FC2Video

Watch the full session with interview here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVOcF7Df0oo

Live performance by Keisuke, recorded at the GeLou Studio Shanghai on April 24th 2021.

Keisuke Nishihara is a Japanese musician who plays the Sanshin, a traditional Japanese instrument made of three strings. His songs, which mainly comprised traditional folk song, take inspiration in cultural heritage, by mixing both the tunes of older popular Okinawan folk songs and his own tune composition.

In 2006, Keisuke traveled to Shanghai, where he decided to settle down and promote the Okinawan culture. Part of his tradition is not only food and drinks, but music plays as well an important role. The sanshin (三線, lit., "three strings"), which is the precursor of the mainland Japanese shamisen (三味線), is an instrument that is originated from Okinawa.
Often compared to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, a wooden neck and three strings.

The sanshin is considered the soul of Okinawan folk music. Played by youth as young as 2, to older people aged 100 or more, there is a sanshin in most Okinawan homes. It is used for any family gatherings or celebrations: weddings, birthdays, other celebrations, community parties, festivals.