[2026] Enka Songs That Are Hard to Sing – Male Singers Edition

When it comes to enka, there’s an image that only truly skilled singers can pull it off.

Of course, there are relatively easy songs as well, and enka is a very popular genre at karaoke.

This time, we’ve put together a list of classic enka songs that are difficult to sing, aimed at those who are fairly accustomed to singing enka.

Beyond the genre’s signature techniques—like vibrato and kobushi (ornamental turns)—these songs demand high expressive ability, including handling wide vocal ranges.

In this article, we introduce masterpieces by male enka singers, but we also feature difficult-to-sing classics by female singers in another piece, so be sure to check that out as well.

Playlist

[2026] Enka Songs That Are Hard to Sing – Male Singers Edition
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Chikumagawa RiverItsuki Hiroshi		Introducing the singing technique of Hiroshi Itsuki’s famous song “Chikuma River”
2	Nostalgic JonkaraHosokawa Takashi		Singing Difficulty Explanation of Takashi Hosokawa’s Signature Songs
3	marine snowjero		Jero's debut song is a masterpiece in the history of enka.
4	A Man’s HarborToba Ichirō		The appeal of Toba Ichirō, the seafaring man, as an enka singer
5	Wind HarborŌkawa Eisaku		The appeal of Eisaku Okawa’s 2007 hit song “Kazemina-to” and tips for singing it
6	Donko-zakaMiyama Hiroshi		Hiroshi Miyama’s new song “Donko-zaka” is a masterpiece of Reiwa-era enka.
7	Dream PlayUmezawa Fumio		Introducing Tomio Umezawa’s debut song as a singer
8	Even if it costs my lifeMori Shinichi		Tips for singing Shinichi Mori’s smash hit “Inochi Karitemo”
9	Kiyoshi’s Zundoko SongHikawa Kiyoshi		Kiyoshi no Zundoko Bushi is high difficulty.
10	Motherly bondedoarudo		The debut song of the Brazilian enka singer Eduardo
11	Satsuma WomanKitajima Saburō		A Showa-era enka masterpiece by Saburo Kitajima with a high level of singing difficulty
12	River of SnowNiinuma Kenji		Singing Tips for Kenji Niinuma’s Enka Song “Yuki no Kawa”
13	Kita-ShinchiYoshi Ikuzo		An enka song by Ikuzo Yoshi that he composed with Osaka’s Kitashinchi as its theme
14	My love to youYamakawa Yutaka		Introducing Yutaka Yamakawa’s hidden gem “Omae ni Ai o”
15	Mother of My EyesFukuda Kouhei		The singing difficulty of Kohei Fukuda’s “Mabuta no Haha” is high.
16	A man should just cry in silence.Miyashita Kenji		Kenji Miyashita: A moving work that sings the melancholy of Showa-era men
17	The Northern CliffsYamauchi Keisuke		A song of a woman’s wistful heart carried on the sea breeze