Re-release of a legendary Kawachi Ondo LP Tokyo Nagurikomi Live / Kawachi Ondo San-on Kai All Stars, originally released in 1983. This is the album of the first Kawachi Ondo festivals that took place in the Kanto area around Tokyo, performed at 'Shibuya Live In 82' and 'Kinshi-cho Ginsei Gekijo' in July 1982. For people in Tokyo, Kawachi Ondo, from the Kansai region of Osaka, the festival was a revelation, one of the few examples of a tradition that had changed and adapted down the years and now came with a contemporary edge, that simply wasn't there in most other bon dances. This fantastic CD features the original recording of 'Muhonmatsu no Issho' (track 4), not included on the LP and a dub arrangement of Akagi no Komoriuta. CD jacket is the same classic illustration as the original LP by Yosuke Kawamura.

Street style Awa Dance performed by seven groups. This style is only played on kane (bell), oh-daiko (drum) and snare drums. They usualy play and walk on the streets far from the main event of the Awa Dance festival in Tokushima.

Second volume of the Zomeki groove from the Awa Dance from Tokushima, recorded and produced by Makoto Kubota in Tokushima. Authentic Awa Dance performed by eight groups. Brilliant Japanese festival music.

New release on Makoto Kubota's label. Awa Odori, or the Awa Dance Festival takes place in Tokushima, Shikoku every Obon, during August. It is considered the largest dance festival in Japan with about 1.3 million attending. Koenji is an area of Tokyo, popular with students, that has developed its own Awa Odori. It was started in 1956 by immigrants from Tokushima and has become the second largest dance festival in Japan with 12,000 dancers, 188 groups and over 1 million visitors. Kubota has become entranced with this Koenji Awa Odori, particularly the groove, the zomeki. This is a 2 CD 12 track set of those sounds, mainly taiko drums, kane bell and shinobue flute. It's a sound that has been heard in Japan for centuries but has become urbanized over time.

The greatest Kawachi Ondo tunes sung by the leading singers.

Various ondo tunes from all over Japan sung by a line-up of great artists including Harumi Miyako, Koume Akasaka and Kikusuimaru Kawachiya.

Live album from Ippei Yamanaka, a veteran Kawachi Ondo singer. Now 58, a colourful character, he made his first record at 18, crossed over into enka world for a while before becoming a monk a the Enryakuji Temple of Hieizan. The first track on this album, Zanka Osaka was that first record. Brilliant album of Kawachi Ondo.

Kozushima is one of the seven islands of Izu, part of the Tokyo metropolitan area. This small island, 19 square kilometres, 2000 population has nevertheless held onto various folk or minyo songs, many of which are compiled onto this album.

The original Nippon Bon Dance Collection has become an unexpected best seller here at Far Side. On the other hand, the music is totally enchanting, lively, good-time dance music, distinctly Japanese, fascinatingly different in local styles and one of the great Japanese roots music styles.

Summer festival music Japanese style. Bon odori, or bon dance, takes place during Obon, a custom and time during which people honour their ancestors. It takes place during the summer, although the exact time varies from region to region. The music and the dance also vary greatly from one region to another. Sometimes people dance in a circular fashion around a yagura, a high wooden stage, such as in Kawachi ondo, while others proceed in a straight line. Some dances use fans, others towels, still more use wooden clappers. A dance can depict a local area and its history. This CD contains Bon odori from throughout Japan, and comes with dance instructions, if you are so inclined.

Part 2 of 'Have a Big Bite of Japanese Minyo 100'. 100 minyo songs from Hokkaido in the far north to Okinawa in the far south. All traditional performances, superb recording. A great document of Japanese folk music.

Tokyo might well be Japan's largest metropolis, but within its communitries are some minyo or folk songs that still survive. Six tracks of Tokyo minyo that proves folk is not just the domain of country villages.

The early Showa period from the beginning of the 1920s was a very productive time for minyo. Many new minyo songs were written during this time by well known composers and poets, many of which are the standard songs of today. This album compiles those original minyo recordings, some originally released on SP (78s).

Volume 2 with more classic minyo recorded in the 1920s and 30s.

On this CD, two Japanese ways of life are brought together. Onsen are hot springs, the towns around them sometimes growing into resorts of varying degrees of tourist tackiness, although many remain reasonably unspoilt. Minyo or folk songs have also grown up in these onsen towns, and this CD features songs from onsen resort towns in the east of Japan.

Minyo (folk songs) from the west of Japan.

Fantastic third album from the duo of female minyo singer Shigeri Kitsu and shamisen player and singer Katsuaki Sawada. Kitsu is also a member of Haruomi Hosono's Pan Pacific Mongoloid Unit, and Hosono joins the duo on narimono, small flutes, hand gongs, wooden percussion and backing chants on an album of traditional Japanese folk tunes, together with percusion player Shigeya Hamaguchi. 12 tracks plus bonus track. 1. Goshu Ondo 2. Nishimonai Bon Odori 3. Izumozaki Okesa 4. Kokiriko Bushi 5. Hachinohe Jinku - Nambu Umakata Sansagari 6. Aiuchi Bon Odori Uta 7. Tsugaru Yosare - Nambu Yoshare 8. Tsugaru Oharabushi 9. Yasugi Bushi 10. Okino Taue Uta 11. Gengen Barara- Kagoshima Haiya 12. Awaodori 13. bonus track - Koroishi Jongara.

Tsugaru shamisen is normally a solo style. Fast and semi-improvised, a succession of young players have popularized the music in recent years. This album is tsugaru and other shamisen styles together with some great singing by male shamisen player Katsuaki Sawada, and female taiko drummer and singer Shigeri Kitsu. Superb singing and fantastic playing make this a stellar release. Hypnotic and powerful, comes with English liner notes.

Kitsu is a truly amazing minyo singer, a rare talent in Japan. Her voice is sharp and shrill, with a raw power and emotion. Her voice and taiko drumming is accompanied by tsugaru shamisen master Sawada, these songs performed perhaps close to their original intended style, instead of a modern watered down version. The songs are mostly from the Tsugaru region of northern Japan, but include some songs from Kagoshima and Nagasaki in the south of Japan and elsewhere. Some songs are up-tempo, others more plaintive, on one of the best min'yo albums available. 1. Amefuri Uta, Echigo Matsuzaka (Niigata) 2. Tasuke Haiya (Nagasaki) 3. Kagoshima Hanya (Kagoshima) 4. Kaga Haiya (Ishikawa) 5. Sado Okesa, Tate Okesa, Senkoba Okesa (Niigata) 6. Oina (Niigata)

Definitive 2 CD set of minyo, local folk songs from throughout Japan. Hear tunes from the far north in Hokkaido to the deep south in Kagoshima. 40 tracks.

Excellent compilation of minyo (folk) songs for celebration. Artists include Fumio Otsuka, Kiyoko Iwai, Mitsue Hayasaka, Michiya Mihashi and Hanako Ono. And tracks Tawaratsumi Uta, Nagasaki Nonnoko Bushi, Iwai Medetai, Nagamochi Uta, Ushibuka Haiyabushi, Ise Ondo and Hanagasa Ondo.

Minyo songs played on the shakuhachi, the bamboo flute. The 22 tracks include Nagamochi Uta, Soma Magouta, Yoshi no Kokiriuta, Nanbu Ushiouta, Natsu no Yama uta and Mogamigawa Funauta.

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.

Asakusa (Tokyo old town) geisha style singing lady with shamisen. Compilation of her best traditional tracks and new recordings. Tracks are chosen by Eishiba and her recent recording partner Toshinori Kondo. Photos taken by one of Japan's most famous photographers, Nobuyoshi Araki.

Popular songs from the Edo period, similar to hauta or kauta material. Solo performance from elderly singer and shamisen player. Some plaintive, some more uptempo with humerous elements and commentary about the songs given by Shicho Yanigawa. Fascinating.

Wonderful performance of traditional hauta and kouta, or songs from the Edo period. A great document of an important musical culture. 2 CDs.

Fascinating compilation of kouta and hauta, kind of Edo (pre-westernization) period love songs. The type of music geishas might sing to entertain with voice and shamisen, and a symbol of Edo music and culture.

Taneo comes from a long line of festival music singers, singing hayashi, the distinctive festival music style.Lively, enjoyable and accessible.

Archive recordings from the 1920s-30s of Japanese folk songs from Nagasaki. Voice and shamisen (Japanese lute) gives a taste of ancient Japan.

Intriguing album of Japanese rapping banana salesmen in southern Japan. Superb.

Recordings from the 60s of blind singers and shamisen players. Japanese griots.

Following on from the excellent volume 1, blind singers and shamisen players, who could be called the Japanese version of 'griots'.

Traditional and classic rokyoku (storytelling and music) from one of the genre's greatest exponents.

Haruo Minami was one of Japan's greatest minyo (folk music) singers. His roots lay in the rokyoku (storytelling) world, and this album goes back to those roots on an album in his original rokyoku style.