Shamisen9/5/2023 ![]() ![]() It might give you goose bumps (jawameku in the Aomori dialect), but you’ll enjoy the vitality of the live music. The shamisen is said to have come to the main Japanese islands from the kingdom of Ryky between 15, around the time that the daimy Oda Nobunaga was unifying the country. The name jiuta means 'song' (, uta) of 'a place' or 'a region' (, ji) (Kamigata in this instance), and suggests 'not a song from Edo '. In the Edo period (16031867), pieces in the jiuta style were played on the shamisen, 1 and were mostly regional to Kamigata. Wrap a hokkamuri cloth around your head, just like the Aomori farmers do, and listen to original shamisen tunes at Aiya. Jiuta (//) is a style of traditional Japanese music. It’s a lot of fun listening to Tsugaru shamisen while tasting the local cuisine and local sake of the Tsugaru region. Live performances are held there every night. One such izakaya is Aiya, where the owner is a Tsugaru shamisen player. What’s the best way to hear a live Tsugaru shamisen performance? Of course, there are places such as the Tsugaru shamisen hall, but if you want to listen to the authentic living sound, it’s best to visit an izakaya (Japanese pub). By the mid-twentieth century Showa era, with the spread of TV the Tsugaru shamisen style became known across Japan, and now it enjoys broad popularity, recognized as having something in common with jazz and rock.įor live music that gives you goose bumps, head to an izakaya! It’s said this is how this rough style of play began. A shamisen is a Japanese stringed instrument which has a sound similar to that of a banjo. ![]() Sometimes they would start impromptu street corner performance in front of houses, playing louder and louder in order to gather an audience. ![]() They traveled around, playing the shamisen for food and coins. The roots of Tsugaru shamisen lie in the journey of blind monks.īut how was this unique performance method born? Its roots lie in the blind monks who worked as entertainers. It has a strength that calls to mind wild snowstorms, with a charming, agile rhythm. But the Tsugaru shamisen style is the complete opposite. The shamisen style you might hear in Kyoto, for example, features a stately rhythm leaving an impression of grace and elegance. Makoto Nishimuras goals for her teaching are twofold: to spread shamisen music in the world, and to enjoy playing music. She teaches nagauta, the shamisen style heard in Kabuki and as an accompaniment for traditional Japanese dance. Its characteristic sound is produced by striking the strings with a trapezoidal plectrum known as a bachi. A graduate of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts, Makoto has been playing and teaching for more than 40 years. Japan’s very own stringed instrument, the shamisen was originally made by stretching three strings across a square body. Once heard, Tsugaru shamisen has the power to attract listeners with its distinctive, irresistible rhythms. Performed with a sense of speed, like hammering on the strings. A splendid performance, reminiscent of a raging blizzard. ![]()
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