Enka Shishi and Socialist Thought - Popular Culture and the Formation of Political Consciousness in the 1920s

Enka Shishi and Socialist Thought - Popular Culture and the Formation of Political Consciousness in the 1920s

In 1920s Japan, enka singers were not simply street performers, but belonged to the category of "ojime," a type of entertainer who sold books with lyrics and songs written by themselves. They played a pioneering role as singer-songwriters, performing with their own lyrics and songs and selling books with the lyrics written on them. By combining music and publishing, enka singers became a unique medium for delivering words directly to the common people.

Among them, Soeda Mute Seminbo deserves special mention. His songs were filled with sharp social criticism and expressed anger at the plight of workers and social inequality. For example, his songs directly expressed the frustrations and hopes of the masses at the time, such as his calls for the expansion of the right to vote and his satire denouncing the corruption of parliamentary politics. These songs became an excellent means of political education for the common people, who were illiterate, and naturally instilled an interest in socialist thought and democracy.

The Taisho democracy was spreading among the general public, but at the same time, labor and tenant farmer disputes were frequent and social unrest was on the rise. Newspapers and magazines were limited to urban readers, and there was a limit to how widely they could penetrate rural areas and lower-class urbanites. To fill the gap, enka (traditional Japanese ballads) performed on street corners, at festivals, and at yose (Japanese-style receptions) played a role in fostering political awareness among the people.

In addition, since enka singers belonged to the Kaguishi society, they provided an ideal medium for spreading their ideas through direct contact with the people at festivals and on the streets. Songs had the power to appeal to emotions rather than logic, and they translated abstract theories of ideology into words that could be understood in everyday life. As a result, the activities of enka performers played an important role in rooting socialist ideology as an extension of popular culture.