Can't quite remember anymore where I first saw young enka singer Kanta Ichijo（一条貫太）perform his latest single "Tabiji no Saki ni" (End of the Journey). Was it on "Uta Con"（うたコン）or "Songs of Japanese Spirit"? Anyways, released in January 2022, it's one of those enka songs that simultaneously sounds fresh and old-fashioned as this time, the usual lyrical trope within the genre of going on a trip to forget about a lost love is inverted somewhat. Written by Takashi Maki（万城たかし）, if I've read those lyrics correctly, it's about a man who comes back to his love after a journey of soul-searching and realization that his significant other is indeed his significant other. The music was provided by Kenji Miyashita（宮下健治）.
It is a very relaxing enka that is listed as Ichijo's 7th single. Although his voice sounds nothing like the vocals of the legendary Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）, there is something about his bearing and hairstyle in the music video above that reminds me of good ol' Sabu-chan in his much younger days. Sure enough, taking a look at his profile on his website, Ichijo lists Kitajima and Ichiro Toba（鳥羽一郎）as the singers that he admires.
The singer was born in Chiba Prefecture in 1996 and one of the triggers for his entry into the professional world of enka was entering the championship finals on NHK's "Nodo Jiman"（のど自慢）amateur singing contest in 2015. In March 2018, he made his debut with his single "Futari no Shihatsu Eki"（ふたりの始発駅...The Starting Station for the Two of Us）.
Hello, Brian. Yeah, it looks fairly hopeful for the genre. I've seen some teenagers singing enka on "Nodo Jiman" who have said that they want to go pro.
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