Tosa Tango from Hazama by Mitsune

This is a rearrangement of Tosa no Sunayama, a folk song about a tsunami in 1340 AD that destroyed parts of Aomori prefecture, killing over 100,000 people. Tosa no Sunayama means “The Sand Dunes of Tosa”. The tsunami created giant sand dunes and left villagers in crippling poverty, causing people to lament, “How we wish these mountains of sand were mountains of rice!” The idea was to translate this tragic traditional song though the dramatic and emotional character of a tango arrangement, with an instrumental lineup of guitar, violin and shamisen, and re-harmonising it with a completely new chord progression. We also experimented with sound design on this track, using percussion SFX and sampled field recordings to emulate ghostly echoes of the past.

Mitsune blends traditional Japanese folk with the wild and innovative sounds of psychedelic, cinematic and ritual music, crafting original compositions that breathe new life into ancient narratives. Led by a duo of female shamisen players, accompanied with percussion and bass, the Berlin-based 4-piece serves modern folklore with driving beats, raw emotion, and decadent visuals.

mitsune.de