SCREENINGS_____________________________________CONTACT
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Starring : 1st Chikuzan Takahashi
Directer : Koichi Onishi
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trailer
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A master of the Tsugaru samisen the first Chikuzan Takahashi was born in 1910 and lost his eyesight from measles when still a young child. In the harsh environment of Northern Tohoku a region at the upper tip of Japan’s main island of Honshu the common people of the time lived in poverty and the disabled had no social services to help them. To survive Chikuzan learned the samisen and wandered about from door to door like a beggar. He often said “I wanted to make sounds that would have the smell of Tsugaru.” In this land that he both loved and hated where he was born and lost his sight where he was despised and found a lifeline in the samisen the first Chikuzan Takahashi made his permanent base. There he continued to seek the true Tsugaru sound. The film recalls Chikuzan’s life and spirit through surviving images and sounds and the words of those who knew him. Also it examines the culture and customs that still exist in the Tohoku region as well as the unknown people who lived and died in times of intense suffering times that now lie hidden in the background. It brings into sharp relief the unspoiled landscape of Tsugaru that is so intertwined with Chikuzan’s sound.
One more important person appears in this film: the second Chikuzan Takahashi. She is a female samisen performer who was discovered by Chikuzan associated with him for many years and in 1997 succeeded to the Chikuzan name. But in Tsugaru few people recognized her as Chikuzan and called her by that name. Since succeeding to the Chikuzan name she had never given a solo concert in Aomori the biggest city in Tohoku. In the film vthe second Chikuzan visits Okinawa together with her teacher. There she learns about and grieves for the many Okinawans who lost their lives in the war. She also goes to Sanriku Noda Village where she recalls a story about her teacher the first Chikuzan encountering a tsunami and nearly losing his life when he was still a wandering musician. Also for the first time in years she returns to Tsugaru where she was Chikuzan’s apprentice and lays flowers on his grave. After reuniting with her teacher second Chikuzan gives her first solo concert in Aomori and astonishes us with her wonderful eye-opening samisen sounds.