Evaluation by Takaaki Shibata

Takaaki Shibata has made an evaluation about the Mandolin in Japan for the mandolin symposium in Trossingen (Germany) in 2008. He has given me the allowance to use his results for my website.

He began with a short history of the mandolin in Japan.

Next he informed about competitions for the mandolin in Japan, sheet music editions, orchestras and the association of the mandolin orchestras - the Japan Mandolin Union (JMU).

Very interesting was the evaluation of the most popular composers played by the Japanese mandolin orchestras between 1980 and 1997. The following diagram shows the composers with their period and the number of compositions played between 1980 and 1997.

Youtube Playlists of favorite Composers

Amedeo Amadei - Kompositionen für Mandolinen

Salvatore Falbo Giangreco - Mandolinenorchester

Takaaki Shibata talked about studying the mandoline in Japan and the mandolin methods published in Japan:

Blog posts about mandolin orchestras and mandolin ensembles in Japan in my blog www.mandoisland.com (Engl.):

• http://www.mandoisland.com/?tag=japan

Link Collections about the Mandolin and Mandolin Orchestras in Japan

• My link collection about the mandolin and Japan
• Mandolin orchestras in Japan
• Youtube channels of Japanese Mandolin Orchestras
• mandolin shops in Japan - with pictures of  Japanese mandolins
• Japanese link collection about the mandolin
• Link collection of the Mandolin Orchestra Euterpe

Totsuji Shikama

 performed mandolin for the first time publicly as Japanese in 1894.

Sixth daughter of Totsuji Shikama; Mandolin player of the oldest Japanese mandolin recording

He was brought a mandolin from Berlin in 1901, and wrote the first mandolin instruction book in Japan.

Eldest daughter of Kenpachi Hiruma, mandolinist

First Mandolin broadcasting on radio and TV in Japan

Founder of mandolin music of Japan. He is refered to as the father of Japan mandolin world. He founded Japan's first mandolin orchestra "Orchestra Sinfonica Takei (OST)"