Kyōsen Kineya, a Japanese Nagauta shamisen master, passed away in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 4 February, at the age of 111 years, 81 days.
Sachiko Kimura (Japanese: 木村さち子), better known by her stage name Kyōsen Kineya (Japanese: 杵屋響泉), was born on 15 November 1914, in Tsukiji, Tokyo, Japan. She was the only daughter of the fifth-generation Kankurō Kineya, a renowned figure in Nagauta, a traditional form of shamisen music developed as an accompaniment for Kabuki theater, with a history spanning over 400 years. She began her training in shamisen and singing at the age of 4 under her father’s guidance. Unfortunately, her father passed away shortly after her training began.
At the age of 6, she continued rigorous lessons under the tutelage of her mother, who was also a skilled Nagauta performer and a member of the women’s performance association. Due to her asthma, the family sought a healthier environment and relocated to Odawara in 1923. Later that year, the Great Kantō earthquake damaged their family home in Tokyo, leading them to settle permanently in Odawara. She adopted her stage name in honor of her late father, taking it from his retirement name.
At the age of 14, she began teaching students and eventually trained over 300 disciples throughout her lifetime. In 1947, at the age of 32, she married Takashi Kimura, a poet 12 years her junior. The couple had two daughters.
At the age of 104, she made her CD debut with the release of “105: The Nagauta World of Fifth-Generation Kankurō, Carried On by His Daughter” (Japanese: 一〇五（いちまるご）娘がつなぐ五世勘五郎の長唄世界) on 24 April 2019.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of Sachiko Kimura during this difficult time.
