Na Hoon-a (Nafuna) -- Minato Koi-uta (みなと恋唄)

 "He was active in Japan for over a decade, and was pretty popular in Osaka because of its large Zainichi Korean population!"

"I see. I only just found out about this singer today, though."

"You idiot... I have his fan club articles - I'll give them to you."

And that's how I got to know about the existance of South Korean trot* and enka singer Na Hoon-a (羅勲児/나훈아), or Nafuna (ナフナ). 

From 好っきゃねん！！羅勲児, the compilation
of the Japan Na Hoon-a fan club's (Ara Club 我羅
倶楽部) publications 

I had never been up to score on the activities of Korean enka singers. I knew there was an influx of them in from about the late 1970s to the 1990s, which seemed to begin with the immense popularity of Cho Yong-pil's (조용필) Pusan Ko e Kaere (釜山港へ帰れ). I also was aware of the spunky Kim Yon-ja (김연자) and her hearty vocals, since she was a constant fixture on kayo shows like (Shin) BS Nippon no Uta (日本のうた) and Kayo Concert (歌謡コンサート) back when I watched them religiously. But that was about where my knowledge ended... I should probably not tell that enka enthusiast this, lest he actually give me a knuckle to the head. In my defense, digging real deep into the 70s to 90s enka realm hadn't been my biggest priority. But I was aware that it was high time I went beyond my standard boundaries of the likes of Hachiro Kasuga and try something new. And what's newer than a Korean trot-enka singer I had completely no idea about?

The first song by Na that hit my ears had been Nidoto Koi Nado (二度と恋など), an electric kayo bop. The enka enthusiast had sung this at a karaoke recital I'd watched some weeks ago for want of something better to do that day, which was how I got around asking him about the Korean singer. After that, I went about sampling more of Na's works on YouTube and Spotify - mainly the Japanese tunes first, because I didn't (and still don't) know a sliver of Korean. That was when I stumbled upon Minato Koi-uta. 

Minato Koi-uta (Harbour Love Song) - as far as titles go, that's as enka as it gets. Acoustic guitar and accordion in the intro - yup, that's that quintessential 70s and 80s enka arrangement. But cutting through the rustic do-enka feel is the electronic beats and wavey effects that give the song a modern, almost new music edge. That interesting fusion arrangement, courtesy of Nobuyuki Sakuraba (櫻庭伸幸), alone was enough to perk my ears up. 

From what I gather from Na’s Wikipedia page (in English), Minato Koi-uta was released in February 1985. Written by lyricist Yoko Yamaguchi (山口洋子) and composed by Kosho Inomata (猪俣公章), both highly renowned enka-kayo songwriters in the second half of the Showa era, this seemed to have been Na’s first fully Japanese single. Yamaguchi writes the song in the perspective of a woman who pines for her lover, who's a sailor (or fisherman) and rarely returns to terra forma. While Yamaguchi's words paint a pitiful image of our protagonist, it's Na's impactful, heart-wrenching delivery that really drives home how much she is in love with the man.

Na in Nidoto Koi Nado sounds rather measured, but one can feel the pent up emotion bubbling just under the surface. Minato Koi-uta, perhaps in simply being a do-enka, had the guy pulling out all the stops - it's as though his heart was being twisted and ripped out by loneliness, frustration, and helplessness. Na's sudden-explosive-bursts-of-anguish singing style is contrary to what I've been listening to for several years, and it actually reminds me a little of Kiyoshi Maekawa (前川清), which is probably part of why it commanded my attention. Combined with the lower register he tapped into for this song... it's kinda hot. And, I mean, Na is also kinda hot, so there's that. 

Anyway, as far as I know for now, Na was born Choi Hong-gi in Busan (South Korea) on 11 February 1947. He began his career as a singer-songwriter in Korea in 1966, finding great success. However, he had only broken into the Japanese market in late 1984 after a concert in Osaka of that year, and released Minato Koi-uta with Teichiku Records the following year. Na would appear on Japanese media fairly regularly, fostering Korea-Japan cultural ties, and would even sing some of his works in both Japanese and Korean. He'd even been a guest on one of Hachi's radio shows, Kasuga Hachiro no Jinsei Banzai (春日八郎の人生バンザイ) in 1987. Apparently, the enka veteran had a good time discussing enka and trot, as well as sharing experiences in songwriting with the tenacious younger singer, who did both. On that note:

"Y'know your Tadaharu Nakano draft - Adding Butter to Miso Soup?"

"Yeah?"

"It reminded me of [Na] comparing trot and enka to kimchi and takuan."

"Oh, yeah, they are (can be) both made of radish."

What I really meant  by saying that at the time was that indeed both genres have their differences, the major one being the country of origin, yet having striking similarities, so I think I know where Na was going with the comparison. What a cool allegory! I did notice that several Korean trot-enka singers like Na sound a lot more dramatic and emotional, and thus sound more aggressive, than a lot of the popular local Japanese enka singers. I don't listen enough to trot to know if that's the norm, or if the likes of Na and the abovementioned Kim Yon-ja just roll that way, but it certain feels like that chili spice in kimchi that takuan lacks.

I can be quite stubborn when it comes to picking up music/book/film recommendations if they don't seem to align with my tastes on first glance. Na's style is quite intense and overwhelming, so I don't find myself going too far down the Na Hoon-a rabbit hole, but I like him more than I'd expected myself to. Fair play to you, enka enthusiast. Oh - if wasn't already apparent, the enka enthusiast had been a big fan of Na's since at least 1984, and did a lot to facilitate his activities in Japan.

*Trot, simply put, seems to be South Korea's answer to enka. Similar themes, highly dramatic and emotional singing styles, and somewhat similar-sounding melodies. 

P.S. There was a theory that enka had originated in Korea - considering the similarities trot has with enka, it was inevitable. That became sort of a point of concern for the "Enka is the music of the Japanese" claim. However, that was eventually debunked by answers that go somewhere along line of, "The 'Father of Enka' Masao Koga only began to make enka (its prototype) when he returned to Japan," among other answers.