On a journey with folk songs from Okinawa
Born in Hakodate, Kanako Horiuchi’s singing voice has come to embody the heart of the Okinawan people, as she passionately presents the islands’ music to the world. Horiuchi was 22 years old when she was working as a director in an advertising agency in Tokyo, shooting a commercial starring Seijin Noborikawa (a leading post-war Okinawan folk singer). She heard the sounds of a sanshin (traditional three-string instrument) for the first time, and although she had no impressions of Okinawa and had never even played any instruments, watching Noborikawa made her think “I want to learn to play this and then head overseas!”
In the years since that defining moment, she has delved deep into the world of Okinawan folk songs and now explores new possibilities for the genre through her global travels.