We are committed to promoting, celebrating, and sharing Japanese music and culture through education and performance.
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From The Members
"Being able to participate in the Japan Ensemble has been an enriching experience for my own artistic development as well as discovering more about my own Japanese heritage and culture. Coming face to face with the Koto has been the most poignant experience that no other instrument has fulfilled. Being able to have the opportunity to play such an instrument, previously not accessible in my life, was the most meaningful moment of this year. Being able to have the opportunity to use an instrument, which has persisted in Japanese history, felt monumental and symbolic for all facets of artistic development and personal identity of someone associated with the Japanese diaspora.”
“It was deeply influential for me to work alongside Kozue Matsumoto in this endeavor, as her musical expertise plays an integral part in the preservation and cultivation of Japanese culture in the West. Her patience and one-on-one support helped to create a sense of community between new and experienced performers, and motivated us to improve as a collective whole.”
“[...] studying in the Japan Ensemble has nurtured all aspects of my creative practice. It gives me new sonic ideas for composition, experience with a new notation system and participating in a different performance culture from which I have learned a great deal. ”
Our Activities
Instruments
箏 Koto
箏 Koto
箏 (koto) has 13 strings stretched on a long, slender body, supported by pieces called 柱 (ji: bridges), and played with 爪 (tsume: nails attached on the right thumb, index and middle fingers).
Japanese koto appears in history before 300B.C. What is known as koto today came from China and was established around the 9th century. The koto has been used for 雅楽 (gagaku: court music). During the Heian period (794-1185), the koto was used as a musical instrument by the nobility. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the foundation of the present koto music was laid by 八橋検校 (Yatsuhashi Kengyo), and it became popular from the late Edo period to the Meiji period (1868-1912).
The koto is characterized by the following features:
- Made of paulownia wood, it is approximately 180 cm long, 25 cm wide, and hollow inside.
- The back board has two sound holes.
- The decoration is mainly redwood, but ivory is used for the more expensive ones.
- There are different schools with different playing styles and nail shapes, such as 生田流 (Ikuta-ryu) and 山田流 (Yamada-ryu).
三味線 Shamisen / Sangen
三味線 Shamisen / Sangen
三味線 (shamisen) is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument used in various musical styles such as 民謡 (minyo: folk songs), 歌舞伎 (kabuki), 文楽 (bunraku) and more.
The shamisen has its roots in Chinese 三弦 (Sanxian), which was introduced to 琉球 (Ryukyu: Okinawa) and then to mainland Japan around the 15th century. It was played by 琵琶 (biwa) players who adapted the plectrum of the biwa, and the sound was improved in the Japanese style by stretching cat and dog skins and devising a different tone. In the Edo period (1603-1867), along with the development of Kabuki music, shamisen music also flourished.
The characteristics of the shamisen are as follows
- The body is made of a square wooden frame with animal skin on both sides, and a long pole with three strings through it.
- The instrument is played with a 撥 (bachi: plectrum) or your fingers.
- The neck is classified into 太棹 (futozao), 中棹 (chuzao), and 細棹 (hosozao) according to its thickness, and each has a different tone quality.
- The futozao has a strong and thick tone, the chuzao has a calm and standard tone, and the hosozao has a delicate tone.
十七絃 Jushichi-gen (Bass Koto)
十七絃 Jushichi-gen (Bass Koto)
十七絃 (Jushichi-gen: seventeen-stringed koto) was invented by koto player and composer 宮城道雄 (Michio Miyagi) and created by 鶴川新兵衛 (Shinbei Tsurukawa) in 1921. This is a low-pitched koto with 17 strings.
Jushichi-gen is characterized by the following features:
- The thickness of the strings and the instrument as a whole has been enlarged.
- Originally designed for the bass part of an ensemble, the 17-stringed koto is now widely used by all schools of music, and many solo pieces have been written for it.
- It is approximately 210 cm long, 35 cm wide, and hollow inside.
- Often tuned to a seven-note scale
Other Instruments
尺八 Shakuhachi
尺八 (shakuhachi) of today has its roots in religious music known as 普化尺八 (fuke shakuhachi). In the Edo period (1603-1867), 虚無僧 (komuso: Buddhist priests) played the shakuhachi instead of sutra chanting and traveled around the country. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), when the Fuke sect was abolished, the shakuhachi became popular among the general public and was used as an ensemble instrument with the koto and shamisen, as well as an accompaniment to folk songs.
太鼓 Taiko
Since ancient times, 太鼓 (taiko) has been used in rituals and ceremonies at shrines and temples. In the field of performing arts, it has been used as a musical instrument in 田楽 (dengaku), 猿楽 (sarugaku), 神楽 (kagura: Shinto music and dance), and folk performing arts, as well as in 雅楽 (gagaku), 能 (Noh drama), 歌舞伎 (kabuki), and 念仏踊り (nenbutsu odori: Buddhist prayer dance) since the Middle Ages. Taiko has also been used as a signaling tool since ancient times.
Those struck with beaters are called taiko, while those struck with the hands are called 鼓 (tsuzumi).
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