Artist Interview アーティストインタビュー
ロック世代の津軽三味線奏者
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A shamisen player from the rock generation,
Hiromitsu Agatsuma talks about taking his shamisen music to Europe
The shamisen is one of the traditional Japanese string instruments that has given birth to several music genres. Among the different types of shamisen, the "Tsugaru shamisen" is one with a larger body (as a sound box) and a thicker neck and strings that evolved among local performers of the Tsugaru region of Aomori prefecture at the northernmost end of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was originally used as an instrument to accompany folk songs and it wasn’t until about a half century ago that it came to be played as a solo instrument for stage performance. The appeal of Tsugaru shamisen performances comes from the technique and skill of the performer in working variations on a theme much like jazz performance. For this reason it has found an audience among the generation raised on rock music. Young performers today are introducing elements of Western music in their search for contemporary expression in their shamisen music, and Hiromitsu Agatsuma is one of the leaders of this movement today.
(Interviewed in Dec.10, 2004 by Kazumi Narabe)