Eishin Tosha: From the Basketball Team to a Hogaku Hayashikata

2023/07/20

I perform primarily in Nagauta, Kabuki, and dance performances as a "Hogaku Hayashikata" (traditional Japanese music percussionist). A Hayashikata is a person who plays percussion instruments such as the kotsuzumi (small hand drum) and taiko in the performance of "Nagauta," which is the accompaniment music for Kabuki. If you imagine a Kabuki stage, it might be easiest to describe us as the "people performing in a row at the back."

Although I am now part of this world as a Hayashikata, I actually had no connection to it at all until I graduated from university. Since I was a child, I was devoted to basketball, and in university, I was a member of the Keio University Athletic Association Basketball Team.

So, how did I become a Hayashikata? Until then, I had simply worked hard at whatever was in front of me and never thought about the future. However, taking the opportunity of job hunting to face myself, I realized that I had a strong "desire for self-expression." I chose "music" as the means for that. Specifically, I wanted to express myself through "song" and decided to aim to become a singer.

Then, despite opposition from those around me, I became a freelancer and spent my days chasing my dream while living and working at a coffee shop in Hiyoshi (Kissaten Marimo) where I had worked part-time since my student days.

One day, a senior from Keio University asked me, "Are you interested in traditional Japanese music?" Out of curiosity, I went to see Kabuki for the first time and attended a Nagauta concert. I was captivated by the unique tension and atmosphere of traditional Japanese music. In particular, I was deeply moved by the performance of my current master, Roei Tosha, and felt a strong aspiration to become like him.

Soon after, I visited the practice studio and officially became an apprentice. To gain more experience, I went on to Tokyo University of the Arts. The year after graduating from Geidai, I was given the name "Eishin Tosha" and took my first step as a performer.

Currently, in addition to performing based in Tokyo and my hometown of Gunma Prefecture, I am also focusing on outreach activities for children using online platforms.

In the future, while naturally devoting myself to my training as a Hayashikata, I want to maintain a broad perspective and actively take on new challenges. Furthermore, I hope to engage in activities such as conveying the appeal of Hayashi to Keio University students or creating new things together with them.