FLAMENCO GUITAR CHAMP

Oki wins flamenco guitar contest in Spain
Friday 09th July, 09:08 AM JST
TOKYO

Japanese guitarist Jin Oki won a flamenco guitar contest in Spain, music label Victor Entertainment Inc said Friday. Oki is the first Japanese to win the top prize of the international division of the contest, Concurso Internacional de Guitarra Flamenca Nino Ricardo, which was held in the southeastern city of Murcia for two days from Wednesday, according to Victor Entertainment.

Oki’s management company said the 35-year-old native of Nagano Prefecture beat an Argentine guitarist in the final of the division that featured non-Spanish contestants, going one better than his runner-up finish in the 2008 contest. Oki honed his skills in Canada and Spain after graduating from high school. He wrote one of the theme tunes for the drama serial ‘‘Furinkazan,’’ aired by public broadcaster NHK in 2007.