The Yoshida Brothers (Japanese: 吉田兄弟) were born and raised in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido. Each picked up the shamisen at the tender age of five and began studying Tsugaru shamisen under Takashi Sasaki I in 1990. After sweeping prizes at national Tsugaru shamisen conventions, the brothers made their major debut in 1999. The debut album sold over 100,000 copies, an extraordinary figure for a traditional folk music release. They won the "Traditional Japanese Music Album Of The Year" category of the 15th annual Japan Gold Disc Award