Early 1930s ryū,,,kō,,,ka recordings from Japanese geisha Kouta Katsutaro. Emerging during the early stages of the recording industry in Japan, the ryukoka style adopted some western classical, blues & jazz elements into traditional Min yo folk music. Kouta Katsutaro would become one of it s most popular proponents, and along with another popular geisha singer, Ichimaru, forms the basis of a period dubbed the Katsu-Ichi Era.