Taishi Yamabe

Taishi Yamabe was born in 1988 in Kurashiki, Okayama. Listening to his father’s Japanese drumming and his mother’s piano, he became familiar with taiko drums from the age of 3 and made his first appearance on stage at the age of 6. In 2004, at the age of 16, he became the youngest person to win the grand prize in …

Kaizan Nitta

Kaizan Nitta was born on Okinoerabu Island, a remote island which is part of Kagoshima’s Amami archipelago. Just north of Okinawa, Okinoerabu is rooted in the Okinawan culture along with that of the other Ryukyu Islands.  Here he learned to play the sanshin, a stringed instrument local to the Okinawan and Amami islands, from Tomiyasu Okita.  In 2000, Kaizan became …

Hakusui Ogiyama

Since 2007, Hakusui Ogiyama has been studying Kinshin-ryu Satsuma Biwa under Osaka-based Kinshin-ryu biwa player Teisui Nakano.  Hakusui specializes in the heroic performance and narration of the Satsuma Biwa, which draws on Samurai traditions. In addition to traditional classical music, she also uses modern Japanese to tell all kinds of new stories. This is called “Otogi Biwa,”which she uses to …

Lily Kanon and Loy – VTV World

VTV is a YouTube Music Program to introduce Vtubers, VSingers, and Virtual Artists. There are not many opportunities for Visual Artists, so many are struggling with that situation. We created a place to introduce ourselves and there, everyone can have a chance if they submit their creations! There are two Programs, VTV Japan(Japanese) and VTV World(English). Please check our Official …

KiKi

Formed by Hikari Shirafuji and Kanami Takeda in 2008, Ki&Ki (KiKi) is a true Japanese tsugaru shamisen duo based in Tokyo, Japan. They are known across Japan as top-tier players who have both taken the top spot in nationwide and international shamisen competitions. The music performed by Ki&Ki values the traditional Tsugaru shamisen style of “minyo” and incorporates it into various …

Sho Asano

Under the influence of his grandfather, Sho Asano started playing Japanese drums at the age of 3 and the Tsugaru shamisen at the age of 5. After that, he studied the Odajima Ryu under Tokuo Odajima II(the second person to use the name Tokuo Odajima). At the age of seven, he became the youngest participant in the Tsugaru Shamisen National …