Hi friends,
Mari and I are back after an inspiring two weeks in Japan. Here is an account of some of the things we did.
TOKYO
The first few days of the trip Mari and I spent running around Tokyo visiting with friends, eating good, cheap food, going to a saori weaving studio (Mari does saori in New York)- basically anything and everything to fight off jet lag by staving off the temptation to take a nap during the day.
SEMBA KIYOHIKO @ SUPERDELUXE
On the 15th of December, I had a performance with percussionist, Semba Kiyohiko and his band, KARUGAMOZU, which is comprised of about 25 musicians: violin, trumpet/theremin, bass, keyboard, 6 tsuzumi (hougaku classical Japanese drums) and a plethora of percussion- Brazilian, Korean, Indian, African, Japanese, western percussion, two drum sets, etc etc etc. The music is loud, boisterous, wild and joyous. Semba san is a master tsuzumi player as well as a top tier drum set player- an unconventional mix of musics, especially for someone coming from the strict world of hougaku music. In Karugamozu, he is mainly the band leader and master of ceremonies, giving hand signals to direct dynamics, solos and section entrances, often with a Korean kengari, in hand for rhythmic direction. He'll also sit down behind the drum set for a few songs and do a killing solo on a squawking rubber chickens or on a whiskey bottle- finished with a swig of course.
Tetsuro Naito, a former Kodo member and I were featured guests. We both did solos, him on katsugi taiko, myself on fue, followed by a duo version of his composition Nanafushi. I also performed an original of mine with members of Karugamozu that, despite it's relative complexity and with less than ten minutes of rehearsal time came off surprisingly well. For me it was a homecoming of sorts- I perform at Super Deluxe about once a year and it's a chance for a lot of old friends to hear how I'm playing.
Special thanks to Daniel Rosen who produced the show and acted as VJ (and put us up!)
MOCHIZUKI SABURO
The trip has been non-stop since day one. Mari and I visited Mochizuki Saburo sensei one day and he treated us to some fantastic shabushabu. Like Semba Kiyohiko, Saburo sensei is one of the foremost hougaku hayashi musicians in Tokyo, specializing in the otsuzumi, kotsuzumi and shime daiko. He is also one of the founding members of the hugely influential taiko group Sukeroku Daiko. Even though I only recently met Saburo sensei at the North American Taiko Conference this past summer, I have performed with two of his sons extensively: Mitsuru became a Kodo apprentice during my second year there and we both continued on to become performers and artistic directors (he is one of their current ones), while Yu was a guest artist in one of my Resonance projects a couple years back. I know Saburo sensei's daughter, Eri because she studied with Kenny Endo in Hawaii and we've run into each in Tokyo before. Over lunch, Saburo sensei spoke of how he helped create Sukeroku Daiko, about Kabuki history and repertoire and we talked about music in general. Yu and his wife Yayoi joined us as well and he caught me up on the Tokyo taiko world. Saburo sensei was incredibly generous with his time and words and it is easy to see how he came to be such an influential figure in the music world of both Japan and North America.
photo by Yayoi Ishizuka
KODO PERFORMANCE
In the evening, we went to see Kodo's December concert at Aoyama Gekijo. It's been almost a year since I saw the company and even longer since I've seen most of the staff so it was wonderful to see so many of them.
SUZUKI KYOSUKE
The following day, I visited a renshu kai (practice session) of a former fue teacher Suzuki Kyosuke which took place in Koenji. We watched as many of his students ran through pieces from the Edo Matsuri Bayashi repertoire. Suzuki sensei sat across the room from the group of musicians and shouted out corrections and kuchishouga when a student made a mistake. When studying or practicing music in the western world, usually an ensemble would run problem sections or passages a few times in order to get them right. When studying with Suzuki sensei, not until after we run the entire piece would he list various things to improve on. The students were all very serious and dedicated- not a lot of laughing and smiling but intense concentration- just as I remembered from my short time with him many years ago. His knowledge and mastery over the pieces was without question and he explained and demonstrated with clarity. I took my cousin's eleven year old daughter Moe along and the whole time we were there, she watched intently, never getting bored or restless but absorbing everything. She's been asking me to teach her how to play taiko ever since.
MIYAMOTO UNOSUKE SHOTEN
The next day we visited the Miyamoto store in Asakusa. I spoke with various staff there, many of whom I've known for over a decade and they showed me around the Drum Museum which was presenting a year long exhibition on Gagaku. I was more familiar with early Gagaku history so was surprised to find that there were still many changes taking place as late as the Meiji era. We briefly saw the senior Miyamoto shacho when he came to see Alan Okada, PJ Hirabayashi, Donna Ebata and Qris Yamashita, who were visiting from the US. I also ran into Hayashi Kan, a taiko player who I once presented at my studio in Brooklyn. The store is a central hub for taiko players in Tokyo- it seems every time I go to the shop, I run into at least three people I know. This day, I had some questions about certain types of drums and was treated to a discussion with one of the drum makers who answered any and all questions that I could come up with. Meanwhile, Asakusa in general is the greatest area for shopping - hanten, obi, fans, great food, music- all your Edokko needs. We finished the day having dinner with friends Daniel, Jay and two members of Blue Man. The night fortunately did not end with us spitting sushi into each others' mouths.
KODO RECEPTION
The following night, we went to a reception Kodo hosted to give thanks to the many people who've given their support and friendship over the past 30 years. Artists, professors, music producers, record company executives, taiko makers, teachers and other long time supporters were there. There were heartfelt speeches and Kodo performed a rousing song. The word kansha (appreciation) was used over and over. As great as the performers are in Kodo, they wouldn't have achieved their accomplishments without the help of all these people and their fans. The older generation of Kodo members, people like Yoshikazu and Yoko Fujimoto, Chieko Kojima and Motofumi Yamaguchi, remember what it was like before they achieved world-wide recognition- a group of youngsters sleeping on people's floors and couches while on tour. This older generation has always made the utmost attempt to instill in the following generations the importance of recognizing and acknowledging how much of their work is possible only because of the countless number of people who believe in them.
After the reception I went drinking with Yoshihiko Miyamoto, Carrie Carter and Leonard Eto, the composer of such classic Kodo pieces Zoku, Lion and Irodori. I felt there was a lot of things we had in common- such as the not insignificant fact that he was born in the US but ended up playing a decidedly Japanese instrument. Speaking with Leonard gave me insight into how change and development of a musical form needs innovative and strong minds and a belief in one's vision. We polished off a few bottles of wine as we discussed music and art deep into the night.
RANJO
The following day, Mari and I took the two hour train ride deep into the countryside to visit the fue maker Ranjo. Ranjo is a master artisan, someone wholly dedicated to the continual betterment of his craft. For the last three and a half decades, Ranjo san has sat in his workshop from sun up to sun down, seven days a week, all year round making fue. This man works harder than Steve Jobs at developing a product, albeit in perhaps more subtle ways! The basic form of the fue hasn't changed over time- it's still a length of bamboo with holes in it - but the way he manipulates the inside of the bamboo is revolutionary- something no other fue maker I know of does. We lunched with his family and we talked about our lives. I interviewed him for my website (fue page coming soon...) and he showed me his new model of fue that he's been working on which were indeed noticeably different from the previous year's. The sound is distinctly clearer, while still being nice and fat. Ranjo is still determined to make a fue better today then he did the day before, while not being afraid to experiment with some wild ideas. I am, as a fue player, inspired to work as hard at my end of the craft as him and days like this reinforce this resolve. Mari and I arrived at his home around noon and didn't take our leave until past six pm. Over the years, we've become close to Ranjo's wife and daughter and it always feels a little wrong to leave not knowing when we'll meet again.
SADO - MARCUS & KAORU
A day later, Mari and I traveled to Sado Island. In order to get to Sado from Tokyo, one takes the shinkansen two hours to Niigata, a bus or taxi to the Sado Kisen terminal and from there a two and a half hour ferry ride to Sado. Halfway to Niigata, we emerged from a long tunnel to find ourselves suddenly enveloped in world of plush white snow. Cars were buried up to their hoods while more snow was falling heavily. We arrived in Niigata Station and took a bus to the Sado Ferry Terminal. The first time I visited Sado in 1998 to audition for Kodo, the ferry rode mountainous waves, lifting precariously upwards one moment and crashing violently down the next. Many times over the years I thought the boat would break in two. This time was disappointingly calm. My good friend Marcus picked us up at the ferry terminal in Sado and he drove us to his mountain home. When I say mountain home, I mean mountain home. He parks his car at the base of the mountain next to a red bridge that leads to a nearby temple. We walk about ten minutes up an unpaved, uneven dirt path, over rocks and branches, avoiding icy puddles as much as possible. Suddenly his house comes into view, a series of buildings and a chimney emitting cheery white smoke. Even further up from the house is a sprawling garden with rows of kale, hakusai, onions, garlic, mitsuna, beans and other vegetables. Marcus, his wife Kaoru and two of his four kids, Aita and Koka live here living an arguably idyllic life. They heat their bath with firewood, all of the waste from their toilet becomes rich fertile soil in large compost bins, they have a faucet that draws from spring water. I say arguably because to sustain this life, Marcus and Kaoru wake before sunrise and are constantly moving- going up and down the mountain trail to drop off and pick up the kids from school or play, gardening, fixing up the house, feeding their wood burning stove, walking their two dogs, or busy with their primary source of income, the business of baking bread and delivering it to schools, businesses and homes all over Sado. They eat primarily organic, macrobiotic foods, most of it either grown at home or somewhere on the island- often by friends. I often think that if the zombie apocalypse that, according to Hollywood, is imminently approaching, I would try my hardest to make my way back to Marcus' to live in safety and seclusion. While Marcus has lived in Sado for twenty some years, he is originally from New York City, growing up there at a time when hip hop was just emerging. He has traveled the world with Kaoru before finally settling in Sado where they raised their kids and now enjoy a life of hard work and a truly deep appreciation of the simple and best things in life.
YOKO & YOSHIKAZU FUJIMOTO
The second day in Sado, I asked my good friend Yoko Fujimoto for a singing lesson and was treated to a double lesson with her husband Yoshikazu. I look at these two as almost parental figures, people who have always looked out for me during my many years in Kodo, and people that I've grown close to through traveling across the world making music together. We went to the Taiko Tatako Kan, a beautiful, city owned building that houses a variety of workshops and that sits between the Fujimoto's house and Kodo Village. Large windows overlook a forested valley with the Japan Sea just beyond the trees. Yoshikazu encouraged me to face the valley with the intention of projecting my voice to the ocean. Yoshikazu is an intuitive musician of the highest order who teaches best by demonstration, while Yoko san has the ability to explain the mechanics of the voice and the rich meaning of the words in eloquent and precise phrases. The two of them together was a double dose of knowledge, information, passion and empathy. Yoshikazu's final word of advice at the end of the lesson encapsulates what he brings to the stage every time he performs - to paraphrase, "Find a way to sing so that it feels good and that will make you want to do it more. Enjoy it. That's how you improve." I've never seen Yoshikazu sing or hit a single note that he didn't feel- whether performing at Carnegie Hall, at a party at someone's house or while doing a soundcheck at a rehearsal. By the time we finished, a heavy snow had began falling. We made our way to our way to our friend Johnny and Chieko's house.
JOHNNY & CHIEKO WALES
Johnny is a transplant from Toronto while Chieko is from Tokyo. Johnny is an painter, puppeteer, sculpture, carpenter, writer and all around connoisseur of all things hand-made. One of his life mottos goes along the lines of "if you like something, try and make it yourself" and his sprawling old wooden home reflects that, down to the quaint and exquisitely built tea house that he created in the back of his property overlooking a small pond. He can speak with a perfect Sado dialect, especially when he drinks. To visit Johnny's house is to visit a living museum, replete with his hand made puppets, odds and ends from Meiji and Showa Japan, countless books, antique furniture, a drawing table bristling with paint brushes, pencils and pens, a wood burning stove, an ancient cappuccino maker, homages of various types to Sherlock Holmes and Van Gogh, miniatures, tchotchkes, games, and a hugely affectionate Akita/Shiba mix named Kyla. To visit Johnny's house is also to have great conversations and many laughs. For me, as a performing member of Kodo and the only non-Japanese born member of the group at the time, I would often escape to hang out with Johnny or Marcus to unwind, speak English and enjoy some good food and drink.
KINPUKU
This day, Johnny took us to Kinpuku, a yakitori place in Aikawa that I inexplicably failed to visit even once during my time living in Sado. To put it bluntly, the place absolutely ruined all other yakitori places for me. Every bite was absolutely succulent, rich with flavor, juicy and with just the perfect amount of salt and a char. He had fine beer on tap as well as the nicest sake and shochu on Sado (and Sado is renowned for it's quality drink). All the bowls, plates and cups were hand made by local artisans, while there was good jazz playing at just the right volume as to be heard clearly but not forcing anyone to raise their voices to communicate. The man behind the counter moved with the utmost efficiency, constantly attending to the charcoal (only the finest charcoal available of course) or the neat rows of meat and vegetables laid carefully over them, listening discreetly to the conversations going on around him, while only offering a word when asked a question. Without exaggeration, his artistry rivaled that of Ranjo or Yoshikazu as did his humility.
KODO SADO CONCERT
We went to see Kodo's final performance of the year, which as I mentioned earlier was the 30th of their existence. The performance was much more carefree then their show in Tokyo and there almost the sense that they were performing for the friends and family which, in a sense, they were. Kodo is going through a lot of major changes next year with Bando Tamasaburo becoming their artistic director and the energy caused by the anticipation was palpable. After their final bows, Yoshikazu stepped forward and in a loud and clear voice, shouted his thanks for the continued support from the people of Sado and promised Kodo's devotion to the place they call home. Before and after the concert, in the lobby I met many former teachers, neighbors, friends and acquaintances from all across Sado. People were surprised to see me and seemed genuinely happy to see me home. The fantastic dancer from Okinawa Kinjo Mitsue and I had a brief talk. For perhaps the first time since leaving Kodo, I felt a little regret in not having stayed, if only because I was reminded of the intense mutual affection they share with the people of Sado. One of the reasons Mari and I traveled to Japan and made it all the way up to Sado, was that it was our first time back since the earthquake and tsunami and we wanted to see our friends and family- to see their faces in person to see how they were doing. We were reminded of how important this was- as great as facebook can be for keeping people connected, it has nothing on sharing a good meal with someone or looking directly into their eyes while clasping their hand. I truly hope the best for all of them and look forward to what their future brings.
YAMANO MINORU
Mari and I returned to Tokyo the following day and hung out with a few of my cousins and their kids, playing Taiko No Tatsujin and packing to go home. The final day of our trip, we went to Narita airport and met Minoru Yamano for lunch. Yamano was an indispensable supporter of Kodo since before the group's inception, back when it was Ondekoza, and he always comes to Narita airport to see Kodo off on their international tours and welcome them home afterwards. He has remained a close friend and supporter of mine even after I left the group five years ago. This day, Yamano told me the story of when Kodo went on their first tour since splitting with Den Tagayasu, the man who started Ondekoza. These were tumultuous times for the group and Yamano visited Sado in order to keep company with the few remaining people who stayed home while the rest were away in Europe. Back then, apparently the only way they had to celebrate anything was running and so they celebrated Kodo's first concert with a marathon. (This tradition continues to this day- just recently Kodo did a relay marathon across Sado to celebrate their 30th year) They all ran separate courses because they wanted to take this opportunity to think about what possibilities the future held for Kodo. During the run, Yamano would occasional stop to sit and admire the beautiful sights Sado had to offer. He admitted to me that back then, he wasn't so sure Kodo would even survive, let alone continue to thrive some thirty years later with twice as many members in the group as when they started. I related this story to where I am in my life and career - where I choose to focus my energies and passions now will effect things for years to come and it's up to me to work as hard as I can to succeed in whatever I end up doing. Yamano told me that because he was so lost in thought during the marathon, he had taken six and a half hours to run it.
When we finally said goodbye, I shook his hand and thanked him for his continued friendship. Mari and I watched as he walked towards the airport exit, waving when he turned one last time before stepping onto the escalators that delivered him to the subway that would take him home.
I'm pleased to announce that I will be performing with three of my great musical inspirations, Kenny Endo and my parents Ayako and Haruka Watanabe, in a series of quartet performances in my hometown for the Missouri Botanical Garden. We will be performing original compositions by my father, Kenny and myself, including a piece I wrote specifically for this quartet- violin, harp, taiko and fue.