[For Beginners] Recommended Enka Masterpieces for Karaoke — Male Singers Edition
Enka, which has continued to sing the heart of Japan, has enjoyed unwavering popularity from the Showa era to the present Reiwa period.
In recent years, thanks in part to the resurgence of Showa-era pop songs, classic enka hits have been drawing attention across generations.
So there are surely many people who want to start listening to enka or try singing it at karaoke.
This article is for enka beginners, introducing famous enka songs by male singers that are easy to tackle at karaoke.
While enka does require techniques such as applying vibrato-like kobushi, the songs introduced here are all well-known hits that even beginners are likely to recognize, making it easy to slip into their world.
By the way, we also introduce a version featuring female singers in another article, so be sure to check that out too!
- [Enka] Songs That Are Easy to Sing Even for the Tone-Deaf [Male Singer Edition]
- [2026] Easy Enka Songs Recommended for Karaoke – Male Singers Edition
- [For Beginners] Recommended Enka Classics for Karaoke — Women Singers Edition
- [2026] Recommended for those who find high notes difficult! Enka by male singers that you can sing in a low register
- [Mighty Guy] A Selection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Akira Kobayashi
- [2026] Easy-to-Sing Enka: From Timeless Classics to Recent Hits [Male Singers Edition]
- A roundup of male enka singers who represent the Showa era
- Classic enka songs you’ll want to sing at karaoke: recommended popular tracks
- [2026] Enka Songs That Are Hard to Sing – Male Singers Edition
- [Sub-chan] A Collection of Easy-to-Sing Songs by Saburo Kitajima [2026]
- [Enka] Songs that are easy to sing even for those who are tone-deaf [Female singers edition]
- Enka songs that are easy for men to sing: a roundup of tracks to try at karaoke
- 【2026】Recommended Enka by Male Singers with Captivating High Notes
For Beginners: Recommended Enka Classics for Karaoke – Male Singers (11–20)
Scorpio womanMikawa Ken’ichi
A song that portrays the feelings of a passionate, single-minded woman was released in December 1972 and became a hit, achieving strong results on the Oricon charts.
With its distinctive lyrics and melody, along with an unmistakable vocal style, it captured the hearts of many and was performed seven times on NHK’s Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
The lyrics, which project the traits of Scorpio onto a female figure, express the complex emotions of romance.
Widely known as one of Kenichi Mikawa’s signature songs, it’s also popular as material for impressionists.
When tackling it at karaoke, it’s important to keep Mikawa’s unique timbre and expressive delivery in mind while immersing yourself in the song’s world.
Even beginners to enka will find it enjoyable to sing thanks to its familiar melody and memorable lyrics.
festivalKitajima Saburō
Saburo Kitajima is a great enka singer who has left behind many masterpieces.
His distinctive, undulating kobushi and vibrato are especially striking.
Among his songs, the one I particularly recommend is Matsuri.
While the piece is memorable for its low register, it surprisingly spans a range from mid1 A to high C.
However, because the pitch changes within the kobushi are contained within two notes, it is classified as a work with a lower level of difficulty in terms of overall technique.
If you adjust it to your suitable key, it’s not un-singable, so be sure to identify your own vocal range carefully.
Kiyoshi’s Zundoko SongHikawa Kiyoshi
Kiyoshi Hikawa, a figure who sent shockwaves through the enka world.
Though an idol-type enka singer, he possesses solid vocal prowess and has influenced many as an artist who combines skill with catchiness.
“Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi” is one of his hit numbers.
While this song spans a fairly wide range—mid1 C to hi B—the pitch shifts in the kobushi (melodic ornaments) are kept to at most two notes, making the overall difficulty as enka relatively low.
If you have a reasonably wide vocal range, you should be able to sing it without trouble.
It’s immensely popular among madams, so consider adding it to your repertoire.
Casablanca GoodbyeToba Ichirō
Enka singer Ichiro Toba, popular for his wide-ranging musicality from male-voiced to female-voiced songs, has left many masterpieces.
Among them, Casablanca Goodbye is especially recommended as an easy song to sing.
While there are a few spots that feature kobushi (traditional enka vocal ornaments), overall the piece has a flavor closer to kayōkyoku (Japanese popular song).
It employs a very light mixed voice, but the high phrases aren’t very long, and it doesn’t demand much power overall, so the overall difficulty is on the lower side.
Its mood-rich melody is sure to get the crowd going!
old man teacherSen Masao
Masao Sen has left behind many great songs, but among them, Oyaji Sensei is especially known for its outstanding storytelling.
The spoken lines at the beginning draw you into the piece, and from there the world of the song unfolds all at once.
The depiction of sharing drinks with one’s former teacher is particularly memorable, and the whole piece is set to a warm, unhurried melody.
There’s hardly any kobushi (ornamental vibrato), so even those who find enka vocal stylings challenging can sing it comfortably.
Consider adding it to your repertoire.
Yaima (Yaeyama)Sen Masao
Among recent songs, Yaima (Yaeyama) is especially renowned as a masterpiece.
Originally released in 1999, it was recently re-released as a new version.
Compared to the original, it has a more relaxed atmosphere, and since it’s a song set in Okinawa, the essence of Ryukyuan music—most notably the sound of the sanshin—is emphasized.
As it incorporates many pop elements, there are hardly any demanding techniques such as kobushi (ornamental vocal turns).
It’s a song that beginners will find very easy to sing.
[For Beginners] Recommended Enka Classics for Karaoke – Male Singers (21–30)
Our town was green indeed.Sen Masao
Masao Sen’s classic “Waga Machi wa Midori Nariki” is notable for its gentle melody.
While it is nominally classified as enka, the vocal line strongly reflects the essence of Showa-era kayōkyoku, and the characteristic enka vocal melisma (kobushi) is scarcely present.
The few instances of kobushi are mostly limited to a single scale step up or down, so even those not adept at enka-style phrasing should be able to sing it without difficulty.
If you enjoy songs with a nostalgic, old-fashioned mood, consider adding this one to your repertoire.