Hello everyone !
My name is Fiona and I’m from France. I hope everyone doing well. I’m currently working on my academic thesis about Tsugaru shamisen, focusing on its history and, more specifically, on female performers who seem to be largely absent from major references on the subject.
There are, since 2005, not thesis about Tsugaru Shamisen in France and I hope that everyone will like it.
While researching, I’ve been using works by Groemer (The spirit of Tsugaru) and Daijō (Tsugaru shamisen of tanjô, The birth of tsugaru Shamisen with Suda Naoyuki and Anthony Rausch) which appear to be essential sources. However, I’ve noticed that they mention very few women, even though historical evidence suggests that female shamisen players did exist and contributed to the tradition.
I know the existence of the book of Groemer talk about goze’s and i know that min’yô was important for tsugaru shamisen popularity in 1950 centuries.
I previously tried asking about this on Discord a few months ago but didn’t receive much response, so I thought I would reach out here.
I would really appreciate any advice, resources, or insights you might have whether it’s about lesser-known female players, alternative sources, oral histories, or even personal knowledge from your own experience with Tsugaru shamisen.
Thank you very much for your time and help!
Fiona Etienne