Nobuko Fukatsu is a Biwa (Japanese lute) player based in Los Angeles, California. Born in Japan, she started to study Satsuma-biwa under the prominent biwa musician Yoshiko Sakata in 2005. After moving to the Los Angeles area, she started to perform at various cultural gatherings, festivals and educational settings, as well as participate in recordings for entertainment media music.
Her repertoire includes classical narrative biwa music such as the Tale of Heike, narrative pieces written in modern Japanese, and modern instrumental pieces. Fascinated by the biwa’s endless potential for narration via the combined sounds of voice, wood, and silk strings, she also creates music to tell short literature pieces in Japanese and English.
Nobuko plays on instruments that survived the Japanese-American WWII internment experience and were later given to her. She also researches the history of biwa and its music in the Japanese immigrant communities in the US, particularly in Los Angeles.
ロサンゼルス在住の琵琶奏者・武津宣子。師・坂田美子の琵琶の弾き語りに魅せられて2005年に入門。渡米後、日本・アジア関連のフェスティバル、領事館や日系諸団体の催し、大学などで演奏を行う他、ゲームや短編映画音楽のレコーディングに参加。平家物語をはじめとする古典や、現代語での語り物の他、創作も行う。移民や強制収容といった日系社会の荒波をくぐり抜けた琵琶を譲り受けたのを機に、ロサンゼルスをはじめアメリカ日系社会における琵琶の歴史を探る。
ロサンゼルスの日本語新聞『日刊サン』にインタビューが掲載されました。
Performance & Workshop
Nobuko has performed at various cultural events in the Greater Los Angeles Area. Her past performances include New Year and AAPI concerts at the Los Angeles Public Library, festivals and celebration events hosted by the Japanese Consulate, community centers and associations, and lecture concerts at public elementary schools and Pomona College in Claremont, CA. Her artistry has also been featured in entertainment media, including the video game Trek to Yomi (2022) and the short film The Old Young Crow (directed by Liam LoPinto, 2023, nominated for NFMLA 2025 Best Score Award). For performance and recording requests, please contact in the form below.
ロサンゼルス地域を中心に、文化フェスティバル、日系諸団体の催し、大学や図書館でのレクチャーコンサート等で演奏をする他、ビデオゲームや短編映画のサウンドトラックにも音源を提供しています。演奏・レコーディングのご依頼は以下のフォームにてお問い合わせください。
Workshops are also available for different age groups. Contents are customized depending on the event’s purposes and participants’ interests. Please contact me in the form below.
様々な年齢層を対象にワークショップも行っています。日本語学校、大学、シニア等、参加者のご興味に合わせて内容を構成します。ご要望の方は以下のフォームにてご連絡ください。
Thank you for visiting my website! If you have any questions, performance requests, or feedback, please contact me in the form below.
ご質問、演奏のご要望、その他ご意見がございましたら、以下のフォームにてご連絡ください。
©2021-2025 Nobuko Fukatsu. All rights reserved.
Voice, Wood, Silk Strings 