Imafuji Chōtatsurō

Who is Imafuji Chōtatsurō?

Imafuji Chōtatsurō is a Japanese shamisen player in the nagauta tradition. He is classically trained as an accompanist to kabuki chanters, but performs in a number of related styles as well, such as buyō. He is a part-time lecturer at Kunitachi College of Music, heads the shamisen section of the Tricycle performance troupe of which he is a founding member, and is involved in a number of other organizations and projects which aim to keep Japan's traditional performing arts alive and to pass them on to the next generations.

The son of Naoyuki Imafuji, Chōtatsurō is part of a long and prestigious lineage of nagauta artists. He is the nephew of Tōsha Meishō and Yoshio Nakagawa, and is also related to Tōsha Shūhō of the Tōsha school of traditional musicians.