New single, Yuki Onna is out now!

My new single is a fresh take on traditional Tsugaru shamisen, which tells the story of the infamous Yokai, Yuki Onna (Snow Woman)

The Story

The tale starts with two woodcutters. One old and one young. After a days work in the forest, a snow storm emerges. Unable to cross the river to get back to their village, the woodcutters stay in the ferryman’s hut for the night. That night Yuki Onna appears at the door. She kills the old man but spares the young man, telling him “if you ever tell a soul about me I will come back and kill you.”

Years later the young man meets a beautiful woman. They eventually get married and have children. One day, sitting in the candlelight the man says to his wife “you remind me of someone I met a long time ago”, and goes on to tell the story of Yuki Onna. The wife shrieks “ I told you never to tell anyone about that night. Yuki Onna’s shriek gets thinner and thinner as she evaporates into mist, sparing her husband for the sake of their children.