Yoshida Brothers

In most cultures, the traditional ways often collide with the modern. For those of you who have been to Japan, you know that in Japan the traditional is often blended and fused together with the modern. The Yoshida Brothers’ music is another example of this.

Ryoichiro Yoshida and Kenichi Yoshida were born in the Hokkaido onsen town of Noboribetsu in 1977 and 1979 respectively. Both began learning to play the shamisen at the young age of 5. The Shamisen can best be described as a three-stringed banjo, that is played with a plectrum called a bachi in Japanese. The Shamisen has been traditionally used as an accompanying instrument for kabuki and bunraku, and traditional singers and dancers. The origins of the Shamisen date back 400 years, and it is thought the first Shamisen came from Sakai near Osaka. Read more on “The Yoshida Brothers – Traditional Meets Modern” »