Dubbed the “greatest tsugaru shamisen player in the world”, Masahiro Nitta is a true master. Masahiro found his talent with shamisen when he started in 1998, and won the National Tsugaru Shamisen Kanagi Competition in Aomori twice in a row in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, he won the 5th All-Japan Tsugaru Shamisen Contest. His father, Hiroshi Nitta, was the finest student of Gunpachiro II (who’s master was dubbed, “God of Shamisen” and is the standard for tournament style shamisen), and thus Masahiro picked up the strong foundation of traditional skills passed on from Gunpachiro himself. One of Masahiro’s unique characteristics is his strong interest in music from other cultures in the world. With his high proficiency of traditional shamisen and an ear for the subtleties of another culture’s music, Masahiro Nitta makes shamisen accessible to the whole world.
View the never-quite complete list of what Masahiro has done
