Takaaki Fukushima福嶋 孝顕

Takaaki Fukushima was born on November 11, 1989, in Fuefuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture.

While a student at Yamanashi Engei High School (山梨県立山梨園芸高等学校; now Yamanashi Prefectural Fuefuki High School), he belonged to the school's Suireki Taiko club (すいれき太鼓部). As club captain he led the team, while studying wadaiko (Japanese drums) under wadaiko player Takuya Maeda.

He took up the Tsugaru shamisen at the age of 15. In his final year of high school, he was so moved by a performance by a Tsugaru shamisen player who came to the school as a visiting instructor that he resolved to become a professional musician.

In 2008 he launched his full-time career as a Tsugaru shamisen player. He has since won numerous awards at national Tsugaru shamisen competitions, and his playing is highly acclaimed for its technical skill.

Drawing on the powerful resonance and delicate expressiveness unique to the Tsugaru shamisen, he performs across a wide range of genres, from traditional Tsugaru folk songs to contemporary music. His work spans concerts and events throughout Japan as well as television, radio, film, commercials, music videos for well-known artists, and performances overseas.

In 2019 he performed his original composition “Kengamine” (剣ヶ峰) with Ballet LEGENDS, led by Frédéric Fontan of the Paris Opera, bringing together two very different art forms: the Tsugaru shamisen and ballet.

In 2021 and 2022 he appeared at ABSAI, a Japanese traditional culture experience event produced by kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (now Ichikawa Danjuro XIII Hakuen), helping to share the appeal of Japan's traditional culture with children through the Tsugaru shamisen.

In 2023 he performed at “Curry to Session to” (カレーとセッションと), a live event hosted by Kiyoshi Ijichi, drummer of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. The following year, in 2024, he planned and staged a special live concert in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, featuring Kiyoshi Ijichi with Konohana (木ノ花〜Konohana〜), a unit of Japanese and Western instruments in which he performs. He actively pursues music that crosses the boundaries of genre.

While honoring the traditional techniques of the Tsugaru shamisen, he also explores new forms of stage expression that blend Japanese and Western instruments with dance and theater. In addition to composing, he plans and produces his own concerts and stage productions, taking his work well beyond the role of a performer.

He was appointed Yamanashi Ambassador in 2015 and Fuefuki City Tourism Ambassador in 2020. He currently heads the Folk Song and Folk Dance Division of the Yamanashi Arts and Culture Association (山梨県芸術文化協会), dedicating himself to promoting local culture and to preserving and passing on traditional performing arts.

He also runs Tsugaru shamisen classes throughout Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures, centered on Keneikai, the Tsugaru shamisen group he leads. Committed to nurturing the next generation, he shares the appeal of traditional Japanese music with students of all ages, from children to adults.