As early as the beginning of the 90s, the younger generation in Japan became interested in "kyogen" – a traditional performing art form. The following and zeal of young people for some "kyogen" performers is no less than their passion for pop idols. It seems to us that traditional Japanese arts have not been forgotten in modern urban life. Is it true that the Japanese are good at preserving their cultural heritage? Or do they have an attitude at once insistent and open towards traditional culture when faced with its adjustments in the 21st century? The Yoshida Brothers who have been known for their shamisen performances in recent years have proved yet once again that this multi-coloured coat of ‘tradition' has not faded colour but can fit in different social environments of modern society.
The Yoshida Brothers, a two-man Tsugaru-shamisen performing group, are comprised of brothers Ryoichiro Yoshida and Kenichi Yoshida. Born in the hot spring district Noboribetsu in Southern Hokkaido, the two brothers began learning shamisen at the age of five under local performer Adachi Koka. When asked why they started at such a young age, elder brother Ryoichiro said they did it to honour an unfulfilled dream of their father, who aspired to be a Tsugaru-shamisen musician when he was young. When he failed to realize his dream, he sent his 5-year-old elder son to take shamisen lessons. Besides the inconvenience due to a child's tiny body, Ryoichiro said he also felt rather embarrassed because other kids were learning to play Western instruments such as piano, violin and flute while he had to learn this rather "old-fashioned" instrument.
Ryoichiro said even though he practiced for an hour daily from the age of 5 until 12, it was not until he took lessons under The First Takashi Sasaki that he started to appreciate the charm of Tsugaru-shamisen. With increased practice time from an hour to two, the brothers made remarkable improvement in their performing skills. I asked them why they often played faster than the conventional tempos in their earlier performances. Ryoichiro said frankly that they increased the speed to manifest their skills in order to achieve outstanding results in national music contests. But in recent years, the Yoshida Brothers have taken their time to study the characteristics of their predecessors' music through playing at slower tempos. They also wish to bring Tsugaru-shamisen from the stage to schools, so the art will be recognized more among young people.
Tsugaru-shamisen has a very different history of development from the shamisens of other regions. How shamisens are performed reflects the characteristics of where they originated. The shamisen of Kyoto mainly plays the accompaniment for long poem in an ensemble with other instruments. The sanxian of Okinawa, on the other hand, is mainly narrative, playing while singing, telling stories through the ages. In the early days, Tsugaru-shamisen players were blind vagrant musicians who performed in front of people's doors in exchange for food or a small amount of money. It can be said that the Aomori Prefecture in Northern Honshu is the cradle of Tsugaru-shamisen. The blind musicians played folk songs, their performances and expressions exhibited the will of the powerless in society to survive under the harsh natural environment, expressing in quick tempos their unrelenting spirit and anguish that words could not express.
However, this historical background of Tsugaru-shamisen does not seem to have an obvious relation with the young Yoshida Brothers. Although they grew up in Hokkaido and are used to the harsh winter and snow storms, they have yet to understand and experience the local development and unique history and culture of Tsugaru-shamisen. As far as their aspirations are concerned, the Yoshida Brothers said, "We hope to promote this kind of performance (and performing characteristics), so more people understand that Tsugaru-shamisen is not only a traditional form of performing but also a musical instrument of ‘possibilities'." What they meant by "possibilities" is to add in different treatments on the basis of traditional performance in order to achieve unprecedented effects. Let's wait to see what they can show us.
The English translation appears here with permission by International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong). Both this article and its original Chinese version are published in New Vision Arts Festival 2006 Critics' Guide (October 2006) by IATC(HK). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not represent the stand of the presenter, the performing groups of the Festival nor the publisher.
