Tag - kodo

 
 

KODO

Mizuki Yoneyama is the Kodo taiko troupe's first female odaiko (large-scale drum) player, an indication that things are changing in the traditional community.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 2, 2023
For these women, taiko drumming is no longer a man's art
Ensemble taiko shows were developed in the 1950s, primarily by male leaders. Women taking part in Kodo’s early recitals only performed dance routines.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 15, 2022
'This Monk Wears Heels' is a thing of beauty
Makeup artist, Buddhist monk and LGBTQ advocate Kodo Nishimura's memoir is a heartfelt and fun read that asks us to look inward with clear compassion and love ourselves.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2021
Two Japanese LGBTQ rights activists of different faiths find common ground
Homophobia in a country that has yet to legalize gay marriage has not stopped two Tokyo-based religious leaders from doing what they are called to do.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 7, 2021
Paying pilgrimage to the last kissaten on the Kumano Kodo trail
Writer Craig Mod takes inventory of the coffee shops that are left alongside the old roads of the Ohechi Kumano Kodo UNESCO World Heritage routes.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Oct 15, 2020
Buddhist monk and makeup artist seeks LGBTQ equality in Japan
Kodo Nishimura has recently released a book about his experiences, and hopes to raise awareness and spark discussion.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 30, 2020
Taiko group Kodo makes a plea for donations amid the COVID-19 crisis
With Japanese drumming group Kodo forced to cancel this year's tour, the group has made an appeal for donations and equipment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 3, 2018
Fukuoka enlists artificial intelligence in fight against organized crime
Advances in artificial intelligence have come along in leaps and bounds in recent years, prompting police in Fukuoka and Kyoto to look into ways of using the technology to tackle organized crime.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 9, 2018
Two millennia of heritage along Wakayama's Kumano Kodo trail
The Kii Peninsula is a land of ancient spiritual paths and holy mountains. Part of Wakayama Prefecture, the area is famous for onsen, temperate rainforests, mountains and a beautiful coastline. The prefecture is known as a place of rich cultural heritage, in part because of its connection to the Kii Province and the Kumano Kodo trail.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Voices / COMMUNITY CHEST
Oct 1, 2017
Kumano Kodo guide unfairly singled out
A letter regarding Amy Chavez's Japan Lite column 'Blame for 'bad tourists' to Japan lies with the advice they never receive.'
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / Gourmet Trails
Jul 22, 2017
The Kumano Kodo: Hot spring-boiled eggs and ancient bento along the trail
I alighted at Kii Tanabe Station to hike the Kumano Kodo, a wooded trail through Japan's spiritual heartland in Wakayama Prefecture that leads to the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Hongu Taisha, Hayatama Taisha and Nachi Taisha.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 25, 2016
UNESCO adds 40 km of Kumano Kodo pilgramage routes to World Heritage register
Japan's strained relationship with UNESCO took a positive turn earlier this week after the organization approved the registration of an additional 40 km of the Kumano Kodo routes to its World Heritage register.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 22, 2016
Kabuki's Bando Tamasaburo V takes Kodo drum troupe in an artistic new direction with 'Spiral'
To celebrate its 35th anniversary, the internationally renowned Kodo drumming troupe staged three days of performances at Tokyo's Suntory Hall in mid-August, with a different theme for each show.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / PHOTO ESSAY
Aug 20, 2016
Kumano Kodo: a trek to Japan's sacred heart
Two photographers walk the nation's legendary pilgrimage route, capturing the eerie solitude of a spiritual path that still dwarfs humans
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Jan 2, 2016
Looking for a bit of light in the fight against crime
Do you ever get the feeling that you're trapped in Harold Ramis' 1993 movie "Groundhog Day," except that you're an investigative journalist, not a weatherman, and the nemesis that keeps popping up isn't a rodent but a crime syndicate boss? Maybe it's just me.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 10, 2015
'Taiko' pioneer Eitetsu Hayashi to mark 45 years of drumming to his own beat
It's the image that comes to most people when they think of a traditional taiko (Japanese drum) performance: A man standing in front of a giant drum, back to the crowd and furiously banging away to create a powerful rhythm.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Sep 5, 2015
Gang split may end with a whimper, not a bang
A detective who specialized in organized crime once told me a dark joke: What type of crime occurs when a member of the yakuza kills another gangster? Answer: destruction of property.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
May 9, 2015
Keeping the yakuza away from the 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo should be a cause for celebration but this may depend on who you talk to.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 4, 2015
Kabuki icon takes Dazzle dancers to new levels
Street dance has been growing in popularity for years among younger generations in "Cool Japan," with displays often attracting crowds of passers-by.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 12, 2014
Inside the kingdom of Kodo
As world leaders in the performing art of Japanese drumming, Kodo state on their website that their mission is: "To explore the limitless possibilities of the traditional Japanese drum, the taiko (aka wadaiko), and to forge new directions for this vibrant living art form."
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 23, 2014
Review: DJ Krush at the Tokyo National Museum
It's all in the location. For his sold-out Red Bull Music Academy show on Monday night, DJ Krush traded his regular clubland haunts for something a little fancier: the courtyard of the Yoshio Taniguchi-designed Gallery of Horyuji Treasures at Tokyo National Museum in Ueno. Entering through an imposing temple gate, the audience took their seats on an island facing the stage, surrounded by water and overlooked by Taniguchi's striking, minimalist architecture. It was a setting that demanded reverence, and even the occasional cloudburst couldn't dampen the mood (though the free ponchos distributed to the crowd were definitely appreciated).

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree