English-speaking Shamisen Teacher Shares Japanese Culture with the World

Fujimoto Kumiya

Not many young Japanese women these days seem to take much of an interest in the traditional aspects of Japan. Some perhaps try flower arranging or practice the tea ceremony, but most seem more interested in modern pastimes. Twenty-four-year-old shamisen player and teacher FUJIMOTO Kumiya, however, is anything but typical.

Fujimoto started playing the shamisen at the age of six, when her grandmother took her for lessons. By 14, she had received a stage name from the Fujimoto-kai (one of the shamisen schools), where today she is ranked as an associate teacher. What sets her apart from other shamisen instructors, though, is that she teaches primarily non-Japanese, and she does it all in English.

“I love to see people being surprised when they find out that a girl at my age is teaching, and in English, and especially for foreigners,” Fujimoto says with a smile at the old-downtown house in Ueno where she teaches. By being able to teach fluently in English – even if she does say she struggles at times to “translate shamisen-related and Japan-specific terms and still keep a Japanese atmosphere”– Fujimoto is able to bring the shamisen to a whole new audience.

Her students have included North Americans, Central Americans South Americans, Europeans, Australians and even one Japanese lady who likes to study in English. For the non-Japanese students, it isn’t just about the music – it is also about the opportunity to, as Fujimoto puts it, “experience many traditional kinds of things like bowing, having respect for the instrument, or the songs – many parts of old Japanese culture.”

Fujimoto’s chosen instrument can trace its roots in Japan back to the 16th century and the sanshin in Okinawa, which itself derives from China. Played by striking the three strings with a large plectrum called a bachi, the shamisen delivers a sound similar to that of a banjo thanks to the dog or cat skin that covers the front and back of its square body.

The shamisen’s neck may be comparable in length to that of a guitar, but it is much slimmer and fretless, making knowing where to hold down the woven silk strings a skill that takes considerable practice. The instrument is further distinguished from a guitar or banjo by being designed to be easily dismantled and reassembled, and by its large tuning pegs.

Traditionally, the shamisen has been used either as a solo instrument or to accompany stage performances such as bunraku or kabuki, but recent years have seen its uses expanded by innovative young performers such as Yoshida Brothers and even non-Japanese performers who have adapted it to rock and jazz.

Fujimoto plays a traditional style of music using a hosozao shamisen, the thinnest of the three most common types of shamisen. Despite modern variations of shamisen playing having made their way to the West, this pure style Fujimoto plays has (like many Japanese traditions) been largely been limited to Japanese only. By spreading interest in her instrument overseas she hopes she can inspire more young people like herself to pick up the shamisen.

Shamisen Sensei
www.shamisen-sensei.com

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