Kodo Publicity – Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble

#kodofebfilmfest

melanie — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 08:32:22 +0000

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.

May–July 2021 Tour Information in English coming soon.

10 Interesting Facts About “Kodo One Earth Tour: Legacy”

taro — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 05:40:40 +0000

In early 2020, Kodo will tour with “Legacy” for the first time in Europe. This work focuses on preserving Kodo’s unique “DNA” by drawing on the iconic form found within classic Kodo pieces and carefully sharing the essence of those traditions with the next generation. Expect audience favorites coupled with new compositions and arrangements, infused with creativity and boundless energy.

Honed through extensive tours in 2018–2019, under its Japanese title “Michi,” this program showcases quintessential Kodo, past and present.

Before you come to the theater, check out the fun facts below to gain some insight to this eclectic programme.

1) Legacy features music from the soundtrack of “The Hunted”

This production includes two pieces that Kodo’s Motofumi Yamaguchi composed for martial-arts action thriller “The Hunted”: the eponymous track and Kirina’s Theme. In fact, Kodo performed the entire soundtrack for this film. You might be surprised to learn that this work links Kodo to Julia Roberts and Richard Gere—the script for “Pretty Woman” was written by J.F. Lawton, the director and writer for “The Hunted.”

2) The largest drum on stage is about two-thirds as heavy as a grand piano

The mighty o-daiko weighs around 300 kilos and measures 145 cm in diameter. To imagine lifting one onto its stand, picture lifting a grand piano onto a large, high table. You’d require a big team, right? Kodo lifts the drum onto a cart first, then onto a stand for its Legacy performances. So the members need strength just to get the drum into position, and then power, technique and energy to make it resonate. The cart and stand are assembled and dismantled before and after each concert.

3) Kodo will play an alternative version of its signature piece Monochrome for the first time in Europe this year.

You may know Kodo classic Monochrome, composed by the late Maki Ishii in 1976, but did you know that Ishii’s original composition had two versions? Version A with o-daiko (large drums) part way through, and Version B without o-daiko. Kodo has mainly performed Version B on its tours to date, so that version became recognized around the world. For Legacy, director Yuichiro Funabashi wanted to introduce the other variant of Monochrome, and Kodo worked with conductor Tatsuya Shimono to render the nuances of Ishii’s complex score as intended. Kodo will perform this alternative version in Europe for the first time in 2020.

4) Legacy has a cast of 14 performers, selected from the 37-strong ensemble

Kodo currently has 10 female and 27 male performers, ranging in age from 21 to 69 years old. While Kodo is based on Sado Island, there are no Kodo members from the island. There is one member from Niigata Prefecture, where Sado is located. And there are two members who hail from the USA. Every year, Kodo welcomes people to audition for its apprentice programme from all over Japan and abroad, although advanced Japanese skills are a must to undertake the training.

5) From start to finish, you’ll hear 90 instruments during the performance

There are 39 different types of instruments used in each Legacy performance, including 11 types of taiko drum. With 90 instruments in all, including 32 taiko, Kodo has to hire a large truck to carry this precious cargo all over Europe. Kodo has three sets of drums so it can ship drums by sea to and from other continents while it tours in Japan. It takes a lot of logistics for Kodo to deliver performances around the world!

6) Uchoten uses three instruments that Kodo developed especially for the stage.

Uchoten means rapture or euphoria. It’s a brand-new piece played on a range of portable drums that Kodo designed to use in their performances with the help of renowned taiko maker Asano Taiko. There’s the high-pitched Shime-jishi Taiko, which leads the ensemble; the world’s first taiko that you can tune each head to a different pitch, Kanade; and the rich, low-toned bass drum, Hibiki. The combination is sure to get your feet stomping to the infectious beat.

7) Kodo freely incorporates instruments that it encounters on its travels into its compositions

There are several examples of this in Legacy. One is found in “Kirina’s Theme”—the beautiful melodic piece that sets the scene in “The Hunted” where melancholic Kirina makes her entrance. In this production, “Kirina’s Theme” features a harp from the Amami Islands in Southern Japan. It’s a new arrangement created especially for this programme. On Amami Oshima, this harp is played to accompany shima-uta (island folk songs). When Kodo travels, it encounters many traditional arts and instruments. Rather than imitating those arts, Kodo takes inspiration from them. Later, the members draw on their travels, using innovation and imagination to create new soundscapes.

8) Legacy blends an array of Asian instruments into a sacred dance scene

Kodo doesn’t limit itself to using Japanese instruments. In Legacy, Hitotsu creates a mysterious realm by incorporating an array of sounds from other parts of Asia. One is the Ragdung from Tibet, which looks like a Swiss horn. The piece also features shawm-like suonas, Chinese cymbals, and gongs, which meld with taiko and voices to evoke a sacred scene where Eiichi Saito depicts the “Prince of Lanling” with a dance based on a 1200-year-old court dance. His costume is a combination of clothing worn for various sacred Shinto dances.

9) Kodo originally visited Miyake Island to hear a song, not a drum piece.

Miyake is Kodo’s arrangement of a taiko piece from a festival on Miyake Island. Kodo members learned to play Miyake Taiko when they visited the island on the way back from a trip to Hachijo Island in 1982. They originally stopped there to listen to a local folk song and instead encountered an art that would go on to become one of Kodo’s most recognized pieces. Mr. Akio Tsumura taught the members to play the taiko that leads the mikoshi (portable shrine) procession in the Kamitsuki area of Miyake Island. While the rhythm and playing style of Kodo’s arrangement differs from the original art, Kodo members learn to play both styles and honor the roots of the traditional art every time they play it.

10) Legacy features a workman’s song that connects Sado Island to Hokkaido

While many workman’s songs in Japan are related to taiko by means of their references to felling and hauling trees for lumber, Okiage Ondo hails from work at sea. It’s an arrangement of a herring fisherman’s song from Hokkaido. Back in the day, herring was one of Hokkaido’s main products. The fish exports were shipped along the Sea of Japan on trade ships (kitamaesen), which linked Sado Island and Western Japan with the far north.

That’s all ten. We hope you learned something new!
We’re really looking forward to sharing this programme with audiences around Europe!
See below for the production trailer on YouTube, our tour schedule, and box office details.

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2020: Legacy” Europe Tour

Schedules

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 2 with Kodo– (Aug. 17)

melanie — Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:42:57 +0000

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 3 with Kodo– (Aug. 18)

melanie — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 06:10:15 +0000

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 1 with Kodo– (Aug. 16)

melanie — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 09:00:10 +0000

[Kodo MEGURU] Message from Director Yuta Sumiyoshi

melanie — Thu, 15 Nov 2018 04:26:18 +0000

I am so happy to share Kodo’s new production “MEGURU” with audiences throughout Japan this month and next.
MEGURU means to revolve or come full circle. Based on that theme, I carefully crafted this programme from all new pieces, each created with a focus on conjuring scenery with sound.

All things in nature loop, there are no exceptions.
The sun and moon, water and life, they all revolve without exception.
All things that begin come to an end, then begin again. Beyond space and time, over and over again.
This phenomenon extends to spiritual things, too, such as souls and people’s feelings.

Such cycles have turned for thousands of years, and perhaps the tales people hand down through time have influenced us unknowingly.
I’ve come to think that if people from different countries or cultures can imagine scenery in the same way, then an individual’s own memories or knowledge aren’t the only things that shape their perceptions.

So, what do we have in common?

Throughout time, I think we humans have always sought an understanding of the senses shared by all human beings, and this pursuit has continually led us into contact with the arts.
There are various artistic activities, such as art and music, but none of them are necessities for humans to live their lives.
Even so, humans throughout time have foregone sleep to draw pictures and to create music.

I too have moments when I only want to create music.
I get this feeling of wanting to give shape to something that lies somewhere within me.

I want to hear my soul’s voice.

That kind of impulse is like a tale in itself that has come around and around again. It’s also what I want to depict through this work.

I hope MEGURU will take us on a journey together in pursuit of that soul, a journey that circles imaginary scenery evoked by Kodo’s sound.
We will cherish each and every sound as we perform to facilitate this quest with our audience.

MEGURU (Japan Tour)

Schedules

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Behind the Scenes Before EC

melanie — Fri, 17 Aug 2018 01:01:30 +0000

Check out these photos and posts featuring Kodo behind the scenes before Earth Celebration 2018 (Aug. 17–19)

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 3

melanie — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 06:12:09 +0000

Check out these photos and posts featuring Kodo on Day 3 of Earth Celebration 2018 (Aug. 17–19)

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 2

melanie — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 00:48:42 +0000

Check out these photos and posts featuring Kodo on Day 2 of Earth Celebration 2018 (Aug. 17–19)

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 1

melanie — Sat, 18 Aug 2018 00:44:50 +0000

Check out these photos and posts featuring Kodo on Day 1 of Earth Celebration 2018 (Aug. 17–19)

Kodo Publicity – Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble

#kodofebfilmfest

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

Coming Up in Japan!

10 Interesting Facts About “Kodo One Earth Tour: Legacy”

Schedules

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 2 with Kodo– (Aug. 17)

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 3 with Kodo– (Aug. 18)

Earth Celebration 2019 –Day 1 with Kodo– (Aug. 16)

[Kodo MEGURU] Message from Director Yuta Sumiyoshi

Schedules

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Behind the Scenes Before EC

Earth Celebration Official Website Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 3

Earth Celebration Official Website Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 2

Earth Celebration Official Website Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Kodo at Earth Celebration 2018 – Day 1

Earth Celebration Official Website Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!

Earth Celebration Official Website
Save the dates for EC 2019: Aug. 16–18!