Miki
Miki (未来) is a Japanese esraj player, Hindustani vocalist, and composer based in Tokyo. Drawn to Indian classical music through its capacity for deep improvisation and emotional truth, she devoted years to mastering the esraj — an instrument so rare that it was nearly extinct by the 1980s. Her tuning alone took two years to refine.
Then, a hit-and-run accident took that away. The injury destroyed the radius bone in her right arm — her bowing arm. Most musicians would have stopped. Miki had her esraj re-strung and re-configured for the left hand, and started again from zero.
Trained in Hindustani vocal under Amit Roy in Japan and Rewa Natu in Pune, and in esraj under Sougata Das at Shantiniketan — where Rabindranath Tagore made the instrument mandatory — and Mukesh Sharma in Delhi, she continues her studies to this day. She has performed at Kurukshetra University, Ganagapur Temple, and in Pune, and in international collaborations in Vietnam. In Japan, she works regularly with yoga practitioners, offering live accompaniment rooted in raga structure rather than ambient aesthetics.
Her recordings have drawn recognition from Indian musicians and listeners who describe experiencing the raga's full emotional depth — a response she considers the only measure of success that matters.
- Kurukshetra University — performed at one of India's foremost cultural and academic institutions
- Ganagapur Temple, Karnataka — performed at a sacred site of deep spiritual significance
- Pune, India — vocal and instrumental performances in the heartland of Hindustani classical music
- Vietnam — international collaboration with esraj and tabla
- Tokyo, Japan — regular live accompaniment for yoga and meditation practices; private tuition and workshops
