Michiyo Yagi pushes the boundaries of traditional music with her koto playing
I'm sitting in Koen-Dori Classics, a darkened club in the basement of a church on Koen-dori, in Tokyo's Shibuya district. The audience is small, seated in a few rows facing the performers at the front. Silence, then the performance begins. Textured sounds emanate from ...
Duo Yumeno: Making music across the Pacific
Contemporary classical duo bring together the cello, koto and shamisen for original classical contemporary compositions.
Traditional arts live through kids
Nurturing respect for cultural traditions is a daunting challenge these days, when kids are glued to cellphones and game apps. So what does a country with centuries of carefully polished artistry do to preserve its heritage? Drop a curtain on the whole show? Not ...
What brought you to Japan? I came here for the magic. Osaka is home to some of the best close-up magicians in the world. — Ben Daggers, magician Richard Brezina | COURTESY OF RICHARD BREZINA What's your favorite Japanese word or phrase? I like Japanese tongue-twisters; my ...
Koto player Azumi Yamano revels in space and atmosphere
"The koto is a plucked string instrument in which the sound and music really reflect the player."
Karin Nakagawa's path to the koto was a discovery of Japan's musical tradition
Born into a musical family, koto player Karin Nakagawa's destiny seemed to be mapped out for her from birth — still, she put up a fight. At 3 years old, her flautist father, Masami, and her composer mother, Izumi, started young Karin on the piano. "I ...
In praise of Michiyo Yagi: Keeping the koto contemporary
Koto player Michiyo Yagi is a national treasure like no other. Why she isn't the most famous musician in all of Japan blows my feeble mind. She's a Japanese woman playing the koto — the most Japanese of Japanese musical instruments. She's part of an ...
Wasabi crafts sounds of old Japan into something new
Wasabi "Wasabi 2" (Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation) Wasabi refines its take on traditional Japanese music for sophomore album "Wasabi 2." Ryoichiro Yoshida, the elder of well-known shamisen duo the Yoshida Brothers, started Wasabi in 2008 with shakuhachi player Hiromu Motonaga and taiko drummer Naosaburou Bihou. ...
