Master Kineya Kichisaburo was a brilliant teacher and performer. I first started taking lessons with him when I was 3 years old. Although I could barely read Japanese, he handwrote a book for me and pasted a colorful bind. Usually he would sing and through auditory learning, I would copy him.
The picture below is my first performance with him at the Japanese American Theater in Downtown Los Angeles, California at the age of 4.
I performed two children’s pieces called Seki no Koman (song about a female heroine) and Otsuki Sama (song about the moon). Master Kineya Kichisaburo was behind me during the performance singing with me because I could not read. Also, according to my family, I was extremely nervous and was not able to sing without my teacher.
My second stage was when I was seven and performed what was called Tomoyakko (song about a servant of the Samurai). This time he performed the shamisen while I sang on my own. As in other performances, he made it easy to sing to because his music followed my singing.
My last performance with him was in 1997. We performed a dance piece called Tenaraiko (song about a girl on the way back from her calligraphy lesson). He played the shamisen, with other musicians and singers. He gave me this rare opportunity and I was fortunate to perform with professional musicians.The picture is the group photo from this performance. I am dressed in a blue kimono.
