INSIDE JAPAN
Keeping the Music Alive One shamisen teacher in Tokyo is making the most of a boom in traditional culture. by Brian Publicover
T
hese are exciting times for Japanese history buffs and traditional culture enthusiasts. Comic books and TV dramas have rekindled popular interest in historical figures, such as Meiji Restoration hero Ryoma Sakamoto, while prefectural governments across Japan have started promoting previously overlooked historical sites to bring in the tourist yen. The trend is partly in response to the media-driven rise of young, history-obsessed women, dubbed rekijo, who have fueled a fad that some analysts say is now worth billions of yen a year. And Kumiya Fujimoto couldn’t be happier about it. “I can feel it. It’s amazing that so many people are showing interest in traditional culture, and I’m kind of trying to connect the shamisen to the boom,” says the 27-year-old shamisen teacher, clad in a kimono and geta sandals. “For 20 years now, I’ve been trying to place myself near those interests, like the rekijo boom, or interest in the shamisen and the popularity of traditional lessons in things like tea ceremony or flower arrangement.” A licensed shamisen master and teacher, Fujimoto is a member of the Fujimotokai, one of Japan’s largest schools for the study of the traditional, three-stringed instrument. “Fujimoto is my stage name,” explains the Tokyo native. “Stage names are the first step to certification as a shamisen teacher. You don’t really need a stage name, but it can represent your teacher or style, and my teacher gave me this name. Having a stage name is the first step in getting a master’s license.” While there are several different types of shamisen, they all feature long, fretless necks and box-like bodies. They are generally played with a large pick, or bachi, although practitioners of some styles, such as kouta, mainly pluck the instrument with their fingers. Fujimoto uses this method on her thin-necked hosozao shamisen, but she also plays other traditional styles, such as mingyo and nagauta. Shamisen are tuned and played according to the music to be performed. The hugely popular Yoshida Brothers, for example, made a name for themselves internationally with their unconventional musical style, which draws on a range of modern influences. “The Yoshida Brothers sparked interest in tsugaru jamisen,” says Fujimoto. “I don’t do the tsugaru jamisen style, but they introduced many new fans to the shamisen, both here and overseas. Their music
is aggressive, very different from mine, with a more Western style. They also play traditional styles very well. But I’m not really a fan; I prefer traditional styles.” A fluent English speaker, Fujimoto teaches both men and women, most of whom are young foreigners, primarily from the United States and Australia, but also from countries as diverse as France, Singapore and Peru. André Kenji Horie, a 24-year-old graduate student at the University of Tokyo, started studying with Fujimoto last year as a way to explore his Japanese roots. “When I was in Brazil, I took sanshin [an Okinawan-style shamisen] lessons and I felt really connected to it,” says the native of São Paulo, Brazil. “So I thought that when I arrived in Japan, I would try the nagauta shamisen. I looked on the Internet and found Fujimoto sensei’s website.” For Fujimoto, the shamisen is in her blood. “My grandmother and aunt used to take lessons from my master,” she says. “My grandma started taking me to her lessons and I fell in love with my master’s voice. I’m still taking lessons with her; it has been 20 years.” Although Fujimoto isn’t the youngest shamisen master in the country, she does much more than teach people how to play the instrument. Through performing and lecturing at embassies, nursing homes and high schools, she has emerged as a kind of ambassador for the shamisen. She also plays a regular monthly gig at the Pink Cow bar in Shibuya. “I organize the show there,” she says. “One of my students from Jamaica held a black history month event there once and the owner asked me if I wanted to hold a regular event based around traditional Japanese instruments. I’ve held 19 shows now, so I’ve been doing it for almost two years.” While passionate about Japan’s musical heritage (she recently became interested in the ichigenkin, a single-stringed zither), Fujimoto’s tastes extend to those of any average twentysomething woman. “I like Destiny’s Child,” she admits with a smile. “I like foreign and Japanese pop music—typical stuff for a 27-yearold girl.” o Publicover is a Tokyo-based freelance journalist. Kumiya Fujimoto http://shamisen-sensei.com
A look at culture and society 41