Takeharu Kunimoto

Kunimoto Takeharu was a prominent Japanese shamisen player and roukyoku singer. In addition to performing and recording traditional music he was also the only prominent shamisen player to perform and record bluegrass music he spent some time in the early 2000s in the bluegrass program of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City Tennessee. He also performed and recorded in a rock musicinfluenced style. At the age of 14 Kunimoto attended a Bill Monroe concert in Tokyo and shook his hand. Kunimoto credited Bill Monroes influence with why he devoted himself to becoming a bluegrass player. Kunimoto Takeharu passed away at the age of 55 following an illness.