OKI JP

About

OKI (Oki Kano, b. 1957) is a Japanese musician of mixed Japanese-Ainu descent from Hokkaido, and one of the only active players of the tonkori - a five-stringed Ainu harp that was nearly extinct when he began teaching himself to play it in the 1990s. He grew up unaware of his Ainu heritage and discovered the instrument after returning from New York, where he had worked as a special effects artist for films. Since his debut album Kamuy Kor Nupurpe (1996), he has built a singular musical language that weaves Ainu tradition together with reggae, dub and African rhythms, touring five continents with his Oki Dub Ainu Band.

What's new

2026-06
OKI Dub Ainu Band performed their full band USA debut with a concert at Japan Society in New York on June 4, 2026.
2026-06
OKI performed at ALICE in Copenhagen with his trio in September 2026, according to the venue's website.
2025
OKI made his directorial debut with the documentary 'Everyday Ainu', produced by the National Museum of Ainu in Shiraoi, Hokkaido.
2023-08
Live at Café Oto was released on August 3, 2023 - a live recording from the London Jazz Festival in November 2022.
2022-02
The compilation album Tonkori in the Moonlight was released in January 2022 on the British label Mais Um Discos and was named one of the year's best folk albums by The Guardian.