(born 1966) is a Japanese percussionist in the tradition of traditional Japanese theatre. A member of the

Tōsha school Tōsha may refer to: * Tōsha Meishō (born 1941), Japanese hayashi musician, providing musical accompaniment in the kabuki theatre * Tōsha Roei (born 1966), Japanese percussionist in the tradition of traditional Japanese drama and dance * Tōsha ...

or lineage of musicians, he is classically trained in performing percussion for the

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

theatre, but performs in a wider variety of contexts. Roei studied under Tōsha Seiko and Tōsha Rosen VI, sixth ''

iemoto is a Japanese term used to refer to the founder or current Grand Master of a certain school of traditional Japanese art. It is used synonymously with the term when it refers to the family or house that the iemoto is head of and represents. Th ...

'' (head) of the school. He was formally accepted into the school and took on the name Tōsha Roei after graduating from the

Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

in 1989.　He now heads the ''

hayashi Hayashi (wikt:林, 林, literally "forest, woods"), is the 19th most common Japanese surname. It shares the same character as the Chinese surname Lin (surname), Lin. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese synchronized swimmer *, Ja ...

'' (musical accompanists section) at the National Theater in Tokyo, a position he has held since 1995. Though his particular specialty is the

tsuzumi The or ''tsuzumi'' is a hand drum of Japanese origin. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is taut, with two drum heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads respec ...

, in this role he must show his superior ability in

ōtsuzumi The , also known as the , is an hourglass-shaped Japanese drum. It is a larger version of the tsuzumi, or kotsuzumi and is used in traditional Japanese theater and folk music. Its appearance is slightly different from that of the tsuzumi, and th ...

taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

and other drums, along with flutes and all the myriad whistles, bells, and other instruments used by the ''hayashi''. Roei also plays a number of other instruments, including

biwa The is a Japanese short-necked wooden lute traditionally used in narrative storytelling. The is a plucked string instrument that first gained popularity in China before spreading throughout East Asia, eventually reaching Japan sometime duri ...

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

, and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. He was presented with the Award of the Foundation for the Development of Traditional Japanese Culture in 2006. He often collaborates with modern and Western artists to create new works based in the foundations of traditional Japanese music. However, he is also deeply involved in projects to pass on the art of traditional Japanese music to the next generation, and to encourage appreciation for it.

References

Foundation for the Development of Traditional Japanese Culture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roei, Tosha Kabuki musicians Japanese drummers 1966 births Living people Musicians from Osaka