Editing Nagata Shachu (section)

=== Aki Takahashi ===
*taiko, vocals, and shamisen
"Aki was born in a small fishing village on Shodoshima, a small island in the Inland Sea of Japan. As a young girl, she had weekly piano lessons and developed a secret passion to become a musician thanks to her grandmother who was always singing folksongs.

Aki began to study the three-stringed Tsugaru Shamisen and folk singing in Kyoto and was able to make the acquaintance of other musicians like her who were trying to keep this traditional music alive. Since moving to Canada in 2000, she has continued to share her music with audiences in a wide variety of venues ranging from street performing to local festivals such as the Canadian Tulip Festival and the Ottawa Folk Festival.

Aki is also the founder of the Japanese Folk Music Collective Ten Ten"[http://www.nagatashachu.com/Biographies/biographies.html#AkiT]