Interview

Kamomen

It’s pleasure to meet you.Let’s move on to the questions now. How many times do you practice in a week?

Goshiro Kineya

I plan practicing with thinking about concert. To remember new music takes 40 hours and I practice at least 1 week to complete, so I plan 2 month before the concert. When I practice music that I have remember already, I have to do just practices, so it takes half of new music.

Kamomen

How do you remember music?

Goshiro Kineya

Since one music takes 15~20 minutes, longer music takes 40~60 minutes and for about nagauta, many patterns appear in one music, it’s very difficult and hard to remember. I write lyrics on the paper and practice looking lyrics only and looking lyrics and music alternately many times. But I forget first part when I practice from the end, so I practice from the end when I practice through of it.

Incidentally, it’s too hard to remember with melody only, because same melodies are appear in same music many times. So I can’t remember what phrase are coming next. the point to remember is remember with lyrics and be able to remember which phrase which comes next.

Kamomen

Have your voice hoarse?

Goshiro Kineya

It’s hard to sing in the morning, in form in the evening, and after using voice it become hard to sing in the night. When I drunk the next day is hard to sing because of vocal cords was irritated by alcohol and talked a lot.

Kamomen

Please tell me a happening that you were troubled.

Goshiro Kineya

A string broke when I was practicing in good condition, my concentration broke too. If I fix strings to new one, it become loosen in the beginning, so it’s hard to concentrate.

Kamomen

Is your wrist gets hurts?

Goshiro Kineya

Sometimes I got a rash when I played all of the day. It’s very important to do massage and take a rest to reduce fatigue.

Kamomen

Are you fine to sit on your heels for a long time?

Goshiro Kineya

My ankle numbs and joint of my knees got hurt when I sit on my heels for a long time. I use chair for practicing, but it’s bad for my lower back, so it’s necessary to use chair and sitting on my heels of the time. In the concert I have to sit on my heel, so I use Aibiki which is a small chair.

Kamomen

Is there any costumes for the concert?

Goshiro Kineya

Basically, I wear Kuromontsuki and Sendaibira which are hakamas. But when I play modern music sometimes wear suit like orchestra.

Kamomen

Where can we learn?

Goshiro Kineya

The best way is learn from the other people who is learning nagauta, but if you can’t do it, it is good for search the place that teach nagauta by own or club by yourself. If young people wants to do traditional things, many people will welcome you.

Kamomen

How long does plectrum holds?

Goshiro Kineya

I use it made of wood in practicing but it wears out little by little, so I sharpen it and when it became fine I use new one to save my feeing of my hand. I use plectrum made of ivory in the stage but it’s sound is different by thickness and texture, so I use different plectrums by the musics. And it’s very expensive and I don’t want to use new plectrum for 10~20 years, so I use many of them. I have 12 plectrums.

Kamomen

Please tell me the best thing about playing nagauta?

Goshiro Kineya

It’s to see children’s eyes that they’re shining and feel their surprise and admiration who are the first time to listen nagauta at school performance.

Kamomen

Please tell me the truth that different with people say.

Goshiro Kineya

I like to sing at karaoke and I met guitar first. I was playing guitar while I’m in high school.

Kamomen

Please tell me your next goal.

Goshiro Kineya

It’s to perform at Hiro, Hawaii, where has similar atmosphere with Japan. Last year, I went Belgium with my 70 students, but there were IS around there so I was afraid.

Kamomen

Please tell me the massages for young people.

Goshiro Kineya

I think it’s better to get ability to speak English and learn knowledge about Japan to explain Japanese culture to foreign people. English is just a language so there’s no relatives with intelligent. And sometimes foreigners know about traditional performing arts than Japanese but it’s deplorable thing, so I think you should learn it.

Kamomen

Please tell me your favorite music.

Goshiro Kineya

It’s “kanjintyo”. “Mochizuki” which I played in the other day takes 50 minutes, it was very hard and I felt I’ll die.

Kamomen

Thank you for your time. We hope your success.

After the interview

Mr.Motoya izumi was wearing a kimono because he was participating an event before this interview, I was surprised about his hearty voice. We think it is a dignity he engage in kyogen which use his voice and doing well at actor. And, he answered the each questions very politely, we can feel his passion and thoughts he wants to tell massages. In those massages, there are many lessons that are well informed about way of thinking and life, it became very worth and precious interview. And, at the interview from Ms. Ayame Izumi, we were able to know the heart for kyogen with friendly feeling and viewpoint from same generation.

The massages from Mr. and Ms. Izumi have persuasiveness that they are concerned with kyogen deeply, and they did very important role at this web site that has concept “to tell the good points to young people.”. Thank you very much.

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Goshiro Kineya

Shamisen player. He was born in Yabe, Kumamoto. In 1978, he joined to Pro Musica Nipponia. In 1979, he made Nagauta nyoha kai which is stage of nagauta. In 1990, he won Mobile music award. In 1997, he was allowed naming Goshiro KIneya by Gosaburou Kineya 3rd who is living national treasure. In 2001, he became a teacher of Showa University of Music. After that, he is doing well at playing shamisen and making musics. Nowadays, he have many places for practicing in Tokyo, Kumamoto, Hakata, Matsue and Kyoto.