About
KIKUCHI Mitsutaka 菊池光峰
Born in Tokyo.
He took up classical Japanese dance (nihon buyo) as a child under his father, Wakayagi Hiroteru (若柳宏晃), later joining the Jikiha Bunke branch of the Wakayagi school, where he was granted the stage name Wakayagi Yoshitaka (若柳歓峰).
On the shamisen, he studies nagauta under Narita Ryoko (成田涼子).
Alongside performing in nagauta concerts and dance recitals, he is devoted to music education, serving as instructor for the shamisen club at Asakusa Junior High School in Taito City, Tokyo.
He also works as an IT engineer, designing and developing business systems. Drawing on these skills, he builds tools that help record and preserve Japanese traditional music for future generations, and shares hogaku with a wider audience, including through this website.
He is currently enrolled in the Department of Traditional Japanese Music at the Tokyo University of the Arts.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is nagauta shamisen?
- A style of shamisen music that grew up alongside kabuki in the Edo period. It centres on the thin-necked (hosozao) shamisen and voice, sometimes joined by flutes and drums. It is still played on the kabuki and Japanese dance stage today.
- How can I book a performance?
- Please use the contact form. Let me know the date, the venue and what kind of event it is, and I will get back to you. Besides concerts and dance recitals, ceremonies and lectures are welcome too.
- Do you also work in IT?
- Yes. Alongside my studies at Tokyo University of the Arts, I also help develop business systems as an IT engineer. This website itself was built with the help of AI. IT and web inquiries are welcome via the contact form.
Press Kit
High-resolution photos and an official biography (Japanese / English) are available upon request via the contact form.
Request press kit