Matsuya Nozawa was born 1955 in Hiroshima city, Japan. In 1969, he began playing shamisen on recommendation from his mother.
In 1972, he started the training period as the National Theatre (国立劇場) first phase Bunraku trainee. In 1974, he completed this training, and became a private pupil of Matsunosuke Nozawa (野澤松之輔).
The same year in April, he debuted at the National theater Bunraku performances. In 1979 , he entered the company ” Shochiku Kabuki ” (松竹歌舞伎), debuted as a shamisen performer of Kabuki play ” Kanadehon Chushingura ” (仮名手本忠臣蔵) at the National theatre .
In 1999 , Matsuya Nozawa was certified as Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (重要無形文化財総合指定保持者) by Minister of Japan .
In 2004 , he established “ Creative Joruri society ” (創作浄瑠璃の会) , started the activities “ Hikigatari ( sing and play shamisen ) ” .
In 2016 , Matsuya Nozawa established “ Shaminist Japan” (三味似粋人ジャパン) , for which the slogan is ”Japanese traditional culture saves the earth”.
He plays shamisen enthusiastically for Shochiku Kabuki too (Tokyo Kabuki-za, National Theater, Shimbashi Activities Center, Kyoto Minami-za,Osaka Shochiku-za, Nagoya Misono-za and Fukuoka Hakata-za etc.)
He composed “Jiraiya Superb Story”, “NINAGAWA Twelfth Night” and many others.
He is not only a shamisen artist but is also a lecturer of Japanese tradition. And has presented at The National Theater Trainee Program and for Gakushuin University among others.
Plainly spoken, his motto is just “Japanese traditional culture must save the earth!”
As his lifework , Matsuya Nozawa composes, arranges and creates Japanese folk tales and Japanese old stories in the Joruri style, and conveys by chanting and playing Gidayu shamisen (as a storyteller).
