Tokyo Explorer

Using the Tokyo Explorer J-Folk column we will be working at bringing you interviews with some of the folk who make Japan exactly what it is – an eclectic mix of new and old / the sensible and the senseless – an all points in between, and this time out our beady eye will fall upon 24-year-old shamisen teacher Kumiya Fujimoto; one of very few Japanese capable of teaching non-Japanese in English.

Fujimoto is looking at preserving her own culture by way of her foreign students ‘reversing’ their influence and thus leading the Japanese themselves to develop an interest in this ancient instrument.

As someone who has himself dabbled in learning the instrument, TE’s Editor, Mark Buckton (MB) spoke to the bi-lingual Shamisen Sensei Kumiya Fujimoto (KF) at her classroom near Tokyo’s shitamachi downtown district of Ueno.

photos: Mark A Buckton

MB: Kumiya, you use the name ‘Kumiya Fujimoto’, but is that a stage name, a performing name or is it your real name?

KF: Kumiya Fujimoto is my stage name.

MB: How old were you when you were given the Fujimoto name.

KF: I was about 13-years of age.

MB: How old were you when you first took up the shamisen?

KF: I first played aged six, so about 18-years-ago now.

MB: Why did you turn to the shamisen in such a modern, oftentimes deemed forward looking nation?

KF: My grandmother was taking shamisen lessons and my mother ha played when she was younger, so I guess I followed in their footsteps.

MB: Is the shamisen something of a family tradition then?

KF: Partly. Most of the female members in my family have had some experience with the shamisen, but it wasn’t forced upon us.

MB: You play and teach in an old townhouse (here) in Ueno, northern Tokyo. Why do you base yourself here?

KF: My grandmother is still living here so I can check on her and when I bring people here, I can ‘read’ them as it is an old place – around 70-years old now. So, in effect, I can kill 2 birds with one stone. Also, being able to use English and combining ht with the shamisen is ideal for me.

MB: Are the majority of your students today Japanese or foreign born?

KF: Today most are non-Japanese.

MB: Is that something you are happy about?

KF: Yes, I am. Being foreign, I can really draw their attention to the shamisen, and given time, I hope that their own interest in the shamisen, in Japanese culture, will help draw more Japanese towards their own culture.

MB: Are you teaching any ‘famous’ students?

KF: I am teaching a Japanese singer with an American background, who will appear in a musical.

MB: How old were you when you first started teaching shamisen and hold did you feel?

KF: I started teaching last year and I was nervous but more excited that my dream (to teach the shamisen) was being realized.

MB: Why do you speak English when so many in Japan find it so hard, even with six years of compulsory education?

KF: (laughs) because of the movie Titanic. (laughs again!) I loved that movie and became interested in English.

MB: Have you had any experience studying English overseas?

KF: Yes, I went to Australia when I was 16, turned 17 there and stayed for six-weeks. When there, I enjoyed playing shamisen in my host school in several classes – as part of the Japanese class.

MB: Did you have the proverbial ‘butterflies’ when you played publicly in Australia?

KF: Yes! Yes!

MB: Do you still feel nervous when you teach?

KF: (nods)

MB: Why?

KF: Well, as long as I’m taking money to teach the shamisen, I have to be 100% professional of course, so I think it is right to be nervous.

MB: Have you ever had any tricky moments when teaching?

KF: Hmmm, yes, (grins) when one student asked so very many questions about the shamisen, its history, make-up, role in Japanese culture. I had honestly never anticipated many of them. (here, Kumiya is referring to her teaching of TE Ed - MB)

MB: When have you felt happiest while teaching?

KF: Every time I teach I feel happy, but once when I heard the simple comment from a female student who said “It’s fun to play with you” I really liked that.

MB: You yourself study under a Japanese teacher – Hidemitsuya Fujimoto – but why is that necessary given that you are a teacher, and why this particular teacher?

KF: Fujimoto-san used to teach my grandmother, and my aunt too, but to understand shamisen is to understand Japanese culture as we will never judge ourselves perfect – that’s why we keep studying.

MB: Do you perform in public?

KF: I perform once a year as part of a ‘Fujimoto school review.’

MB: Would you like to perform before a large audience.

KF: (blushes) I don’t know. There are some famous performers but………

MB: I understand you may have to move soon – from your base in Ueno – but if so, where will you go?

KF: That’s still up in the air as I want to retain the atmosphere offered by this old house. I really don’t know.

MB: If people read this interview / article, what is the best way to contact you if they want to learn shamisen?

KF: The best way is probably via my homepage and e-mail – in English or Japanese both OK.

MB: If you could use this piece to reach out and send a message to those interested in the shamisen, perhaps tourists with a limited time in Japan perhaps, what would you say?

KF: I would ask them to consider shamisen as a truly unique part of any trip to or stay in Japan, and if they have any desire whatsoever to learn about the instrument, to let me know and I will be happy to teach them all I can.

Kumiya Fujimoto can be contacted via her homepage at http://shamisen-sensei.com

Music by Kumiya Fujimoto >>> shamisen.mp3

** Look for an in-depth article on the cultural history of the shamisen in a future issue of Tokyo Explorer**