photo：Hiroshi Kobayashi

Main activities： 1. Research on the teaching of Japanese music in the school curriculum 2. Working for the preservation of sake-making songs of Echigo (Niigata prefecture) and cooperating with others to ensure the transmission of regional performing arts 3. Research on Japanese music centering on Giday?-bushi and kabuki geza (offstage) music. 4. Research on Japanese musical instruments and other sound sources. 5. Planning and oversight of concert performances of musics that exhibit traditional musical syntax and characteristics. 6. Joint research with scholars abroad regarding Japanese music.

Characteristics of my research： Rather than focusing on traditional arts that have been in the spotlight, my research centers on less visible musical genres and practices that in fact function as important supports of the world of Japanese music. I am particularly interested in the unique Japanese work songs known as “sake-making songs,” as well as in the many musical instruments found throughout Japan. By studying the extraordinary characteristics of these instruments I hope to locate the essence of Japanese music.