Profile: Kazuya Sato - Shinobue

Kazuya Sato is from a coastal town in Kyushu in South Japan. He has a varied musical background including piano, drums and guitar, but became gradually more interested in Japanese instruments and Japanese traditional music. In his teens, Sato learnt local festival music, and began to play the yokobue flute. After his university studies, he became acquainted with the shinobue flute, and became fascinated by the timbre of the instrument. He decided to become a shinobue flautist.
 
Today, Sato is a professional musician - mainly in Tokyo, but with concerts throughout Japan. He is also a dedicated shinobue teacher, and an active and in-demand composer. He composed the title song Ame nochi hareruya for the television drama Gochisôsan, first broadcast on Japanese television in 2013. In June 2012, Sato was given the prestigious task of being the ritual flautist at a festival ceremony at the Yakushiji Temple in Nara, a national culture treasure from 600 AD.
 
Sato is known for his honest and confident fluting. He wishes to pass on his own experiences and feelings through his music – and at the same time pass on Japanese tradition and sensitivities.