蓼小唄 Tade Kouta

In January 2018, I began learning shamisen with the Tade kouta group. Kouta, meaning ‘small song’, is a type of shamisen which developed for entertainment in small rooms and parties, and involves playing and singing simultaneously. Kouta songs are fascinating for their wide variety of motifs and styles, including laments for lost love, retellings of famous stories, and satirical commentaries and dark humor. Together with a fellow member, I began to assist in producing English versions of some songs, in order to share the delights of kouta lyrics with a wider audience. Our English kouta attracted some attention and led to newspaper and TV appearances.

I have a longstanding love of trees. I was the course assistant for the First Year Seminar ‘Trees and Forests’ where we studied the representation of and symbolism surrounding trees through literature. I often waylay my walking companions by stopping to identify and photograph trees and share unwanted tree facts.

From left: in an almond tree in Mallorca, Spain; European beech leaf in winter; an atlas cedar in southern France; a Japanese maple in autumn.

I am also a visual artist. My preferred mediums are acrylic and watercolour. Trees are also a primary inspiration for my art.