Takeharu Kunimoto
Encyclopedia
is a prominent Japanese shamisen
player and rōkyoku
singer.
In addition to performing and recording traditional music, he is also the only prominent shamisen player to perform and record bluegrass music
; he spent some time in the early 2000s in the bluegrass program of East Tennessee State University
in Johnson City
, Tennessee
. He also performs and records in a rock music
-influenced style.
At the age of 14 Takeharu attended a Bill Monroe
concert in Tokyo and shook his hand, thus inspiring Takeharu to play bluegrass.
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
player and rōkyoku
Rokyoku
Rōkyoku is a genre of traditional Japanese narrative singing. Generally accompanied by a shamisen, rōkyoku became very popular in Japan during the first half of the 20th century.-Notable performers:...
singer.
In addition to performing and recording traditional music, he is also the only prominent shamisen player to perform and record bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
; he spent some time in the early 2000s in the bluegrass program of East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
in Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. He also performs and records in a rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
-influenced style.
At the age of 14 Takeharu attended a Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
concert in Tokyo and shook his hand, thus inspiring Takeharu to play bluegrass.
External links
- Takeharu Kunimoto page
- Takeharu Kunimoto biography from Last Frontier site
- Takeharu Kunimoto page
- J-Pop World interview