The Roots of the Naga-Uta Kine-ie Kai

Our record shows that during the period between 1750's and 1850's of the Edo Era, the Nagauta shamisen music was developed and established. A Nagauta player, Matsui Yasokichi, born in 1809, started to use the name, Kineya Yashichi in 1837.

Kineyai Yashichi IV succeeded to Kineya Yashichi III in 1916, and changed the name of the school from "Kineya" to "Kine-ie" in 1930.

In 1922, the "Shamisen Bunka-Fu"(shamisen music score) was successfully invented by Kine-ie Yashichi IV. The Bunka-Fu consists of three lines with numerical numbers, which show the sound positions. It remarkably improved shamisen teaching methods and made it much easier for the students to master playing shamisen.
Also, the invention of the Bunka-Fu greatly contributed to distinguishing the Kine-ie School from other schools.