Minyo Crusaders



Minyo Crusaders (民謡クルセイダーズ) is a Japanese musical group that reworks traditional Japanese folk songs (min'yō) with arrangements inspired by various international music genres, including Caribbean, Latin and African music. The group was co-founded by Katsumi Tanaka and Freddie Tsukamoto, with the goal of reviving min'yō as a "music for the people".

They released their first album, Echoes of Japan in 2017 on P-Vine Records. In the album the Minyo Crusaders attempt to bring back Min'yo back to its 'common man' origins, going against the recent trend that Min'yo at-large had of appealing to the upper classes despite its working class roots. The album was later reissued on Mais Um in 2019.