This month Kodo is performing at Kabukiza Theatre as musicians for the new Kabuki production “Yugen.” It’s based on the sellout Tamasaburo Bando and Kodo collaboration last year, which went by the same name. Both the 2017 production and 2018 Kabuki are based on three iconic Noh plays: The Feather Robe, The Stone Bridge, and Dojoji Temple.

So, why see a new Kabuki work based on a collaboration based on Noh?
In short, this production is a trip to a deep, dark, intriguing part of Japan that you won’t find on TripAdvisor or the like.
You may not realize it from the flier, but this is your chance to go off the beaten track and deep into the woods of Japanese culture.

I saw last year’s version three times, and this year’s twice so far. I’m going back for a third time before it ends on Sep. 26. There’s something quite addictive about the world they conjure on stage and I feel compelled to go again while I have the chance.

In all honesty, this is unlike any Kabuki I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been fortunate enough to attend quite a few performances at Kabukiza Theatre over the past decade.
The big difference for me is probably the powerful beat. There is something about twenty Kodo performers on that immense stage playing with such soul and precision that draws you in and carries you away with more force than usual. As if connecting the audience to the stage on a primal, foot-tap inducing level, I felt the addition of more drums and new music made the Kabuki less foreign and more superhuman than usual. Prepare to be stunned by the power, grace, and presence of the actors. It’s extraordinary and breathtaking.

Quite simply, Yugen is a spectacular, entertaining event that will show you Japanese culture with splendour and intensity, give you goosebumps, make your jaw drop and your heart beat in time with the stage and audience members.
While it might be the most Japanese experience you’ll have in Japan, I suspect you’ll also leave feeling more connected to the humans all over the world. I can’t help but thinking that human beings doing their best on stage, right before our eyes, inspire us all the more in whatever we strive to do each day. In an age of YouTube and people happy to watch a DVD if they can’t attend a performance, “Yugen” reminds us of the many roles of the theater: to delight, to surprise, to remind us of human effort and ability, and to recharge our souls. I could go on.

I don’t want to add any spoilers, so I’ll just urge you once more: if you’re in or near Tokyo, I really hope you can see this performance.

And I invite you to share your feedback after you attend.
Kodo will be using this valuable experience to inspire our new compositions and productions, so we would appreciate your insight to help us entertain you all the more!

Kodo Appearance in New Kabuki Production “Yugen” at Kabukiza Theatre September Kabuki Performances [Evening Show] (Chuo Ward, Tokyo)

Photos: Takashi Okamoto
Stage Production: Shochiku Co. Ltd.
All rights reserved.

1. Ayaori is played on newly-designed drums that produce a different key on either side.

Ayaori means “twill weave.” This composition is performed by three drummers playing katsugi okedo daiko (portable barrel drums). At first glance, these three drums look like regular barrel drums, but there’s more to them than meets the eye. This innovative taiko, Kanade, was developed by Kodo performer Masayuki Sakamoto in collaboration with renowned Japanese taiko maker, Asano Taiko. Recipient of the Japan Good Design Award in 2015, it’s the world’s first taiko that lets a performer tune the drumhead on either side to a different key. In Ayaori, the drummers use the two-tones of the drum and a range of different drumsticks to weave a multitude of tones into a musical tapestry.

2. The performers use handheld switches to control their overhead lights in Ake no Myojo.

Set in a realm of darkness, captivating Ake no Myojo is a dynamic yet haunting piece. Its name means “Venus in the morning sky.” Each performer appears wearing a light overhead that they control using a handheld switch to create two light patterns. This complex piece challenges the performers to drum, sing, and dance in rapidly-changing formations, all while carefully controlling their individual overhead light.

3. The climatic finale, Rasen, has a special significance to the production.

“Evolution” showcases Kodo’s classic and latest repertoire and its climax is the finale, Rasen, which means “spiral.” In fact, this production premiered in Japan as “Kodo One Earth Tour: Spiral” to match the Japanese production name, “Rasen.” In the eponymous final number, the performers conjure a spiral as they perform in turn, creating a whirling vortex of energy that envelops the entire audience. Rasen also depicts a helix of sound and spirit that connects Kodo’s history to its present and continually drives the ensemble headstrong into the future. Refrains from long-upheld Kodo signature pieces emerge within the fervent torrent of beats as the next generation pays homage to the past while asserting their own dedication to the evolution of taiko performing arts.

4. The performers use custom-made bags of bells instead of drumsticks in Color.

This comical piece offers some lighthearted relief by playing taiko that usually appear in very traditionally performing arts, such as Kabuki and Noh theater, in brand new ways. The concept behind Color is a fun piece where the drummers and drums creates a rainbow of sound. One of the most unique ways the drums are played in Color is by beating them with a bag of little bells. Just picking up one of these bags makes a sound, but when you hit the taiko with it, you get two sounds at once. Kodo discovered that if the performers made their own bag of bells, this type of “drumstick” broke very easily, so now a professional craftsperson makes the sturdy bell bags for Kodo, especially for that particular purpose.

5. Monochrome precedes Color

Monochrome is the final number in the first act of Evolution. This intricate taiko piece was created by modern composer Maki Ishii and Kodo has performed it for decades on countless stages around the world. In 1976, the premiere of Monochrome was performed by Kodo’s antecedent group, Sado no Kuni Ondekoza, and the ensemble has continued to uphold this piece ever since. It remains one of the most iconic pieces in Kodo’s broad repertoire.

6. Kei Kei means “the piercing sparkle of an intent gaze.”

This up-tempo piece was composed in 2012 by Kodo performer Yuta Sumiyoshi, who has a special flair for creating sound. He penned Kei Kei to fulfill a request for a “youthful, shiny, happy tune.” Then Tamasaburo Bando, the director of the production that first featured this piece, had the idea to arrange it as a medium-tempo, jazz-like number, played by many performers moving around in a circle. That’s how the current performance style of this piece emerged.

7. The taiko used in Kusawake are original instruments designed by Kodo.

Kodo is not only dexterous when it comes to playing traditional Japanese instruments; the ensemble also develops new instruments to use on stage. One example is the shime-jishi daiko used in Kusawake. When taiko are played as an ensemble, the drums can tend to drown each other out. So Kodo created a new drum with a shrill, sharp sound that enables it to stand out and be heard. The inventive shime-jishi daiko uses different skins for either head and can be played with bamboo or wooden sticks to elicit a range of tones.

8. The drumsticks used to play Monochrome have an unusual shape. 

Since ancient times, the loud, resonant sound of taiko has been used in an array of ways, such as to convey prayers, deliver messages, and signal battles. However, Maki Ishii’s Monochrome begins with barely-audible beats, which is one of the reasons this work is considered a revolutionary, modern composition. To produce such a faint sound with taiko, the Kodo performers make drumsticks with finely tapered tips, especially for this piece.

9. The bamboo flutes used in Yuyami are selected for the key of the piece.
There are a range of traditional flutes in Japan, such as the nohkan, used for Noh theater, and the ryuteki and hichiriki used in court music. Yuyami, which means dusk, features the shinobue, a traditional Japanese transverse flute made from small bamboo. There are two types of shinobue: one is the “classical” type, used for traditional performing arts, and one is the “song” type, which is made to suit the Western scale. There are several different flutes for each type because each shinobue is used to play a different key. Shinobue are numbered so performers know which flute is in which key, allowing them to select the right flute for a particular song. So, while all shinobue may look the same, sometimes you will see performers change their flute during a shinobue piece to play a part in a different key.

10. O-daiko soloist Kenta Nakagome has his own original style of music notation.

Kenta Nakagome is one of Kodo’s power hitters and audiences will get to see him in action in “Evolution” playing the big drum, O-daiko. There are two common ways for taiko players to learn or share a composition: one is by speaking the rhythms and the other is by using written scores, such as those commonly found in Western music or classical Japanese music. A fun fact about Nakagome is that he uses his own style of music notation to convey the sound he has in mind to his colleagues. So, do you have any idea what these symbols might mean?

Perhaps you’ll find out when you see him in action on stage!

Here’s a sneak peak. We hope to see you at a theater near you soon!

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2019: Evolution” North America Tour

Director: Tamasaburo Bando
Appearing: Mitsuru Ishizuka, Kenta Nakagome, Eri Uchida, Yuta Sumiyoshi, Jun Jidai, Ryoma Tsurumi, Kengo Watanabe, Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga, Hayato Otsuka, Tomoe Miura, Mizuki Yoneyama, Issei Kohira, Yuta Kimura, Yuki Hirata, Chihiro Watanabe, Taiyo Onoda

Schedule

• Jan 31 (Thu), 2019 The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
• Feb 2 (Sat), 2019 – Feb 3 (Sun), 2019 Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, California, USA
• Feb 5 (Tue), 2019 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, Oregon, USA
• Feb 7 (Thu), 2019 Mesa Arts Center Ikeda Theater, Mesa, Arizona, USA
• Feb 9 (Sat), 2019 Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara, California, USA
• Feb 10 (Sun), 2019 Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California, USA
• Feb 12 (Tue), 2019 Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Feb 16 (Sat), 2019 Macky Auditorium, Boulder, Colorado, USA [SOLD OUT]
• Feb 17 (Sun), 2019 Lincoln Center Fort Collins, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
• Feb 19 (Tue), 2019 Lied Center of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
• Feb 22 (Fri), 2019 Mayo Civic Center – Presentation Hall, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
• Feb 23 (Sat), 2019 Pablo Center at the Confluence, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
• Feb 26 (Tue), 2019 Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, Michigan, USA
• Feb 28 (Thu), 2019 Symphony Center Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Mar 1 (Fri), 2019 The Palladium, Carmel, Indiana, USA
• Mar 2 (Sat), 2019 Krannert Center’s Tryon Festival Theatre, Urbana, Illinois, USA
• Mar 4 (Mon), 2019 Spaulding Auditorium at Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
• Mar 6 (Wed), 2019 University of Massachusetts Amherst Fine Arts Center, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
• Mar 8 (Fri), 2019 – Mar 9 (Sat), 2019 Quick Center at Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
• Mar 12 (Tue), 2019 Kimmel Center for the Arts Verizon Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• Mar 13 (Wed), 2019 Williams Center for the Arts at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
• Mar 14 (Thu), 2019 Mayo Center for the Performing Arts, Morristown, New Jersey, USA
• Mar 16 (Sat), 2019 George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
• Mar 18 (Mon), 2019 Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington, Vermont, USA
• Mar 21 (Thu), 2019 Sony Center for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Mar 23 (Sat), 2019 Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Mar 25 (Mon), 2019 National Arts Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2019: Evolution” North America Tour

1. Ayaori is played on newly-designed drums that produce a different key on either side.

Ayaori means “twill weave.” This composition is performed by three drummers playing katsugi okedo daiko (portable barrel drums). At first glance, these three drums look like regular barrel drums, but there’s more to them than meets the eye. This innovative taiko, Kanade, was developed by Kodo performer Masayuki Sakamoto in collaboration with renowned Japanese taiko maker, Asano Taiko. Recipient of the Japan Good Design Award in 2015, it’s the world’s first taiko that lets a performer tune the drumhead on either side to a different key. In Ayaori, the drummers use the two-tones of the drum and a range of different drumsticks to weave a multitude of tones into a musical tapestry.

2. The performers use handheld switches to control their overhead lights in Ake no Myojo.

Set in a realm of darkness, captivating Ake no Myojo is a dynamic yet haunting piece. Its name means “Venus in the morning sky.” Each performer appears wearing a light overhead that they control using a handheld switch to create two light patterns. This complex piece challenges the performers to drum, sing, and dance in rapidly-changing formations, all while carefully controlling their individual overhead light.

3. The climatic finale, Rasen, has a special significance to the production.

“Evolution” showcases Kodo’s classic and latest repertoire and its climax is the finale, Rasen, which means “spiral.” In fact, this production premiered in Japan as “Kodo One Earth Tour: Spiral” to match the Japanese production name, “Rasen.” In the eponymous final number, the performers conjure a spiral as they perform in turn, creating a whirling vortex of energy that envelops the entire audience. Rasen also depicts a helix of sound and spirit that connects Kodo’s history to its present and continually drives the ensemble headstrong into the future. Refrains from long-upheld Kodo signature pieces emerge within the fervent torrent of beats as the next generation pays homage to the past while asserting their own dedication to the evolution of taiko performing arts.

4. The performers use custom-made bags of bells instead of drumsticks in Color.

This comical piece offers some lighthearted relief by playing taiko that usually appear in very traditionally performing arts, such as Kabuki and Noh theater, in brand new ways. The concept behind Color is a fun piece where the drummers and drums creates a rainbow of sound. One of the most unique ways the drums are played in Color is by beating them with a bag of little bells. Just picking up one of these bags makes a sound, but when you hit the taiko with it, you get two sounds at once. Kodo discovered that if the performers made their own bag of bells, this type of “drumstick” broke very easily, so now a professional craftsperson makes the sturdy bell bags for Kodo, especially for that particular purpose.

5. Monochrome precedes Color

Monochrome is the final number in the first act of Evolution. This intricate taiko piece was created by modern composer Maki Ishii and Kodo has performed it for decades on countless stages around the world. In 1976, the premiere of Monochrome was performed by Kodo’s antecedent group, Sado no Kuni Ondekoza, and the ensemble has continued to uphold this piece ever since. It remains one of the most iconic pieces in Kodo’s broad repertoire.

6. Kei Kei means “the piercing sparkle of an intent gaze.”

This up-tempo piece was composed in 2012 by Kodo performer Yuta Sumiyoshi, who has a special flair for creating sound. He penned Kei Kei to fulfill a request for a “youthful, shiny, happy tune.” Then Tamasaburo Bando, the director of the production that first featured this piece, had the idea to arrange it as a medium-tempo, jazz-like number, played by many performers moving around in a circle. That’s how the current performance style of this piece emerged.

7. The taiko used in Kusawake are original instruments designed by Kodo.

Kodo is not only dexterous when it comes to playing traditional Japanese instruments; the ensemble also develops new instruments to use on stage. One example is the shime-jishi daiko used in Kusawake. When taiko are played as an ensemble, the drums can tend to drown each other out. So Kodo created a new drum with a shrill, sharp sound that enables it to stand out and be heard. The inventive shime-jishi daiko uses different skins for either head and can be played with bamboo or wooden sticks to elicit a range of tones.

8. The drumsticks used to play Monochrome have an unusual shape. 

Since ancient times, the loud, resonant sound of taiko has been used in an array of ways, such as to convey prayers, deliver messages, and signal battles. However, Maki Ishii’s Monochrome begins with barely-audible beats, which is one of the reasons this work is considered a revolutionary, modern composition. To produce such a faint sound with taiko, the Kodo performers make drumsticks with finely tapered tips, especially for this piece.

9. The bamboo flutes used in Yuyami are selected for the key of the piece.
There are a range of traditional flutes in Japan, such as the nohkan, used for Noh theater, and the ryuteki and hichiriki used in court music. Yuyami, which means dusk, features the shinobue, a traditional Japanese transverse flute made from small bamboo. There are two types of shinobue: one is the “classical” type, used for traditional performing arts, and one is the “song” type, which is made to suit the Western scale. There are several different flutes for each type because each shinobue is used to play a different key. Shinobue are numbered so performers know which flute is in which key, allowing them to select the right flute for a particular song. So, while all shinobue may look the same, sometimes you will see performers change their flute during a shinobue piece to play a part in a different key.

10. O-daiko soloist Kenta Nakagome has his own original style of music notation.

Kenta Nakagome is one of Kodo’s power hitters and audiences will get to see him in action in “Evolution” playing the big drum, O-daiko. There are two common ways for taiko players to learn or share a composition: one is by speaking the rhythms and the other is by using written scores, such as those commonly found in Western music or classical Japanese music. A fun fact about Nakagome is that he uses his own style of music notation to convey the sound he has in mind to his colleagues. So, do you have any idea what these symbols might mean?

Perhaps you’ll find out when you see him in action on stage!

Here’s a sneak peak. We hope to see you at a theatre near you soon!

“Kodo One Earth Tour 2018: Evolution” Europe Tour

Director: Tamasaburo Bando
Appearing: Mitsuru Ishizuka, Kenta Nakagome, Eri Uchida, Maya Minowa, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Yuta Sumiyoshi, Jun Jidai, Ryoma Tsurumi, Kengo Watanabe, Ryotaro Leo Ikenaga, Hayato Otsuka, Tomoe Miura, Yuta Kimura, Yuki Hirata, Chihiro Watanabe

Schedules

• Jan. 30 (Tue), 2018 Brighton Dome, Brighton, United Kingdom
• Feb. 2 (Fri), 2018 Manchester Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, United Kingdom
• Feb. 4 (Sun), 2018 Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, United Kingdom
• Feb. 5 (Mon), 2018 Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham, United Kingdom
• Feb. 7 (Wed), 2018 The Sage Newcastle, Gateshead, United Kingdom
• Feb. 11 (Sun), 2018 Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
• Feb. 13 (Tue), 2018 Concert Hall Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark
• Feb. 15 (Thu), 2018 Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Feb. 18 (Sun), 2018 – Feb. 19 (Mon), 2018 Philharmonie, Munich, Germany
• Feb. 21 (Wed), 2018 Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
• Feb. 22 (Thu), 2018 Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg, Germany
• Feb. 24 (Sat), 2018 Kulturpalast Dresden, Dresden, Germany
• Feb. 26 (Mon), 2018 Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany
• Mar. 2 (Fri), 2018 Kuppelsaal, Hanover, Germany
• Mar. 4 (Sun), 2018 Liederhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
• Mar. 6 (Tue), 2018 Tonhalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
• Mar. 9 (Fri), 2018 Parco della Musica – Sala Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy
• Mar. 11 (Sun), 2018 – Mar. 12 (Mon), 2018 Teatro Dal Verme, Milan, Italy (Details TBA)
• Mar. 14 (Wed), 2018 Théâtre du Léman Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland
• Mar. 16 (Fri), 2018 Musical Theater Basel, Basel, Switzerland
• Mar. 17 (Sat), 2018 Samsung Hall Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
• Mar. 18 (Sun), 2018 – Mar. 19 (Mon), 2018 KKL Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
• Mar. 22 (Thu), 2018 Nordea Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia (Details TBA)
• Mar. 24 (Sat), 2018 – Mar. 25 (Sun), 2018 Savoy Theatre, Helsinki, Finland
• Mar. 29 (Thu), 2018 BKZ Oktyabrskiy Big Concert Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia (Details TBA)
• Mar. 31 (Sat), 2018 Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia (Details TBA)

Further details: https://www.kodo.or.jp/en/performance_en/performance_kodo_en/4522

When I joined Kodo, I never imagined I would be given the chance to wear kumadori stage makeup or perform the traditional hair whip (kefuri) shown in the photo above! When I appear on stage in the role of shishi (beast), I perform each and every hair whip with great care.

Photo: Takashi Okamoto

Tamasaburo Bando x Kodo Special Performance “Yugen” (Japan)

Hello, everyone! This is Kengo Watanabe. It has been a while since my last Kodo Blog post.

Yesterday we arrived in Sakata City in Yamagata Prefecture. I visited Sankyo Soko, a rice storehouse that was built in 1893. It is still used today.

I also saw these great Japanese zelkova (keyaki) trees all in a row.

Today we have our final performance of Kodo Premium Concert “An Invitation from Tamasaburo Bando into the World of Kodo.” I look forward to seeing everyone at the theater!

Kodo Premium Concert “An Invitation from Tamasaburo Bando into the World of Kodo”

The climax of our new production with Tamasaburo Bando, “Yugen,” features five colorful beasts. Two Kodo members appear in this role alongside Tamasaburo Bando, Jusuke Hanayagi and a Hanayagi dancer. They are Kengo Watanabe and Kodai Yoshida.

The picture below is of Kodai Yoshida (Kodo), Jusuke Hanayagi (center), and Kengo Watanabe (Kodo), backstage at the Nagoya performances.

And here they are again, transformed into shishi (beasts).

They look forward to seeing you at the theater for “Yugen”!

Tamasaburo Bando x Kodo Special Performance “Yugen” (Japan)

Kodo member Reo Kitabayashi would like to draw your attention to the “Yugen” programme, which is on sale in the lobby at every performance.

The 52-page, full-color programme includes a special interview with Tamasaburo Bando, candid conversations about “Yugen” with Kodo members, a synopsis of each iconic story portrayed in the production, rehearsal photos, an introduction to Noh theater, and much, much more!

Purchase yours before the performance to look behind the scenes and read all about this unique production! (Note: Japanese text only)

Yugen Programme
Color/ 52 pages / 2,000 yen (tax incl.)

Tamasaburo Bando x Kodo Special Performance “Yugen” (Japan)

I am currently on tour with “Yugen,” our brand new performance with Tamasaburo Bando, and we just completed three back-to-back performances in Niigata City. The theme of this work is the world of Noh theater.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who came to see our performances so far.

From right: Hayato Otsuka, Maya Minowa, Ryoma Tsurumi

Today we are flying to Nagoya, where we have three performances from May 31st. We look forward to seeing you at Aichi Prefectural Art Theater!

• 2017.05.31 (Wed) – 2017.06.02 (Fri) The Theater, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Nagoya, Aichi

We are pleased to announce that all five of the premiere performances of “Yugen” at Bunkamura Orchard Hall in Tokyo were sold out. Thank you very much to everyone who came along!
Next, we will share Yugen with audiences in Niigata and Nagoya. We look forward to seeing you at one of the theaters below very soon.

• 2017.05.26 (Fri) – 2017.05.28 (Sun) Niigata Prefectural Civic Center, Niigata City
• 2017.05.31 (Wed) – 2017.06.02 (Fri) The Theater, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, Nagoya, Aichi

Sneak Peak at “Yugen” on Stage

Photos: Takashi Okamoto

Tamasaburo Bando

　Masayuki Sakamoto (Kodo)

Hanayagi-ryu Dancers with Kodo

Tamasaburo Bando with Hayato Otsuka (Kodo)

From left: Kodai Yoshida (Kodo), Masakatsu Hanayagi, Tamasaburo Bando, Jusuke Hanayagi, Kengo Watanabe (Kodo)

Tamasaburo Bando

Tamasaburo Bando x Kodo Special Performance “Yugen” (Japan)

The brilliant green of new leaves, the gorgeous peonies & wisteria.

Kodo Village is adorned with beautiful nature, with buds blooming one after another.

We are currently deep into rehearsals for our new production, “Yugen.” It is nearly ready for the stage.

We received song instruction from Mr. Hirotada Kamei.

I was astounded by the momentum of his singing and the intense force of his voice.

It is very difficult to express an array of beautiful and courageous sentiments with only intervals and one’s voice.

However, I have learned that the Japanese sense of beauty is truly profound.

With the Hanagi-ryu dance leader, all the dancers, Tamasaburo Bando, and Kodo, there were 35 performers in all taking part in our rehearsals.

This collaboration features beautiful dance, valiant beasts, and Kodo. The group dances are really exquisite on stage.

“Yugen” offers an opportunity to see a new side of Kodo.
Personally, I am really looking forward to it.

Japanese performing arts are expressed by harnessing and combining one’s spirit and physical power.
It is a struggle to maintain the concentration required for this performance, so I am training my mind and body every day.

Tamasaburo Bando x Kodo Special Performance “Yugen” (Japan)