Kineya Kichikazu holds shihan status on the Japanese shamisen. Born in Japan, Kichikazu began to study the shamisen in 1947 with Master Kineya Goso. The shamisen is a 3-stringed instrument played with a large pick and is used to perform a type of music called nagauta, a form of Japanese classical music using the shamisen and a style of singing developed with kabuki dance 300 years ago. Kichikazu is one of two musicians fluent in nagauta in the Los Angeles area and is dedicated to keeping the tradition alive.