中井　勉　Tsutomu Nakai

大阪府出身

音頭取り（盆踊りで櫓“ヤグラ”の上で歌う人の意）であり、太鼓打ちでもある父親の指導で、3歳より盆太鼓を始める。

10歳のときには大阪の地元の盆踊りで和太鼓をたたき始め、夏の盆踊りシーズンにはフリーの太鼓打ちとして日本各地の盆踊りに出演してきた。

 Born in Osaka, Japan, Tsutomu started to practice Bon Taiko at the age of 3 under the instruction of his father who is an Ondo Tori (meaning the “singer who sings on top of the Yagura at Bon Dance Festivals”) and a Taiko drummer. At the age of 10, he started to perform Taiko at local Bon Festivals in Osaka, and since then has performed in various Bon Dance Festivals all over Japan as a freelance drummer.

盆太鼓以外にも、日本各地に昔から伝わる伝統演目や、かつぎ桶太鼓といわれる馬かわを張った桶太鼓を肩から担いで演奏するスタイル、そして、何台もの異なる太鼓を組み合わせて、チームで複雑なリズムを刻み、アンサンブルを奏でるスタイル、などをオールマイティーな太鼓奏者を目指してきた。 

Aside from Bon Taiko, Tsutomu also exposed himself to diverse styles of Taiko performances, aiming to become an “almighty” Taiko performer. His experience includes playing traditional numbers from different areas of Japan and a performance style called Katsugi Oke Taiko which he would play an Oke Taiko, made using horse skin, hanging from his shoulder. In addition to his solo skills, he also enjoys ensemble performances with his teammates using a mixture of multiple different styled Taikos.

「和太鼓　悠」というチームを立ち上げ、数多くの公演やコンサートに出演した。

2005年には、自身が所属する寝屋川青年会議所の有志のメンバーで「和太鼓　サスケ」を立ち上げ、和太鼓未経験だったメンバーを精力的に指導した。いまや、年20件以上の公演をうけるチームになっている。

「和太鼓　サスケ」は2012年祭インハワイで4公演を行い、大喝采をうけた。

He started up a Taiko team in Japan called “Wa Taiko Yu”, and performed in many concerts and stages, and in 2005, along with his co-members of the Neyagawa Junior Chamber, established “Wa Taiko Sasuke” and started to act as an instructor for those that had never played Taiko in their lives. Now, Sasuke has become a popular Taiko team which performs over 20 stages annually.

Team “Wa Taiko Sasuke” successfully performed 4 stages during the Matsuri in Hawaii 2012 and received a tremendous applause

また、和太鼓サスケのメンバーとともに、日本の幼稚園や保育園の子どもたちへの指導にも積極的に取り組む。

2009年11月には寝屋川和太鼓フェスティバルを企画運営し、来場者1,200名の大盛況をおさめた。このフェスティバルは以後、2010、2011年と開催され、「和太鼓　悠」「和太鼓　サスケ」として出演するとともに、総合司会も務めている。2012年には4年目を迎え、大阪の和太鼓ファンの楽しみとなっている。 

With the Sasuke members, he was aggressively involved in teaching Taiko to preschool students and kindergarteners.

In November, 2009, he planned and produced the very first Neyagawa Wa Taiko Festival, which became a great success with over 1,200 audiences and has been continuing every year since then. Tsutomu does not only perform as a member of both Yu and Sasuke, but also serves as the master of ceremony for the festival. In 2012, the 4^th annual festival will be held to please the Taiko fans of Osaka who are eagerly looking forward to this annual event.