“Earth Celebration 2021 Crowdfunding Campaign Underway Now!” by Yasuko Homma

Thank you very much to everyone who tuned to the live stream of the EC 2021 Harbour Concerts on ZAIKO! While we couldn’t welcome anyone to attend in-person, we were so happy to welcome so many of you online.

As you can imagine, it’s been very challenging holding the festival during the pandemic. More than ever, Earth Celebration needs your support to be able to continue into the future. EC also wanted to welcome more people to watch the 2021 concerts, so Kodo Cultural Foundation launched a crowdfunding campaign on EC’s behalf to tick both of these boxes.

In early August, when EC Committee made the decision to change the concerts from hybrid to online only, they realized that refunding all the in-person tickets was going to seriously impact EC moving forward. So they made the sudden decision to launch a crowdfunding page, and we worked hard to get it ready in time… but we were only able to launch it the night before on Aug. 20.

Five days after the campaign began, EC had already received over 1,000,000 yen in donations. Thank you so much, everyone!

This year was the 34th EC. Over the years, there have been many legendary standout moments and wonderful performances. I think the 2021 Harbour Concerts will go down in history as outstanding performances within that long history.

If you didn’t get to watch the performances on ZAIKO, that’s a real shame. We really want as many people as possible to enjoy the concerts, so we decided to add a different way of watching the archive footage as a crowdfunding perk.

If you choose the video perk, you will receive a link to watch the concert video online for one month. I’m sure some of you who watched the concerts on ZAIKO want to see them again, too.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Akio Tsumura from Miyake-jima Geino Doshi-kai and Tomohiro Mitome in “Kiseki—Tomohiro Mitome 30 Years with Kodo Commemorative Performance” on Aug. 21, 2021

Shuichi Hidano and Tomohiro Mitome in “Kiseki—Tomohiro Mitome 30 Years with Kodo Commemorative Performance” on Aug. 21, 2021

From “Kodo All-Star Special Performance” on Aug. 22, 2021

 

How will the donation be used?

The target amount of 2,000,000 yen will be used to cover the shortfall in labor costs for production, and streaming distribution. After deducting necessary expenses such as credit card processing fees, Kodo Cultural Foundation will deposit the amount to the Earth Celebration Executive Committee.

 

Crowdfunding Campaign Page

Please support Earth Celebration 2021!

■ Crowdfunding Target: 2,000,000 yen
■ Campaign Ends: Sep. 10 (Fri) JST

Delivery Schedule for Campaign Perks

  • Thank you video/ Harbour Concert video(s):
    Emails with video links will start being sent out in early September. (Video will be available until Oct. 15)
  • T-shirts:
    [In Japan] Will be delivered by courier during September.
    [Overseas] Will be shipped from Japan by EMS in September.
  • Signed EC posters:
    Will be shipped in mid-September.

Your perks will be sent as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience!

#kodofebfilmfest

Enjoy Kodo at your place throughout February via a range of streaming platforms!

This month, there’s an exclusive lineup of online content on offer hosted by organizations in Japan and abroad.
We hope you’ll enjoy these Kodo performances and talks at your place!
Spread the word and share your watch party pictures and feedback with us using this hashtag:

#kodofebfilmfest

・Feb. 3–Mar. 7: Watch Kodo “Tsuzumi” on Selected Japanese Streaming Services in February –Pay to view/Kodo Performance (3-part)
・Feb. 5–Feb. 28: New Audiovisual Work by Filmmaker Toshiaki Toyoda “Shiver” by Ettō—Featuring Koshiro Hino and Kodo —Pay to view/Collaborative Performance
・From Feb. 13 for 72 hours: Kodo at Duke Performances Virtual Concert Series: The Show Must Go Online! —Pay to view/Kodo Performance
・All February: Kodo Heartbeat Radio episodes available on YouTube —Free to view/Japanese talk shows
・All February: Japan Live Yell Project—Niigata Prefectural Culture Festival Special Talk Series Part 3–6 (Part 1, Part 2 out now!)—Free to view/Japanese talk shows

 

Coming Up in Japan!

Kodo 40th Anniversary Concert Series
Kodo One Earth Tour 2021: Tsuzumi
Feel the reverberations of heaven and earth in harmony.

Photo: Takashi Okamoto
May–July 2021 Tour Information in English coming soon.

Reflecting on Our 2022 Europe Tour

The finale of a special concert for refugees from Ukraine in Tallinn, Estonia, on Mar. 29, 2022

Takuro Susaki

The Europe tour cast and crew have returned to Japan.

It was a real joy for Kodo to have been able to welcome and delight so many people at the concert venues we visited across Europe. I sincerely thank everyone who attended our performances, along with the many people who gave their all to make our performances possible.

As many of you know, the cast and crew faced numerous difficulties touring during a pandemic, including situations like concert cancellations that had a huge, direct impact on our tour. In Estonia, we held a concert for refugees from Ukraine, where Kodo felt the close presence of a large number of people who had lost their homes and family due to war. In many ways, this tour shook the cast and crew to the core.

Now that they are safely home, we would like to use our blog as a space where the cast members of our Europe tour can unpack and share their thoughts. I want the entire Kodo Group to learn from their experiences and for us to explore and process their stories as a group. We will use these learnings together as we plan what we can and should do next.

Takuro Susaki
President
Kitamaesen Co., Ltd.

 

Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga

We have just got back to Japan safely after our two-month-long Europe tour.

Two years ago, our Europe tour was suddenly cut short when the COVID-19 pandemic escalated: we had to return to Japan, canceling the remainder of our performances. This time, we were touring during times of pandemic and war. While both tours were memorable in different ways, our 2022 tour was an experience that really shook each and every one of us to our core.

Prior to leaving Japan, we did not know what to expect; how many people would show up to our performances? However, much to our surprise, we were welcomed by a large, warm audience everywhere we went.

Since the pandemic started, we Kodo members have felt conflicted about our purpose in this world. Performing in front of a full house audience and hearing the words “Thank you for coming,” was truly reassuring for all of us.

What can we do as taiko performers to make this world a better place?

Tackling this question has been Kodo’s mission for over 40 years, and this tour reminded all of us that we must once again ask ourselves this very question.

Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga
Kodo “Tsuzumi” 2022 Europe Tour Cast Member

“A Letter from Tsuneichi Miyamoto, and our One Earth Tour” by Takuro Susaki

I’ve been thinking a lot about what Kodo strives to achieve by touring under the banner “One Earth.”

Throughout history, people have worked hard to protect their honor, and that of their family. To seek a better life. To take on new challenges. To understand nature. Throughout history, people have also lived with the fear that people from other places might encroach on those things. Fear of losing what we have worked hard to get has continued to drive people to invade, pillage, and fight.


Every day, billions of people strive hard to get or keep hold of what they need. Sometimes, their actions lead to tug-of-wars, and tragic conflicts between nations. Every day, we are confronted by terrible situations and events in the news. We try to use logic and words to process what we see, but we feel a sense of helplessness. Often, that’s because these events do not stem from brand new issues: they were there for decades, centuries, and sometimes thousands of years, embedded in a region or in a recollection. In some cases, things were brewing in the shadows, or beneath the surface. Then suddenly things erupted again.


The other day, I came across a letter written in 1975 by Mr. Tsuneichi Miyamoto to the members of Kodo’s antecedent group, Sado no Kuni Ondekoza. It was Mr. Miyamoto’s reply to a letter that the Ondekoza members had sent to him after they finished back-to-back performances at Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris, France.

 

Here’s two excerpts from his letter:

“The world has become too convenient, and neither Sado nor Paris are far away anymore. But, we still feel a huge sense of distance, and remoteness, between us and people from different places. I think the most important thing for us to focus on now is getting rid of the sense of distance between the people on Earth.”

“I keep thinking about just how much work and effort are required to get rid of war. You are all playing taiko, so I think we must share the same hope.”

Unfortunately, 47 years on, that sense of distance between people from different places hasn’t disappeared. Travel and the flow of information have evolved, but that’s not enough. That sense of distance between people hasn’t changed. What can we do about that?

Billions of people lead their daily lives in similar ways, regardless of which country they call “home.” We don’t hear about all their hard work in the news. We don’t hear about their joy or their sorrow. But their efforts and their feelings are important because they shape our world. I think the feelings of all 7 billion people on Earth are more important to mankind than what is important to any one person or nation.


Festivals, performing arts, and music connect people. They delight people and make them smile. Perhaps arts and music can help melt away the fears we have about people from different places? By sharing arts and music, I think the people on this planet will come together as one, little by little.  


Kodo’s One Earth Tour began in 1984. Now, 38 years on, Kodo has just returned to Japan after a tour of nine countries in Europe. Despite facing many difficulties along the way, we completed that tour thanks to the support of many people. I am sincerely grateful that we could carry out this 2022 tour. I pray that this tour somehow brought us even fractionally closer to achieving our goal—One Earth. 


Kodo’s activities center around harnessing the resonant sound of taiko to foster empathy and a sense of community. I think our activities serve as a response to the letter our antecedent group received from Mr. Miyamoto 47 years ago. When faced with pandemics and conflict, we shall not be seized by fear. We will continue our activities, trusting that when people exchange smiles, and enjoy taiko and performing arts, it makes a positive difference here on Earth.

Tsuneichi Miyamoto
Folklorist, agricultural community mentor. Miyamoto greatly influenced the ideology of Sado no Kuni Ondekoza in its earliest phase. The knowledge and way of thinking he shared with the founders of Kodo remains at the basis of all of Kodo’s activities today. 

Photo: Radoslaw Kazmierczak

Call for Support

“Open Call for Hana Hachijo—WTC Version Submissions” by Chieko Kojima

Hana Hachijo: Infinity Project
—Making Taiko Rhythms Bloom Like Flowers Around the World—
Open Call for Hana Hachijo—WTC Version
Submissions for Video Collaboration!
Submission Deadline: Extended to Nov. 9!

 

The inaugural World Taiko Conference (WTC) will be held in November this year. I decided to share my signature piece, Hana Hachijo, as part of this event. I created it 21 years ago, based on a traditional folk art, Hachijo Daiko, from Hachijo Island south of Tokyo. “Hana” means flower in Japanese, and my piece incorporates rhythms from Hachijo with dance-like movements that add beauty, grace, and color.

I have traveled the world with “Hana Hachijo,” sharing its seeds with many people to date. With each encounter, I hoped those seeds would one day bloom as a unique flower when each individual played their own rendition of Hana Hachijo.
To commemorate the first WTC in Japan, I would like to start a baton relay that connects our Hana Hachijo flowers around the world. Please play Hana Hachijo, share your rendition, and pass on the baton by using the hashtag #hanabaton. Let’s pass it right around the world!

Please submit a video of you playing “Hana Hachijo,” using the videos below as a guide. There are two versions: one without metronome clicks and one with metronome clicks.

We will compile all the videos we receive to create one collaborative “Hana Hachijo” video featuring everyone. We are going to submit this final video as an exhibition at Niigata Prefectural Cultural Festival in November. After it is shown at the festival, I will share the video on social media for everyone to enjoy. WTC and Kodo will share it, too.

I’m looking forward to receiving everyone’s “flower baton” videos! Thanks in advance for taking part!


*This collaborative video is scheduled to be shared on Nov. 18, 2020 on the Niigata Prefectural Cultural Festival “Niigata Stage Channel” on YouTube. 

Details about World Taiko Conference Song Submission:
https://en.wtctokyo.com/songsubmissions


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