Event Details:

Michiyoshi Sato is a national champion of Tsugaru-jamisen, a dynamic and improvisatory style of Japanese folk music played on a banjo-like instrument called a shamisen. He is the founder and lead singer of KOTOBUKI Band, a festival-themed east/west fusion performance group that combines music, dance, comedy, and audience participation. His other accomplishments include appearing as a recurring character on the popular NHK program "Nihongo de asobo" and, more recently, composing commercial film scores. Sato will be joined for this concert by Yoshiaki Shiratori on shakuhachi (flute) and Yusaku Kanno on keyboard; interpretation and commentary will be provided by Dr. Joshua Lee Solomon of Hirosaki University (Japan).

This event, part of the Midwest Japan Seminar, is made possible by a generous grant from the U.S.-Japan Foundation, administered by the MSU Asian Studies Center.