Shamisen player Hiromitsu Agatsuma will make his first appearance in 24 years on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi), airing on May 15th at 1 PM. Last year marked the 25th anniversary of his solo debut. He will look back on his childhood, when he started playing the shamisen at the age of six under the influence of his salaryman father, and the origins of his aspiration to become a professional, including winning a national competition at the age of 15.
Last year, he performed the shamisen with his 18-year-old son at a concert in New York City, marking a father-son collaboration. The story, which includes how they captivated the local audience in a foreign land, reveals his side as a father who is passing on music to the next generation.
Comedian Ken Shimura was inspired to take on the role of apprentice to Tsugaru shamisen player Ken Shimura, and his signature song, "Kami no Mai," was performed live in the studio. The program also covered the future of this tradition, looking 100 years into the future, including efforts to create musical scores to preserve the improvisational style of Tsugaru shamisen for future generations.
