At the edge of Ueno Park sits an elegant Victorian-style building. Designed by the pioneer Japanese architect Hanroku Yamaguchi, who studied at the Ecole Politechnique in Paris, the Sogakudo was constructed in 1890 as the first hall for the performance of Western music in Japan.

For almost a century, the Sogakudo was located in the quiet grounds of the Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music. Endowed with superb natural acoustics, it provided a perfect venue for both performers visiting from abroad and the best Japanese performers of Western and Japanese music. Such artists as Kosaku Yamada, Rentaro Taki and Michio Miyagi were among those who performed frequently in this hall.

By the late '70s, though, the Sogakudo had become run down and almost useless as a hall. Paint had peeled from the walls, the roof leaked and its fine pipe organ, once the pride of Japan, functioned only as a nesting place for mice and small birds.

As it turned out, the deterioration of the hall had been no accident. The president and some faculty of the university wanted to get rid of the hall and build a new one. Their idea was to allow the old wooden Sogakudo to rot to the point where it would be past repair and could be torn down without any questions.

A new hall was certainly needed, but word got out and other faculty members and many students questioned the irresponsibility of allowing the ruin of such an important historical building. Even though it was run down, many students and faculty still used the hall and appreciated its fine, warm natural acoustics. Thus, a movement was born to save the Sogakudo.

The university administration was inflexible in its plans, however. It did offer to send the Sogakudo away to that great monument graveyard in Nagoya, Meijimura, where it would at least be preserved, but the students objected that just preserving the architectural form would be meaningless. The Sogakudo was alive because it nurtured both music and musicians.

The two sides being at a complete impasse, the then-mayor of Taito Ward, Eiichi Uchiyama, stepped in with a plan to move the Sougakudou a few hundred meters out of the campus into Ueno Park. This was acceptable to both parties, and over a period of about a year the building was painstakingly dismantled and rebuilt in its present position. Ceilings were replaced, buttresses fortified, the pipe organ rebuilt and the whole building slowly regained its original splendor and grace.

Today, as in the past, Sogakudo is used for concerts of both Western and Japanese music. Although visiting big name soloists and orchestras now tend to perform in Suntory or Orchard halls, listening to music in the Sogakudo is still a wonderful way to experience an age long past.

A performance this week will offer just such an opportunity. Shakuhachi player Komei Tanaka, a resident of Taito Ward, has created a group, Aya, which aims to offer some of the best traditional shakuhachi, koto and sangen (shamisen) music, performed by expert midcareer hogaku players in an informal and unpretentious way. The performance will take place in the Sogakudo.

The program includes one of the foundation works of the koto repertory, "Hachidan no Shirabe," composed by Yatsuhashi Kengyo in the 17th century, the shakuhachi standard "Nesting Cranes" (also 17th century), performed by three players, and a contemporary piece for a hogaku ensemble by Katsuhiko Yoshizaki, "Arora."

Music for Koto, Sangen and Shakuhachi, 7 p.m. Sept. 6 at Ueno Sogakudo, (03) 3824-1988, in Ueno Park, behind the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. Admission: 2,500 yen, students 1,000 yen. For information call Tanaka, (03) 3866-3084.

I wrote about the Sept. 3 Satomi Fukami recital extensively in the July 15 column already, but would like to add this reminder.

Fukami is one of the most innovative among the current midcareer hogaku performers. Throughout her career, she has commissioned and performed new works for the koto and, in doing so, has greatly added to the koto and shamisen repertory.

In her upcoming recital, she and Keiko Nosaka will revive an Edo Period tradition of jiuta (song, shamisen and koto) performance where the performers attempt to outplay each other through highly controlled improvised sections.

Fukami Satomi Recital for Koto and Sangen, 5 p.m. Sept. 3 at National Theater Small Hall, (03) 3230-3000. For information and tickets call Fukami Music Office, (03) 3301-3321.

As instruments, the shakuhachi and piano are completely opposite. The piano, a product of Europe's Industrial Age, is a large-scale, precision mechanical instrument, capable of expressing a wealth of harmonies and rhythmical patterns. It has become the basis of Western-style music around the world.

The shakuhachi, on the other hand, is a simple piece of bamboo, 54 cm long, with only five holes. Its shape and function have remained basically unchanged since its importation into Japan over 1,300 years ago.

One might think it impossible to combine these instruments, yet more and more musicians are finding that with the right attitude, a shakuhachi and piano combination can be quite effective. Retsuzan Tanabe and Kenichi Shimazu are two such performers.

Tanabe, who has played shakuhachi since childhood, will meet the New York-based pianist Shimazu to pit their creativity in a live performance session this month.

Shakuhachi and Piano Live in Bash, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9, Roppongi Bash, (03) 3584-8939; from Roppongi Station follow Gaien Higashi-dori toward Tokyo Tower past three stoplights and turn right on the road after the AXIS building. Bash is the fourth store on the left. Admission 2,500 yen, includes one drink.

There are two concerts coming up outside of Tokyo I would like to recommend.

In Sendai, koto and shamisen performer Chieko Fukuda will be doing a performance-demonstration featuring several classical pieces, sponsored by a Japanese instrument shop. An exhibition of Japanese instruments will also take place at the same hall.

In the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, shakuhachi wunderkind Dozan Fujiwara will present "Walking the Wind Path" Sept. 10. The museum, designed by the architect Kisho Kurokawa, is built to allow the surrounding park to blend into the structure, and Fujiwara's performance will emphasize the organic nature of the architectural atmosphere. The program will include traditional and contemporary pieces.

Chieko Fukuda, 2:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at Sendai City Silver Center Hall, (022) 215-3191. Admission free. The exhibition will take place in the same building on the 7th floor. For more information call Miyagino Gakki, (022) 279-2344.

Dozan Fujiwara, "Kaze no Michi wo Ayumu," 3 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Center Hall, (048) 824-0111. Admission free. The museum is located in the park in front of Kita-Urawa Station on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line.

To support the development of biwa music and promote high standards of performance, the Japan Biwa Music Association, with the backing of the Agency for Cultural Affairs and NHK, holds a competitive concours every September. The first- and second-place winners receive cash awards, and are subsequently broadcast on NHK Radio. Most of the leading exponents of biwa music today can claim the NHK Biwagaku Concours yusho on their resumes.

This year's concours, the 37th, will take place Sept. 10 at Tokyo Shoken Kaikan Hall, where 26 contenders will each present seven minutes of their best for a panel of leading hogaku experts. While the judges are conferring two past first-place winners will perform, followed by the award ceremony. The concours offers a good opportunity to hear up-and-coming younger players and assess the future of biwa music.