Michi – Kodo Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble

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

“Ready for ‘Michi’ on Sado Island tomorrow!” by Kenta Nakagome

melanie — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 06:52:55 +0000

It’s almost time for our hometown performance of “Kodo One Earth Tour 2019: Michi,” here on Sado Island!

We spend most of our time on tour away from Sado. Every time I come back to the island, the beautiful nature and scenery, the food and people, they always clear away any fatigue I brought back from the road. This place resets me.
The longer I live on Sado, the stronger I feel a sense of this island nurturing all of us at Kodo.

Our current touring work takes a look back at Kodo classics and gives us an opportunity to reflect on who we are right now. The cast ranges from veterans to newcomers, so it’s a chance for audiences to discover the appeal of a wide range of generations within Kodo today.

I am grateful to everyone on Sado Island who constantly supports our activities. I’ll put my appreciation into each beat at our performance here.
I hope you’ll join us there on November 20!

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2019: Michi”Nov. 20 (Wed), 2019 Sado Island, Niigata

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DVD “Kodo Legacy” Released Today!

melanie — Fri, 24 May 2019 04:30:47 +0000

Hello! This is Kodo Online Store.
The wait is over: the new Kodo Legacy DVD went on sale today!

We hope you’ll add this performance to your home theater collection.

It’s a full concert experience, all 94 minutes! So sit back and enjoy it as if you’re right there in the audience.

Released: May 24, 2019
Price: 4,860 yen (tax incl.)

See here for details.

Available now at Kodo Online Store in English and at Kodo performances in Japan.
Kodo Online Store also sells a range of merchandise and instruments. See our Japanese store for the full lineup.
We welcome inquiries by email for items not listed on our English store page.

Kodo Online Store
Email: store@kodo.or.jp
http://kodo.shop.multilingualcart.com/index_en_jpy.html

“The Excitement I Felt Back Then” by Kengo Watanabe

melanie — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 05:34:54 +0000

Miyake is a very important piece to me. My life as a taiko player wouldn’t be the same without Miyake.

It was watching Kodo play Miyake that made me want to join Kodo.

I first saw Miyake when I was a high school student. I watched the performers push themselves to their limits, brimming with masculine fighting spirit. I thought they were beyond cool!
I’ll never forget that sensation of trembling with excitement from deep within.

Now, I’ve been given the opportunity to play the center position in Miyake.

The excitement I felt way back then… I wonder if our audiences feel like it now.

I really want to give them that sense of excitement, so I will practice harder and harder. I’ll keep giving it my all.

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2019: Michi” Japan Tour

Upcoming Performances

Kodo “Legacy” Now Available on DVD!

We hope you’ll add this performance to your home theater collection.

It’s a complete non-stop concert experience, all 94 minutes! So sit back and enjoy it as if you’re right there in the audience.

Released: May 24, 2019
Price: 4,860 yen (tax incl.)

See here for details.

Available now at Kodo Online Store in English and at Kodo performances in Japan.

“Michi – The End and the Beginning” by Kodai Yoshida

melanie — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 06:53:41 +0000

One productions ends, and we head right into the next one. That’s the life of a Kodo member. It’s one endless challenge.

Someone once said to me, “Don’t feel secure. There’s someone better than you out there.”

I realized that every time one event finished, I felt a sense of relief.

Somehow, I got really angry when I heard those words.
Angry at myself for knowing that I felt secure and just carried on like that anyway.

I strongly felt the truth in those words when I was on tour with “Michi.”
You can’t afford to rest on your laurels, because the moment you think “I nailed it,” you’ll find another obstacle right in front of you.
The next obstacle is often like a big wall that you can’t see past. So you never know how big the following obstacle will be; all you can do is face the one right in front of you.

Lately, I’ve been spurred on by this kind of insecurity, as I tried to climb up and over each new wall.
Sometimes I’ve had to go back to the start line, sometimes I got knocked down.
One thing is for sure: I’ll keep climbing. I wonder how far I’ll go.

That’s up to me, right?
Bring on the next challenge!

Thank you for supporting our two-month “Michi” 2018 Japan Tour!

“Kodo ‘Michi’ Iwaki Performance” by Shogo Komatsuzaki

melanie — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 06:38:13 +0000

Aug. 1, 2018

There’s only four performances to go on our “Michi” 2018 tour.
We had a cast change for the second half of the tour to swap over the youngest members. Every day is fulfilling for all of us.

Our physical and mental state is different for each performance.

We have to think about drumming, walking, singing, and standing naturally on stage, which is more difficult and nerve-wracking than meets the eye. We have to make sure our body and mind are in the right condition before the curtain rises each day, so when we take a good look at ourselves, we can say, “I am in good form.”

On stage, each and every one of us has different roots and brings our own unique experience to the performance. We give it all we’ve got, right until the last beat, sharing heart and soul as we play our resounding instruments together.

Today, we have a performance in my hometown, Iwaki.

I moved to Sado Island ten years ago to become a Kodo apprentice.

Rather that trying to say my feelings with a lot of words to the special people in my hometown, I’ll try to say what I want to say through my sound on stage.

Upcoming “Michi” Performances

Cast (July-Aug.)

Motofumi Yamaguchi, Eiichi Saito, Tomohiro Mitome, Kenta Nakagome, Maya Minowa, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Masayasu Maeda, Kodai Yoshida, Seita Saegusa, Yuki Hirata, Chihiro Watanabe, Taiyo Onoda, Shun Takuma

“Ready for the 2018 ‘Michi’ Japan Tour” by Naomi Iseki

melanie — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:40:50 +0000

June 8, 2018

Today we had our dress rehearsal at Kyoto-fu Chutan Bunka Kaikan in Ayabe, Kyoto. We have been working tirelessly to create and rehearse this programme and now it’s time to share it with audiences all over Japan. See you at a theater near you!

Kodo Special Concert 2018 “Michi” Japan Tour