We at ACTA were saddened to hear of the passing of Glen Horiuchi in 2000. He was a very talented musician and he will be missed.
The shamisen is a Japanese long-necked, three string lute with a square shaped body. It is the main instrument of the kabuki theater and other classical narrative ballad forms of music. Around the eighteenth-century, a genre of music called "Nagauta" established itself as distinct from the repertoire of kabuki theater because of its sophisticated compositions and demands on the player.
In 1936, Lillian Nakano was an eight year old growing up in Hawai'i. At that age, she was attracted to the sound of the shamisen and immediately began studying shamisen as well as Japanese dance with Master Hanayagi Kasho. Her studies were interrupted by war and her family's internment in Jerome, California and Heart Mountain. Upon release in 1945, she resumed studies, and in 1955, under the tutelage of Madame Kineya Shofuku of the prestigious Kineya School, received the "natori" certificate and a professional name, Kineya Fukuju. Mme Shofuku Kineya then told her, "to teach is to learn." Lillian performed for many years before she realized what that meant. Lllian says, "Indeed, the learning and studying process never ends, but it is always enriched by interaction with students and peer members of the art. The art form is inextricably part of who I am, part of my heritage and identity as a Japanese American. The passing on of the form to future generations is to me the preservation and celebration of that heritage and identity."
Glenn Horiuchi's grandfather was a naniwabushi singer and shakuhachi (vertical flute) player. His aunt is Lillian Nakano. Glenn turned to jazz and became a professional musician in that idiom. He planned to learn Nagauta music so that he could incorporate it into his original compositions. However, as he began formal studies with Lillian in 1990, shamisen and Nagauta became a central activity of his life. He became committed to learning shamisen in the tradition, which has existed largely unchanged for over 100 years, in order to help keep it part of living tradition for future generations. During the apprenticeship, Lillian will endeavor to help Glenn towards a master's certification.
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