May is the month of shamisen in Japan. During the golden week (first week of May), the most important shamisen festival in Japan is held. That’s why today I want to talk to you about how it works, the ins and outs and my experience of the two times I’ve been able to participate. The

This week it’s time to tell you about Mashiro no Oto (2021), the anime series that introduced shamisen to so many people. In this article I won’t go into details of the story, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you don’t need to worry about spoilers. If you have already seen the anime, it

We’ve reached the tenth blog entry and it was about time to introduce you to a Tsugaru Shamisen album. A few weeks ago, I already recommended Nutrad by Agatsuma and Renaissence by the Yoshida Brothers, both of which are fantastic albums, but are still sweetened with other genres. There is no problem mixing genres, but

Sometimes in life you come across things you would never have imagined. This week I’m going to tell you about one of those What the f*** moments that completely blew me away. A few weeks ago I received several shamisen from Japan. Normally, when opportunities arise to get a three-string, I usually take advantage of

Anime is a fantastic way to get to know Japanese culture. In fact, I’m sure many of you fell in love with Japan thanks to Anime. That was partly my case and that is why this week I would like to highlight Japanese animated series where the shamisen and/or its music appear. Naruto is one

Following in the wake of post 04. One of my favourites, this week I return with a musical recommendation. An album that deserves some listens. Master Hiromitsu Agatsuma is considered one of the best performers of Tsugaru Shamisen. He recorded his first album in 2001 and has released a total of seventeen albums to date.

This week’s post is the second part of Secrets of the Nagauta Shamisen. If you haven’t read that article yet, I recommend you do so before starting this one. The first time someone sees a person playing the shamisen, one of the things that catches their attention is the contraption they use to strum the

This week we dive deep into the world of the shamisen as a physical instrument. Specifically, I want to tell you about the characteristics and secrets that make the oldest and most original shamisen unique. The Nagauta shamisen. To do so, I will tell you about its parts, curiosities and sound. Will you join me?

It was about time. After talking so much about the Yoshida Brothers on the blog and on the web, what better than to give you a review and recommendation of one of the albums that I like the most of their discography. This week I will talk about their fifth studio album: Renaissence. Originally from

I decided to buy a shamisen after soaking up all the Yoshida Brothers discography. It was then when I started to look for information on how to buy one… This week I want to talk about the search and the trip I undertook to Japan to get my first tsugaru shamisen. I wasn’t sure where