Eishin Tosha: From the Basketball Team to Hogaku Hayashikata

As a "Hogaku Hayashikata" (traditional Japanese music accompanist), I primarily perform in Nagauta concerts, Kabuki, and dance performances. A Hayashikata is a person who plays percussion instruments such as the kotsuzumi (small hand drum) and taiko (drum) in the performance of "Nagauta," which is the accompaniment music for Kabuki. It might be easier to understand if you imagine a Kabuki stage and think of us as the "people lined up in the back performing."

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

So, how did I become a Hayashikata? Until then, I had simply worked hard at whatever was right in front of me and never thought about the future. However, taking job hunting as an opportunity to face myself, I realized that I had a strong "desire for self-expression." I chose "music" as the method 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 sense of tension and atmosphere that traditional Japanese music possesses. In particular, I was deeply moved by the performance of my current master, Master Roei Tosha, and felt a strong aspiration to become like him.

Soon after, I visited his practice studio and officially became his apprentice. To gain more experience, I went on to Tokyo University of the Arts. The year after graduating from the university, 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 training as a Hayashikata, I want to maintain a broad perspective and actively take on new challenges. Furthermore, in the future, I am also thinking about activities such as conveying the charm of Hayashi to students at Keio University or creating new things together with them.