Tadao Sawai is perhaps Japan's greatest genius of modern koto music. He is known both for his extraordinary technique and for his wonderful compositions. Aside to traditional themes, those compositions often reflected his own ideologies. Those pieces are often dramatic, changing in an instant from soft stroking of the koto strings to percussive hard hitting. Watching Tadao Sawai perform was a memorable experience, Like most masters he made it look easy, belying a deep understanding and total control he brought to his playing. This is a re-release of an LP originally from 1985. He performs with his wife Kazue Sawai and a small ensemble of traditional musicians. Four tracks plus one bonus track for CD. Futasu no Henso-kyoku, Suimen, Sekisyun, Tsuchi Ningyo, Jyokei Sansho. Price: £16.99
Re-release onto CD of LP. Koto player Tadao Sawai with his wife Kazue Sawai and a small ensemble of traditional musicians. Four tracks : Akogare, Soga (accompanied by Shakuhachi and 17 stringed koto) Sunae and Dou to Sei no Kage. Price: £16.99
Re-release onto CD of LP. Koto player Tadao Sawai with his wife Kazue Sawai and a small ensemble of traditional musicians. Four tracks plus one bonus track not on original LP. Hanaikada, Futasu no Mure no Tameni, Taka, Yuki Monogatari and Ginga. Price: £16.99
Re-release of deleted LP. Tadao with Kazue Sawai. Four tracks plus one bonus. Fantasia for Koto, Doukeshi, a Medley of Three Tunes, Kinuta Sansho and Hotaru. Two performed solo. Price: £16.99
Re-release onto CD of deleted LP. Koto player Tadao Sawai with his wife Kazue Sawai and a small ensemble of traditional musicians. Four tracks : Hikaru Umi, Kurodabushi ni Yoru, Genso-kyoku and Bara. Price: £16.99
Re-release of eight LP records onto CD, released between 1980 and 1986 with extra tracks. Traditional ensemble with shakuhachi and koto. Hozan Yamamoto was designated a living national treasure in 2002. He is head of the Hozan-kai Shakuhachi Guild and one of the great pioneers in experimental styles and has recorded with a number of collaborators around the world including Ravi Shankar, and top musicians from the jazz and flamenco worlds. This excellent series profiles his more traditional repertoire and highlight his outstanding technique. Six tracks : Shion, Taiko, Gen no Shirabe, Banka, Snagen Dokuso-kyoku Yuzurigi and Kari. Price: £16.99
Volume 2 of re-release of eight LP records onto CD, released between 1980 and 1986 with extra tracks. Traditional ensemble with shakuhachi and koto. Five tracks : Shaka, Kiri no Hibiki, Kiku no Ga, Nikan no Fu, and Fuyu. Price: £16.99
Volume 3 of re-release of eight LP records onto CD, released between 1980 and 1986 with extra tracks. Traditional ensemble with shakuhachi and koto. Seven tracks : Aioi no Uta, Ichikotsu, Take no Shirabe, Fuyudori, Haru, Kotobuki and Shurai. Price: £16.99
Seven tracks : Kamimu, Futatsu no Genso, Ryokai (inprovisation), Ame (with koto and shakuhachi) Sayokyoku (with koto and 17 stringed koto,) Zuisei and Shakuhachi Duet No.2. Price: £16.99
Six tracks : Kreansui (sangen and shakuhachi) Aki, Harusayaka, Ryo (for five shakuhachi players), Kakeai, and Souen. Price: £16.99
Five tracks : Sanrai (for shakuhachi and flute) Tougebana (for shakuhachi and 17 stringed koto), Konbankagiri Tsukiga, Take no Gunzo and Shakuhachi Quartet No.1. Price: £16.99
Seven tracks : Koto, Tsuido, Natsu, Kanotsu, Suisai (solo) Inyoku and Niji. Price: £16.99
Six tracks : Fuga 1, Shakuhachi Duet No.4, Shakuhachi Duet Take, Kyotou, Saiga and Chiku Saisai. Price: £16.99
The ultimate koto collection. Superb set of 5 CDs now released on CD, originally issued as LP records in 1982. The most famous koto repertroire performed by the greatest players. Michio Miyagi, Kinichi Nakanishima, Tadao Sawai, Shin MIyashita, and accompanied by the greatest shakuhachi players such as Hozan Yamamoto and Reibo Aoki. Price: £68.99
5 CD box set of koto tracks, this one newly compiled. Artists include Kiyoko Miyagi, Kazue Miyagi, Tadao Sawai, Kinichi Nakanoshima, Tomoko Sunazaki, Keiko Nomura, Hikaru Sawai, Mieko Miyazaki accompanied by shakuhachi played by Reibo Aoki, Kifu Mihashi and others. Price: £68.99
Eishiba is one of Japan's leading singers of kouta, (short shamisen songs). On this latest album her voice is accompanied by shamisen, tsuzumi, taiko and fue on tracks suitable for buyo (traditional dance).Forget the soundtrack to Memoires of a Geisha, get this instead. 23 superb tracks. Price: £18.99
Two young female koto players perform various tunes under the guise of healing music. They play 25 stringed koto on nine tracks, mostly original tunes with titles such as 'gentle rain'. Price: £17.99
CD+ DVD of Japanese taiko group's performances in France and Greece in 2005. The DVD last 60 mins and the CD has 10 tracks. Hinokiya are from Hakodate in Hokkaido, and aside to the large taiko drums, play shinobue flute, guitar, bass and accordion. For long spells they sound more like an Irish group than Japanese. When the Japanese elements come to the fore is when they are at their best. Price: £19.99
