A performer of Gidayu-style shamisen based in Tokyo. Tsuruzawa completed a master’s degree in musicology at Tokyo University of the Arts and now teaches at Tokyo College of Music. In 2018 she was designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property for her artistry by the government of Japan. She has performed with various contemporary music projects in Tokyo and other places, including New York, Boston, and Toronto in 2019 through the support of the Japan Foundation.