Kabuki Percussionist KASHIWA Senjirō (WATANABE Yutaka) was born in 1963 in Kanagawa Prefecture. From 1981 to 1983, he studied at the National Theatre of Japan for Kabuki Music (Narimono [percussion]) Training, and was the first person to graduate from this newly established program, which has continued for 40 years since. After graduating, he worked as a percussionist for kabuki productions, and in 1986 was given the professional name of Kashiwa Senjirō, establishing him as a full-fledged professional, and a member of Kashiwa School of Kabuki Percussion.

He performs year-round in kabuki theatres throughout Japan, including the Kabuki-za and National Theatre in Tokyo; the Minami-za in Kyoto, the Misono-za in Nagoya, the Shochiku-za in Osaka; and the Hakata-za in Fukuoka. He has also has toured internationally with Kabuki Troupes to Malaysia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. He has partnered with the Department of Theatre and Dance for almost 30 years to prepare students for UHM Kabuki productions, including Sukeroku: Flower of Edo (1995), Summer Festival: A Mirror of Osaka (1999), Nozaki Village (2004) and The Vengeful Sword (2011). The 2024 production of The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves will be his fifth residency at UHM.

Right: KASHIWA Senjirō, Julie Iezzi, and music students during a rehearsal of The Maiden Benten and the Bandits of the White Waves, February 2024, Kennedy Theatre, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa.