MAY 24 - Saturday - 8pm 
(Music)  Yoshida Brothers 

Vancouver Playhouse 
Corner of Hamilton St. & Dunsmuir St. 
Tel. 604-665-3050 
   
Tickets:  Ticketmaster Vancouver 604-280-4444  
http://www.ticketmaster.ca/artist/1198152


Shamisen Virtuosos

Cross-cultural pioneers and young Tsugaru-shamisen virtuosos Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida -
The Yoshida Brothers - have re-interpreted a traditional music style for the new generation. 

Superstars in their native Japan, the brothers are masters of the traditional Japanese Tsugaru-shamisen, 
an ancient three-stringed banjo/lute-like instrument that is plucked with a triangular pick resulting in a 
percussive twang. Their energetic and muscular interpretation of the shamisen has revealed the wide 
expressive potential of the instrument and attracted an international audience. 

Playing since the age of five in their Northern Hokkaido home, the brothers went on to win many 
prestigious Tsugaru-shamisen competitions, then releasing subsequent recordings. Donning traditional 
Japanese dress-kimonos and hakama pants-but sporting the dyed hair that is trendy among Japanese 
youth, they infuse modernity into their music with Western musical influences such as pop, jazz, blues, 
Latin and more. 

The Yoshida Brothers performances are known for their fast and percussive shamisen style, trading riffs 
at lightning speed, and as World Music Central writes, “the Brothers play the age-old Tsugaru-shamisen 
with the fervor of Jimi Hendrix.” Their unique fusion of traditional Japanese music and modern Western 
influences have already earned them worldwide attention-their music is the theme of the Nintendo Wii 
commercials- and continues to thrill audiences everywhere.
 

For more info on Yoshida Brothers visit http://www.myspace.com/yoshidabrothers1