Yamato Kyoto
大和杏藤
Shamisen in New York City
大和楽三味線教室
About Yamatogaku
大和楽とはFounded in 1933 by Baron Kishichiro Okura (Chosho), Yamatogaku is a modern style of Japanese music that blends the centuries-old lineages of Kiyomoto and Nagauta shamisen music with Western performance methods such as vocalization, harmony, round singing, and humming. In its founding years, notable intellectuals and poets such as Mikihiko Nagata, Rinpu Sasagawa, Yaso Saijo, Hakushu Kitahara, Kanji Kunieda, and Shigure Hasegawa contributed song lyrics to the refined compositions of Kimi Kishigami and Toshiakira Miyagawa (Eijuro Kiyomoto).
The second headmaster, Hisamitsu Yamato (Isoshichi Yoshimura), composed an oeuvre of more than 150 works throughout his career which spun new possibilities for the Yamatogaku style. Now, more than 90 years after its establishment, O-SHO Yamato continues its legacy as the third headmaster. Known for its whimsical melodies and illustrative use of percussion, Yamatogaku is often used to accompany Japanese dance performances.
Yamatogaku Offical Website
The second headmaster, Hisamitsu Yamato (Isoshichi Yoshimura), composed an oeuvre of more than 150 works throughout his career which spun new possibilities for the Yamatogaku style. Now, more than 90 years after its establishment, O-SHO Yamato continues its legacy as the third headmaster. Known for its whimsical melodies and illustrative use of percussion, Yamatogaku is often used to accompany Japanese dance performances.
Yamatogaku Offical Website
