Tōsha Rosen VI

Tōsha Rosen
六世藤舎呂船
Tōsha Rosen 六世藤舎呂船
Birth name	Toshiaki Tachibana (橘利明)
Born	1944 (age 79–80); Kyoto, Japan
Genres	Traditional Japanese theatre and dance
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, educator
Instrument(s)	Noh and Kabuki Tsuzumi, ōtsuzumi, taiko, many others
Years active	1954-present

Tōsha Rosen VI (六世藤舎呂船, Rokusei Tōsha Rosen) (born 1944) is a Japanese percussionist in the tradition of traditional Japanese dance and drama, the sixth iemoto (head) of the Tōsha school. He specializes in the taiko and tsuzumi, and performs as a member or leader of the hayashi (musical accompanists) in the kabuki theatre, as well as in a variety of other traditional contexts.

Born in 1944, his father was the 4th Tōsha Rosen. He began studying percussion under his father at the age of six, focusing upon the ko-tsuzumi, a small hand-drum. He later studied taiko under the 5th Tōsha Rosen, nagauta shamisen^[1] under Kondō Chōjūrō II, Kondō Ayako, and Kineya Katsuroku, and kiyomoto-bushi^[2] under Kiyomoto Jukuni-tayū.

He made his first appearance on stage in 1954, at the Kyoto Gion Kaburenjō (Song and Dance Practice Hall), under the name Tōsha Toshiaki. He then took up the name Tōsha Naritoshi in 1968, and made his kabuki debut in April the following year, performing for the dance piece Renjishi at the Kabuki-za in Tokyo. He succeeded to the name Tōsha Rosen, and the position as iemoto of the school, in September 1986.

Discography

Tsuzumi (music CD; various artists; 1 disc; 70 min; JAN:4988003253592). King Records. December 6, 2000. ASIN B00005HPI7.
Nihon no taiko Besuto [The Best of Japanese Drums] (music CD; various artists; 1 disc; 58 min; JAN:4988003402051). King Records. May 11, 2011. ASIN B004LEE3PY.
Edo no hana! korega kabuki no BGM da!!—Kabuki hayashi senshu [Flower of Edo! This is Kabuki's BGM!—Selection of Kabuki Accompaniment] (music CD; various artists; 2 discs; 148 min; JAN:4988003263898). King Records. September 5, 2001. ASIN B00005MIDH.
Edo no hana! korega kabuki no meikyoku da!!—Kabuki hayashi senshu [Flower of Edo! This is a masterpiece of Kabuk!!—Nagauta masterpiece collection] (music CD; various artists; 1 disc; 71 min; JAN:4988003263881). King Records. September 5, 2001. ASIN B00005MIDG.
Imafuji Masatarō sakuhinshu (5)—No, Kyogen [Works of Masatarō Imafuji—No, Kyogen] (music CD; various artists; 1 disc; 52 min; JAN:4519239014864). Vol. 5. Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation. March 4, 2009. ASIN B001O2HL3W.

Notes

^ That is, the style of playing shamisen for the kabuki and bunraku theatres, meant to accompany nagauta, the characteristic style of narrative chanting found in those theatrical forms.
^ Another style of theatrical narrative chanting accompanied by shamisen.

References

Kabuki techō [Kabuki Notebook: Kabuki Official Data Book 2008]. Shochiku; Dento Kabuki Hozonkai (Kabuki Preservation Society). Tokyo: Nihon Haiyū Kyōkai (Japan Actors' Association). 2008. p. 272. ISBN 978-4902675047. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved August 15, 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) Alt URL
Sakata Tōjūrō; Nakamura Kanjaku; Tōsha Rosen (April 2009). Kyoto Performing Arts Center, Kyoto University of Art & Design (ed.). "Sinposiumu: Genroku shoki Sakata Tōjūrō no wagoto butai fukkatsu wo megutte" [Symposium: To revive the wagoto play originated by Sakata Tōjūrō in early Genroku period]. Butai Geijutsu (Performing Arts). Tokushū—Igo ga kōkyōsuru kūkan. 15. Tokyo: Kadokawa Gakugei Shuppan Publishing: 111–134. ISBN 9784046211255.

[1] That is, the style of playing shamisen for the kabuki and bunraku theatres, meant to accompany nagauta, the characteristic style of narrative chanting found in those theatrical forms.

[2] Another style of theatrical narrative chanting accompanied by shamisen.

[1]

[2]