Interview with Mika Kobayashi & KAMUI at Japan Expo 2024
Mika Kobayashi on stage with KAMUI performers, at Japan Expo 2024. Pictures by Ryunako.
Mika Kobayashi is the voice behind emblematic songs from many of Hiroyuki Sawano original soundtracks (Attack on Titan, Kill la Kill, Blue Exorcist...). She is also famous for singing with KAMUI, a group of Samurai Artists performing sword fights to the rhythm of her enchanting voice.
We had the honor of interviewing Mika Kobayashi and KAMUI members Tetsuro Shimaguchi, Hiromi Matsumura & Yu Sato at Japan Expo anime convention held in France in July 2024.
This interview was originally conducted in French at Japan Expo 2024, and was slightly altered to fit to text format.
Could you introduce yourself to people who might not yet know about your work?
Mika Kobayashi: Hi everyone, I'm Mika Kobayashi, a singer-songwriter from Japan. I sang many anime songs, so you might have already heard my voice while watching an episode!
Tetsuro Shimaguchi: I'm Tetsuro Shimaguchi, leader & founder of Samurai Artist KAMUI group, performing around the world. I have yet to work for an anime title, but I think it will happen in the future. Among other things, I have choreographed sword fighting in Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill volume.1".
Hiromi Matsumura: I'm Hiromi Matsumura from Samurai Artist KAMUI. I perform around the world with the rest of the team, and I'm also an active member of our Samurai dojo.
Yu Sato: I'm Yu Sato, a member of Samurai Artist KAMUI. My colleagues have already told you everything you need to know (laughs), I'm pleased to be here at Japan Expo.
Could you tell us how the KAMUI project was born?
Tetsuro Shimaguchi: Samurai performances were mostly done in Japan for television or historical movies & plays, but I wanted to introduce this art to the rest of the world, and that's why I created the group 26 years ago, in 1998. We are now traveling around the world with the goal to communicate heart-to-heart with the audience through our performances.
Tetsuro Shimaguchi, leader of KAMUI, on stage at Japan Expo 2024.
We have noticed that music has an important place in your art and performance, in which we can hear both traditional Japanese instruments and more modern sounds. How do you select the music that plays over your performances?
Tetsuro Shimaguchi: Absolutely, music is essential to our art. When we created the group, we were selecting songs that we liked and that gave us strong feelings. But for our recent performances, which feature more and more stories, we create the music with artists like Mika Kobayashi and other very talented traditional artists. In addition, having our own original music avoids many rights issues (laughs).
Shimaguchi-san, Sato-san, in 2021, you have both performed at the Kiyomizu-dera temple alongside famous guitarist MIYAVI. How was it to be able to perform your art in such an emblematic & traditional place of Kyoto?
Tetsuro Shimaguchi: It was a very closed event, I'm glad you mentioned it! This session we made with MIYAVI was a very exciting experience. In Japan, everyone knows about Kiyomizu-dera temple, it was the very first rock live concert organized there.
When talking about samurai, you can immediately imagine people killing each other, but the idea of the live was to promote world peace. We discussed it with MIYAVI and began setting up the performance. As the deadline approached, our rehearsals were interrupted by a typhoon, and we couldn't prepare as planned. The weather cleared up just in time for the day of this unique performance, which made this experience even more thrilling for us.
I will never forget about it, and I hope I can do it again in the future.
Mika Kobayashi on stage, singing “Attack on Titan” from TV Anime “Attack on Titan” Original Soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano, performing alongside KAMUI
Mika Kobayashi, you are releasing your new album "Mika Type 散 (san)" earlier for Japan Expo. Your previous album titles were following the Iroha poem with Mika Type i, Mika Type ro, and Mika type ha. Why did you choose the kanji 散 (san) for this album title?
Mika Kobayashi: My previous “Type” albums i, ro & ha were double-CD and quite luxurious to be honest. I'm very proud of these, but they were very hard to produce, so I told myself that the next one must be one CD and not a double. I also had this will to change the concept, hence this choice of kanji breaking from the Iroha pattern.
In this new album, I have collaborated with various artists from different countries, and as many music genres. I also wanted to show a new version of myself, proving that I could go wherever I wanted and that I could sing in any language.
While taking all of this into account, I decided to go with the kanji 散 (san), which could be translated as "scattered".
On this new album, you are singing in Portuguese & Czech. How did you choose these languages?
Mika Kobayashi: I am fortunate to have been able to travel to many countries, and I wanted to collaborate with artists from those places I have visited. In my previous album, Mika Type ha, I was already singing in Italian & Spanish, for Mika Type san, I wanted to add something new by singing in these languages.
You have collaborated for a long time with Hiroyuki Sawano on his anime soundtracks, and more recently you also worked with Takahiro Obata on The Promised Neverland Original Soundtrack. Did you notice any differences in the way both of these composers approach their work?
Mika Kobayashi: Indeed, both Hiroyuki Sawano & Takahiro Obata have their own specific details on which they will be heavily focused on in their music composition process. But both have always requested me to sing the way I do, so it has always been a pleasure to work with them.
We have a question for you all, do you watch anime? If so, what are your favorite titles?
Hiromi Matsumura: On the plane to Paris I watched the great new Gegege no Kitarou movie titled "Kitarou Tanjou: Gegege no Nazo" which tells the story of Medama-Oyaji when he was still alive. Despite the image we may have of Medama-Oyaji, the film shows that he loveds his son deeply. The whole story of Kitarou's parents was well written, it really moved me.
Yu Sato: When I was younger I loved Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA movie, I was watching it every single day (laughs).
Tetsuro Shimaguchi: From recent anime, I would say Attack on Titan.
"Shinzo o Sasageyo!" (right fist on the heart)
To tell you the truth, I first heard about the anime when I heard that Mika Kobayashi was singing on the soundtrack, then I read the manga and watched the anime.
To me, Isayama-sensei is a genius, every time I rewatch it I see how the characters and their stories are well written, and I always wonder how I would have done in his place. It's a story with a lot of dark sides, and which makes me think a lot. I'm always moved each time I watch it.
Attack on Titan © Hajime Isayama • Kōdansha / "Attack on Titan" Production Committee
Mika Kobayashi: It's a very difficult question!
I'm first going to pick an old one, the boxing anime "Ashita no Joe" which I adore. If I were to choose from more recent ones, it would be Naoki Urasawa's Monster anime adaptation, which I love too. And finally, this may surprise you, but I would say Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, I love Homura!
Ashita no Joe © Asao Takamori • Tetsuya Chiba/Kodansha • TMS, Monster © Naoki Urasawa (Studio Nuts) / Shōgakukan • VAP • NTV, Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica © Magica Quartet / Aniplex • Madoka Partners • MBS
We have one last question for Mika Kobayashi: if you had a wish, which anime would you love to perform an opening or ending for?
Mika Kobayashi: It's difficult... but I would say Jojo's Bizarre Adventure! (laughs). I'm waiting impatiently to be contacted for it! (laughs)
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure © Hirohiko Araki / SHUEISHA • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Production Committee
Yu Sato, Mika Kobayashi, Tetsuro Shimaguchi & Hiromi Matsumura at Japan Expo 2024
AniPlaylist would like to thank Mika Kobayashi and the KAMUI samurai artists for this interview and the Japan Expo staff for making it possible.
Posted by Willy Reyno on 10 Sep 2024 at 14:34 UTC