Yukihiro Goto is a player of Satsuma biwa (pear shaped lute) one of the strongest biwa traditions from the deep south of Japan. Back in Medieval times, street biwa buskers (biwa hoshis') were a regular sight narrating epic tales accompanied by biwa. During the Edo period, biwa music flourished when biwa hoshis' played not just for the samurai classes but for the masses. In more recent times, there has been little development in biwa music, apart from preserving certain strands, until, that is, Yukihiro Goto. Born in 1960 Goto has developed new material and collaborated with a variety of musicians on different instruments. This album steers fairly close to the tradition, all inspired by epic tales, with only shakuhachi (bamboo flute) aside to Goto's dry vocals and expansive biwa playing. Four tracks. 1. Kiso Saigo 2. Kumagi no Uta 3. Ushiromuki 4. Waga Ko Wa Hatachini
