Japan's most recent contribution to the world music scene is the sensational shamisen duo known in Japan as "Yoshida Kyoudai", the Yoshida Brothers. Ryoichiro and Kenichi play an updated form of shamisen music - accompanied by modern percussion, synthesizers, and other accoutrements, they rock their ancient 3-stringed instruments with the youthful intensity that is required of popular music stars in Japan.

Rock star vibe

The brothers play their ancient folk instruments as if they were electric guitars, picking them with a speed and precision that has not been heard on the 3-stringed shamisen before, even in the peppy tsugaru style which is their background. Putting on an ebullient performance in live settings, they attract a younger generation curious about the native music of old Japan and drawn to the rock-star vibe of the twosome.

Not just a fad

The novelty of their approach may be enough to make them a fad, but the Yoshida Brothers have outlasted other, less-serious musicians. Their obvious love of different musical styles from around the world, as well as their genuinely skillful playing, are the keys to their success in Japan.

And that success is something of a curiosity itself: they are far removed from the barren chipmunk J-pop that rules Japanese airwaves, but they also have little in common with staid, humorless preservationists. They simply love their homeland and its native music, but see no reason to shy away from the other types of music they have come to know and love.

Breath

Growing up in the remote part Hokkaido known as Noboribetsu, the brothers began their shamisen career after being persuaded by their father at an early age to take lessons. They practiced several hours a day, and their stature grew locally, culminating in the release of their 1999 debut album, Ibuki ("breath").

The Yoshida Brothers have released several albums in Japan, and their first two American albums were comprised of tracks culled from these releases. In 2006 the duo released their third international album.

Japanese albums
いぶき (Ibuki) (1999)
Move (2000)
Soulful (2002)
Frontier (2003) a.k.a. Yoshida Brothers (Japan 2005)
Renaissance (2004)

U.S. albums
Yoshida Brothers (2003) Made up of tracks from Soulful
Vol. 2 (2004) Made up of tracks from Frontier and Renaissance
III (2006)

Ambassadors

Darlings of the world music scene, as well as the Japanese music scene, the Yoshida Brothers are excited about being musical ambassadors for Japan. Their energetic live performances show the world a new style of playing old instruments; it's as eye-opening for Japanese music fans as it is for international audiences.

The shamisen is being forgotten in Japan as well as the outside world as cultures become homogenized and old customs disappear. The Yoshida Brothers aim to keep it alive and kicking in the 21st century.

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