Japanese Rock Duo takes the stage at LBCC for first U.S. show

Japanese rock brothers Kuni-Ken came to LBCC on Tuesday, May 12, marking the first time the group has been to the United States.

The duo, made up of brothers Kuniaki Matsunaga and Kenji Matsunaga, are genre-defying musicians who perform both traditional Japanese music and modernized rock.

Hosted in the Bob & Barbara Ellis Auditorium, the festivities began. LBCC Superintendent-President Mike Muñoz was in attendance, praising the brothers for choosing the campus as their venue.

^{Japanese rock duo brothers known as Kuni-Ken, Kuniaki Matsunaga, left, and Kenji Matsunaga, right, playing the shamisen during their performance at Bob & Barbara Ellis Auditorium at Long Beach City College on Tuesday, May 12. (Alejandro Diaz Lopez)}

As they took the stage, the auditorium erupted with cheers and applause. The lights dimmed, and the show began.

The duration of the concert was filled with this same vibrant energy. From traditional Japanese music to the United States national anthem.

 “I’m never washing my hands again!” said LBCC student and fan Samantha Torres.

^{Muscisian Kenji Matsunaga who is apart of the Japanese rock duo brothers known as Kuni-Ken, playing the shamisen during the performance at Bob & Barbara Ellis Auditorium at Long Beach City College on Tuesday, May 12. (Alejandro Diaz Lopez)}

 “It’s been a dream of mine to see Kuni-Ken since their debut in 2017. I’ve been listening since elementary school, and now that I’m in college, I’ve gotten to see them live … Oh my gosh!” said Torres when asked about the concert’s importance.

Immediately after being interviewed, Torres ran back inside the auditorium, too excited to answer further questions.

Japanese Culture Club President Omar Quezada organized a line on the stage’s right staircase, allowing two people at a time to introduce themselves & play the instruments of Kuni-Ken.

The brothers play the Shamisen, a traditional three-stringed Japanese instrument. Costs of professional-grade Shamishens range from $5,000 to upwards of $20,000.

^{Musician Kuniaki Matsunaga, one-half of the brother Japanese rock duo known as Kuni-Ken, plays the shamisen during their performance on Tuesday, May 12 at the Bob and Barbara Ellis auditorium at LBCC’s Liberal Arts campus. (Alejandro Diaz Lopez)}

“This was my first time attending a Japanese-themed event. It was really exciting to see an insider’s perspective of Japan; it was an interesting type of experience. For my first time playing an instrument, I’d say I did pretty well,” said LBCC student Thiana Rodriguez, who, when asked about Kuni-Ken, enjoyed the performance.

Throughout the concert, Associate Professor of Japanese Hiromi Takahashi served as the translator. She made sure every native English speaker was able to understand the brothers, who did the majority of their performance in Japanese.

After both the Q&A portion and the instrument introduction, the concert officially ended. The brothers received a standing ovation from passionate fans.

“We wanna come back,” Kuniaki said excitedly. “We would like to stay as long as we can because everyone’s reaction and energy was great. We want to do it again.” 

They also emphasized the difference between performing in Japan and the USA.

“We were very surprised how everyone was so passionate, and most surprised about the reaction to our traditional music more than our rock Shamisen music.” Kuniaki said.

While Kuni-Ken plans to return to LBCC, a definite date has not been established.