-05-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515213900/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/32022/2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Yasushi Akimoto wrote the lyrics of her 1989 single "[[Kawa no Nagare no Yō ni]]". However, she died in 1989 and the ''enka'' range expanded into the genre ''[[kayōkyoku]]'' while the genre ''kayōkyoku'' was vanishing.<ref name="maekawa" />

[[Hachiro Kasuga]] died in 1991. As ''enka''<nowiki/>'s traditional themes were no longer appreciated among younger Japanese and Western-style [[J-pop]] music became more popular, ''enka'' sales declined. However, the genre still had many adherents. Besides TV programs, ''enka'' could be heard in many restaurants, drinking establishments, [[karaoke]] bars and cafes. On the other hand, "bright" ''enka'' singer [[Yoshimi Tendo]], who was ignored when the "dark" ''enka'' songs like Keiko Fuji's song "Keiko no Yume wa Yoru Hiraku" were popular, took part in the ''[[Kōhaku Uta Gassen]]'' for the first time in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/interview/2004/sun041226.html|title=Yoshimi Tendo|publisher=Nikkan Sports|date=2004-12-26|access-date=2009-05-21|language=ja|archive-date=2005-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306153009/http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/interview/2004/sun041226.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other new ''enka'' singers such as Toshimi Tagawa and Fuyumi Sakamoto were also appearing on TV ''enka'' programs which kept ''enka'' alive. Taiwanese diva [[Teresa Teng]] was also singing in Japanese and covering ''enka'' songs from the 70s until she died in 1995 at the age of 42.