WagakkiBand（和楽器バンド）

WAGAKKIBAND was established in march 2013, and rapidly grew onto the Japanese music scene. skilling 2 albums in nearly two years, both hitting top 5 in oricon weekly ranking, and performing across the land of the ‘rising sun’ and overseas, WAGAKKIBAND gained a firm and diverse breadth of fans over the globe. composed by 8 members, infusing “New Sensation Rock Entertainment Band” combining Shigin, Wagakki and Rock Band, you’ll hear the colliding of the most ancient Japan and today’s modern age. on a personal note, this band was the most beautiful treasure chest that i have opened in the last years, therefore, this club is a tribute to the band which already made it to the anime theater. movie Nippon Budokan -Akatsuki no Utage- discography HANAFUGETSU(華風月) digital dive Shigin/Vocalist: Yuko Suzuhana Yuko began studying the piano at age three and shigin from age five. She graduated from the Tokyo College of Music’s Piano Program. Yuko is currently active as a shigin instructor, singer-songwriter, and pianist. In December 2011 she won the Grand Prize at the Nationwide Contest of the Nippon Columbia Japan Poem Recitation Competition. At present, she is in charge of vocals, shigin, and piano for Hanafugetsu, a Japanese-style band. Tsugaru Jamisen: Beni Ninagawa Born in Kyoto, Beni started to take lessons of a traditional folk song in Osaka school at the age of 4. She was awarded the Grand Prix of "Japanese Folk Song Junior Festival", "Sankei Folk Competition"and "Honjyo-oiwake National Competition", also received the Minister of Education Award and the Chief Cabinet Secretary Award. When she was 15 year old, she had gave high priority to playing the Tsugaru-jamisen for reason of hurting her throat. Starting her music career in Tokyo to purchase the possibility of the music with Wagakki. Shakuhachi: Daisuke Kaminaga Daisuke was born in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. He began to play the Shakuhachi at the age of 18, then he was awarded a master license of Tozan-style Shakuhachi and got a master name called “YoZan.” Daisuke appeared on the stage in more than 10 countries and of numerous large-scale events including the world biggest music convention, SXSW (Texas, USA) and Japanese cultural event, Japan Expo (Paris, France). Daisuke has his own school in Tokyo, and teaches in several colleges and universities. He also enjoys the activities for young people through the performance in local schools in Iwaki, Fukushima. Guitar/Vocals: Machiya Machiya take a part of Wagakki Band's Vocal and Guitar. Machiya's also the guitarist and vocalist of m:a.ture, a tremendously popular band in the Indie music scene. In addition, Machiya participates in performances and tours with a diverse range of artists. Koto: Kiyoshi Ibukuro Kiyoshi was born in Tokyo. During high school he began performing in China when he was dispatched there by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. He has performed in a total of eight countries outside of Japan, including Vietnam, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, and South Korea. In Japan, Kiyoshi’s performances have been covered in a wide range of media, and he has also published a collection of arrangements from ZEN-ON Music Company. Kiyoshi explores the possibilities of the koto as a Japanese instrument. In addition to traditional Japanese music. Wadaiko: Kurona Kurona encountered the wadaiko at age three, and joined a professional wadaiko group in Tokyo at age nine, where he studied traditional performing arts. Afterwards, he became an independent musician. In addition to performances in more than 15 countries, Kurona is active in a wide range of fields inside and outside Japan including magazines, TV, and stage performance. Kurona uses the wadaiko, a traditional instrument, to create new types of music. He also collaborates frequently with other musicians and artists. Bass: Asa Asa is gaining ever-greater popularity on Niconico Douga as a user of Vocaloid. The video he posted in July 2012 of “Yoshiwara Lament,” a Vocaloid song, has been viewed more than 1,200,000 times. This song has also been performed by different artists on Niconico Douga. Moreover, it has been turned into a novel (published by AlphaPolis) that has drawn great praise. Drums: Wasabi Wasabi was born in China. His father is Chinese, and his mother is half Chinese and half Japanese. This drummer is hugely popular on Niconico Douga’s renowned “Played It” category. Wasabi is the youngest member, but he is a sophisticated musician. In particular, his fast-paced double bass drum—in collaboration with Kurona’s wadaiko—is one of the most recognizable parts of this band. wagakki banner affiliations