Jero: Enka’s Black Ship?
Some in the Japanese media are starting to use the term “black ship” [kurofune] to refer to African American enka singer Jero. The term, which is historically associated with the fleet of warships Commodore Perry used to open Japan to the West in the 1850’s, has since come into use as a label for foreign celebrities who break into the Japanese entertainment scene. In this case, Jero is being called the “black ship of the enka world!”
Does this mean that Jero will be having the same impact on enka music that Perry’s voyage had on Japan as a whole? Probably not, but Jero-related articles and videos have recently been pretty popular on Japanese news portals and blogs. He also appeared on a morning show last week for a live performance:
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More like Enka’s New Exploit. One or two CDs and he’s gone, gimmick over, move on to SMAP remakes Sgt. Pepper’s.
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haha, i love it how when they ask him what food he likes, he says natto and umeboshi.
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I wish him every success.
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My two teenagers have just gotten into enka. They’re thrilled with Jero’s voice and his spoken Japanese, and the fact that he’s so cute doesn’t hurt a bit.
Jero’s voice and singing style are good enough that he doesn’t have to be just another gaijin gimmick singer. More power to him.
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Is this merely gaijin tokenism? Will he go the way of the dinosaur by next year? Any Japanophile knows that this fascination/dread of anything foreign has been occurring for hundreds of years. We’ve got to get beyond the cliche that “Japanese” things e.g., natto, umeboshi and enka are exclusively for the “Japanese” palate or ear. Rock On, Jero!
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