Waseda WeeklyWaseda University

“I want people to hear the powerful live sound of the Tsugaru-shamisen.”

Student club “Tsugaru-shamisen Lovers Association Mitsudomoe”
Hayato Endo, 2nd year in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences

In Okuma Garden

Tsugaru-Shamisen Lovers Association Mitsudomoe (hereafter “Mitsudomoe”) was established in 2000 and works under the motto of “conveying the joy of the Tsugaru-shamisen.” Hayato Endo, who first came to Mitsudomoe as a beginner in musical instruments, participated in the “40th Tsugaru-shamisen World Championship” held in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture in May this year as an individual youth C class and finished in 8th place. Moreover, the Mitsudomoe club won the team division and thus the world championship for the fifth time. We have taken the opportunity to ask Hayato about the appeal of the shamisen, how he came to win an award in the world championship, and his future goals.

――Please tell us how you started with the Tsugaru-shamisen.

I started playing the shamisen after I entered university. I had been active in track and field since middle and high school, but I felt that as I had already focused on physical activities, I wanted to do something new when I entered university. I had an image that I wanted to do music, but I wanted to try something unusual rather than playing guitar as a band member! So, when I was looking at the information on music clubs published in the information magazine Milestone, which introduces clubs, music was categorized by genre, like “rock” and “jazz”; and on the last page, I saw “Other,” where it said “Tsugaru-shamisen Lovers Association Mitsudomoe: The Most Hardcore Japanese Music Club at Waseda.” My gut feeling was “This is it!”

Immediately, I watched a performance video and thought it’s so cool! After that, when I heard the sound at a tasting session, I was overwhelmed by its power. I decided on Mitsudomoe without even hesitating to think about other clubs.

Left: Hayato was a track and field athlete in high school.
Right: On the day of the interview. Talking about his thoughts while gazing at his favorite Tsugaru-shamisen.

――What do you think is the appeal of the shamisen?

In the end, it’s all about the sound. I want everyone to feel the power of live sound. Among the shamisen, the Tsugaru-shamisen in particular has a thick neck and produces a very powerful sound when plucking the thickest string of the three hard. I was initially drawn to this sound, but after I started playing it myself, I realized that there was a smooth and delicate sound that could be produced by playing the thinnest string. I think the appeal of the Tsugaru-shamisen is that these completely different tones are combined to create various expressions in one song. Also, it’s the somberness. It’s hard to express in words, but the sight of someone playing the shamisen in kimono combined with the sound creates an indescribable “somber coolness.”

Mitsudomoe’s “9th Regular Concert” held at Okuma Memorial Auditorium in July 2022. Hayato is on the far right in the front row of the photo.

You can watch the performance of the “9th Regular Concert” on YouTube.

――At the 40th Tsugaru-shamisen World Competition held in May 2022, you won 8th place in the individual division. As for Mitsudomoe, you also achieved a wonderful result by winning the team division for the fifth time.

The tournament was held over two days, with a team competition on the first day. In fact, in the team competition, Mitsudomoe won four consecutive titles from 2016 to 2019, when we first participated. Because of the influence of COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 championship was canceled, and we didn’t participate in 2021, so I myself and the club as a whole were full of energy aiming for the fifth championship in 2022. I was really happy that we were able to win the title.

Before the individual competition on the second day, I was very nervous. But once I started playing, I felt very comfortable. Through the microphone in front of me, I could feel the sound I was playing echoing throughout the venue and coming back to me. Although I made a few mistakes, I enjoyed playing. At first, I was satisfied that I was able to achieve my goal of “playing to the end.” That’s why I wasn’t thinking about winning any awards at all, and when the results were announced, I was eating lunch completely carefree (laughs). A senior called me and told me I had won an award! I remember being very surprised when that happened.

Left: On the first day of the 40th Tsugaru-shamisen World Championship in May 2022, Mitsudomoe won its fifth victory in the team division.
Right: On the second day of the tournament, he finished 8th in the individual youth C class. Near Aomori Station on the way home, at Aomori Bay Bridge.

――From the time you started as a beginner to the time you won an award in this championship, how did you feel about this arduous journey you’ve made?

A scene from a first-year concert held shortly after starting the shamisen. At the time, “I couldn’t move my fingers well because of nervousness.”

I decided to participate in the individual competition despite being a beginner after being overwhelmed by the individual performances at the national championship last November. I was impressed and strongly felt that I wanted to play like that! In preparation for the championship in May, I started basic practice for the assigned song “Tsugaru Jongara Bushi” in February 2022.

In the competition, you are evaluated on the originality and innovation by which you rearrange the same song. For the basics, I can improve my accuracy by practicing repeatedly so that I don’t make mistakes, but the arrangement part was the most difficult. I listened to the sound of old shamisen players on CDs and YouTube, thinking it shouldn’t be like nor like that, and expressed what inspired me in my own way… That was the process I kept repeating. I entered the championship in the beginner category of youth C class, but winning an award in the presence of so many participants gave me confidence.

――Please tell us about your future goals.

It’s only been two years since I started the Tsugaru-shamisen, so there are some parts that I haven’t been able to visualize specifically, but I want to convey the sound and “somber coolness” of the Tsugaru-shamisen that fascinates me in my own way. Personally, I want to learn and play more songs, and through that, I want many people to hear the live sound of the Tsugaru-shamisen. Once, a person who knew about my activities invited me to a local festival to perform, and I was very happy to have such an opportunity.

In the first place, I think there are many people who have never heard the Tsugaru-shamisen live. Mitsudomoe plays not only Tsugaru folk songs but also J-POP and collaborates with other music clubs. So, as a member of Mitsudomoe, I would like to play more and more live sounds for people who have never had contact with the shamisen before. Whether it’s a traditional form or a new form, it’s important to let people know about it first, and my hope is that they will think “That’s cool!” or “That looks fun!” even just a little bit.

The 828th

*This article is a translation from the Japanese edition of Waseda Weekly published on November 1, 2022. The content is current at the time of Japanese publication.