Hiromitsu Agatsuma (上妻宏光 ''Agatsuma Hiromitsu'', born July 27, 1973) is a Japanese

shamisen The , also known as the or (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument . It is played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usual ...

artist who plays the

Tsugaru-jamisen or refers to both the Japanese genre of music originating from Tsugaru Peninsula in present-day Aomori Prefecture and the instrument it is performed with. It is performed throughout Japan, though associations with the Tsugaru remain strong. ...

, a larger shamisen with thicker strings than those used for most other styles. He was born in

Hitachi () is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...

Ibaraki Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Ibaraki Prefecture has a population of 2,871,199 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Ibaraki Prefecture borders Fukushima Prefecture to the north, ...

Early life

Agatsuma began studying the Tsugaru-jamisen at the age of six, and earned his first accolade - top prize at the 1988 All-Japan Tsugaru-jamisen Competition - at 14. This was followed in 1995 and 1996, by top honours at the Tsugaru-jamisen National Competition, said to be the country's most prestigious. Despite the high acclaim he received in the hogaku, or traditional Japanese music world, for his accomplishments, Agatsuma did not rest on his laurels. He not only continued to explore the traditional aspects of his instrument, but also avidly experimented in fusing its sounds with diverse musical genres.

Career

In September 2001, he made his major label debut on

Toshiba EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. Whe ...

with the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

''Agatsuma''. This album, comprising five traditional pieces and five original ones, was named ''Traditional Japanese Music Album of the Year'' at the 16th

Japan Gold Disc Awards The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associa ...

. In ''BEAMS'', his second album (released in July 2002), he recorded ten original works, taking the Tsugaru-jamisen in new directions. The same album was subsequently released in America by

Domo Records Domo Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Domo Records was established in 1993 by Eiichi Naito, a record producer, recording engineer, and artist manager. ''Domo'' is an abbreviation and romanization of the ...

in January 2003, upon which Agatsuma made his US debut. His five-concert tour of the east coast - New York, Boston, Windsor, and Baltimore - was a huge success. In March 2003, Agatsuma released a traditional shamisen album, ''Classics (Agatsuma 3)'', which includes tracks recorded live in a New York church. Currently he is broadening his field with over 100 annual concerts, sessions and media appearances both in Japan and overseas, while continuing to pursue "the traditions of and innovation in the Tsugaru-jamisen." Media appearances include joint performances with artists from around the world; he was a guest at the Japan performances of

Marcus Miller William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...

(Bass) and has performed with

Larry Coryell Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943 – February 19, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist. Early life Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas, United States. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He w ...

(Guitar),

Nana Vasconcelos Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ...

(Percussion), Sarena Jones (Vocals) and others.

Discography

* 2001 — ''Agatsuma'' * 2002 — ''Beams (Agatsuma 2)'' * 2002 — ''New Asia'' * 2002 — ''KoKoRo-Dozen Hearts'' * 2003 — ''Classics (Agatsuma III)'' * 2003 — ''New Asia II'' * 2004 — ''Beyond'' * 2005 — ''Eien no Uta - Eternal Songs'' * 2006 — ''En'' * 2007 — ''Soufuu'' * 2008 — ''Agatsuma Plays Standards'' * 2010 — ''The Best of'' * 2010 — ''Jukki'' * 2012 — ''Kusabi'' * 2014 — ''Gen'' * 2015 — ''Kusabi * 2015 — ''New'' * 2016 — ''Sui'' * 2018 — ''NuTRAD'' * 2020 — ''Tsugaru''

References

External links

Homepage
(Japanese)
Homepage
(English) {{DEFAULTSORT:Agatsuma, Hiromitsu 1973 births Japanese male musicians Japanese musicians Living people Musicians from Ibaraki Prefecture People from Hitachi, Ibaraki Shamisen players Domo Records artists