July 10 New Release: “Ikkan Fugetsu Vol. 2: Tomoshibi”
Announcing the July 10 Release of Motofumi Yamaguchi’s Second Solo Album “Ikkan Fugetsu Vol. 2: Tomoshibi”
All seven of these peaceful, contemplative recordings were created in the naturally serene surroundings of Kodo Village on Sado Island. Centered around the bright, crisp tones of the makobue & shinobue bamboo flutes, “Tomoshibi” floats across a rich sonic landscape: from the intricate harmonics of the eleven-string alto guitar, to a passionate duet where flute and piano intertwine in the Russian folksong, “Огонёк,” also known as “A Little Light” in English & “Tomoshibi” in Japanese. Ikkan Fugetsu Vol. 2 Tomoshibi also includes the soulful spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” which is dedicated here to the late Akira Nino, the pianist who performed on the debut “Ikkan Fugetsu” album released in 2009.
Release Date: July 10, 2015
Discography | Ikkan Fugetsu Vol. 2: Tomoshibi
http://www.kodo.or.jp/discography/od012_en.html 
Available from July 10 from Kodo Online Store! http://kodo.shop.multilingualcart.com/goods_en_jpy_80.html
“My Thirties: Episode 1” by Kenta Nakagome
I turned 30 this month.
Today, I spent another fun day playing taiko at elementary schools.
We all beat the taiko with all our might and made such a big racket, drumming and yelling!
Hip! Hip! Hip!
Hoooooooooray!!!
School Workshop Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150627koryu_en.html
“Hello Kodo” Small Ensemble Performance
July 20 (Mon), 2015 Kashiwazaki City Performing Arts Center Art Forêt, Kashiwazaki, Niigata
Photo Gallery | Amaterasu
Photo Gallery
Amaterasu
May 2015 Osaka Shochiku-za Theatre, Osaka City
Photos: Takashi Okamoto
Amaterasu (2015)
Director: Tamasaburo Bando
Cast: Tamasaburo Bando, Kodo (Masaru Tsuji, Yuichiro Funabashi, Mitsuru Ishizuka, Yosuke Oda, Masayuki Sakamoto, Kenta Nakagome, Tsuyoshi Maeda, Eri Uchida, Mariko Omi, Yosuke Kusa, Maya Minowa, Shogo Komatsuzaki, Akiko Ando, Yuta Sumiyoshi, Tetsumi Hanaoka, Kosuke Urushikubo, Jun Jidai, Koki Miura,Shunichiro Kamiya, Ryoma Tsurumi, Kengo Watanabe), former members of OSK Nippon Revue (Konoka Morino, Kokoro Kaai, Yui Suzumine, Kurara Miou)
*The role of Susano’o was performed by Yosuke Oda & Mitsuru Ishizuka as a double cast.
Special Appearance: Harei Aine (Former Takarazuka Revue male role star)
“My First Tour with Kodo” by Masaya Koike
June 18, 2015
I am currently in Matsumoto, Nagano, on my first ever tour with Kodo. I am a member of the School Performance Tour cast and we are spending about 3 weeks in Matsumoto giving performances at a range of schools.
I actually wrote about Kodo’s School Workshop Performances in my essay when I applied to become a Kodo apprentice because I was so interested in this side to Kodo’s activities. I think it is a wonderful programme because it allows the audience to sit up close to Kodo and feel the power of Kodo and taiko firsthand. The audience even has a chance to play taiko during the performance.
I play taiko, bamboo flutes, and metal percussion instruments in the current programme. We perform everyday so it is rather challenging, but I am doing my best to keep up with the others.
At the moment, we are mainly visiting elementary schools. The children have a sparkle in their eyes and they enjoy our performances and talk to us a lot. I have noticed that their presence and energy gives me a real boost.
At one of the elementary schools, one of the kids said, “Taiko is so cool!” That really stuck with me. I feel like our message really got through to them.
I think the biggest challenge for me on this tour is to discover myself. I want to answer some questions about myself: what do I want to do, what kind of person do I want to be, and who am I really? I want to take a close look at myself and figure out these answers.
Matsumoto is such a great place and I am enjoying every day here. They have really delicious soba noodles here, too! This tour has now passed the halfway mark. Our cast is also performing “Kodo Interactive Performances” for the general public, so if you have the chance, please come along and see us!
I am doing my best despite the summer heat! I want to share the joy of taiko with everyone, all over the world!
School Workshop Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150627koryu_en.html
“Hello Kodo” Small Ensemble Performance
July 20 (Mon), 2015 Kashiwazaki City Performing Arts Center Art Forêt, Kashiwazaki, Niigata
“School Workshop Performances in Yonezawa!” by Shogo Komatsuzaki
June 10, 2015
School Workshop Performances in Yonezawa, Yamagata
This week the One Earth Tour cast has split into two teams: one is in Asakusa giving “DADAN 2015” performances, and one is in Yonezawa giving “School Workshop Performances.” The DADAN performances feature a powerful, all-male cast drumming for 90 minutes non-stop. It’s the rainy season now in Japan so it’s quite muggy, but I’m sure all this energetic drumming will invigorate the audiences.
I am in Yonezawa with the School Workshop Performance team. We are giving upbeat performances at elementary schools.
I am really happy that Kodo has the chance to share the sound of taiko with audiences of all ages all over Japan and around the world. Also, our School Performances give us a chance to interact with so many children, so we get to help inspire future generations. I value everyday that I get to spend interacting with them and always do my best.
“On Tour with the Workshop Performances!” by Eri Uchida
June–July Workshop Performance Tour is Now Underway!
Our cast is back together again after the North America “Mystery” tour in winter, and the “Michi,” “Mono-Prism” and “Amaterasu” performances in spring. Every time we come back from a tour, the scenery on Sado Island has changed so much with the seasons that it never looks like we have returned to the same place. I feel the power of nature when I see these dramatic changes. It always makes me ask myself how much I have grown over the same span of time.
Our “Workshop Performance” cast had been apart working on various projects for almost half a year, but when we regrouped I think we had all become stronger and more reliable in many ways.
For our School performances, we perform in front of children who are sitting up close to us. If we tell them, “You can hear our drums even if you block your ears!,” or say “The drums make the air and the floor shake, so the sound also reverberates throughout your bodies!,” the children will block their ears and touch the floor, or even put their ears to the floor to have a listen. They all listen to our performance freely, as they please.
These sensations are something that they cannot experience through a TV or computer screen: they have to attend a live performance to experience our sound and vibrations like that. Nowadays, there is so much information available through technology and screens, but everyday on our tour I think about how important it is for people to experience and feel sensations offline, with their body and senses. I want the children to continue to do this. As I think about this, I continue to hone my own senses.
On our current tour we have spent almost 3 weeks in Matsumoto, Nagano. We perform 10 times a week, giving performances five days a week in the morning and afternoon. Everyday we learn so much from spending time with children, so it is a very fulfilling experience!
As our tour continues, I look forward to sharing our live sound and powerful vibrations with more and more people.
School Workshop Performances
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150627koryu_en.html
July 20 (Mon), 2015 “Hello Kodo” Small Ensemble Performance, Kashiwazaki, Niigata
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150720hajimete_en.html
“‘DADAN 2015’ in Asakusa!” by Naomi Iseki
“DADAN 2015” in Asakusa
On June 10, the “DADAN 2015” performances began in Asakusa, Tokyo. The opening performance was sold out, and we could hear the applause echo out into the lobby! The following performances also welcomed full houses. Thank you all for coming along!
Kodo flags flying all along the Nakamise Shopping Street in Asakusa
Colorful Kodo banners in front of Asakusa Public Hall
At the theater, we had a Kodo Exhibition Corner, which included performer portraits with their handprints and messages. There were some taiko on display, too!
We hope you enjoyed these performances.
Thank you very much for welcoming us back, Asakusa!
“Taiko Workshops in New Zealand” by Yoshikazu Fujimoto
Taiko Workshops in New Zealand
My taiko workshops at IPC Tertiary Institute in Palmerston North, New Zealand, went very well. The workshops were hosted by the members of IPC’s taiko group, Kodama. They gathered participants for the workshops by spreading the word around other taiko teams in New Zealand. On the first day I led workshops for Kodama, and then on Days 2 & 3 I gave open workshops for taiko players from all over NZ.
Kodama was formed 25 years ago and is the oldest of all the 13 taiko groups in NZ. It was set up by Japanese students studying in NZ who formerly played taiko in Japan, so even now many of their members are Japanese students. They held my workshops at their dojo on the university campus.
At the dojo
There is a wonderful building next to their dojo that has a dining hall and guest accommodations, so it was the perfect set-up for a live-in taiko workshop.
I was so happy to have the chance to come to NZ by myself. Kodo has never been there, so I was really lucky. I really want to develop our connection with their taiko community, so I did my best, as always, to lead passionate, fun workshops. It was a real pleasure to see that the participants were delighted with the workshops I led.
On my arrival, I went sightseeing in Auckland. I heard that Sky Tower in Auckland is about the same height as Tokyo Tower.
“‘Eternity’ Performance in Joetsu, Niigata” by Koki Miura
June 8, 2015
Yesterday we gave a performance at the Joetsu Bunka Kaikan in Joetsu, Niigata. Since we are from Sado Island in the same prefecture, they gave us a very warm welcome with their applause. Thank you very much to everyone who came along.
At the theater, we received these treats.
The presenter gave us one of Joetsu’s own “soul foods”: Sando-pan (Sandwich Bread). I’ve been to Joetsu many times but I had never heard about sando-pan before.
Also, we received two iconic Niigata soul foods: sasa dango (sweet dumplings wrapped in sasa leaves) and chimaki (sticky rice dumplings)! They were all handmade for us by the mother of one of the staff members.
Two of our cast members, Mariko Omi and Kengo Watanabe, are from Niigata Prefecture. Mari loves chimaki and Kengo loves sasa dango, so they were both really happy! We all thoroughly enjoyed these treats!
“Kodo One Earth Tour 2015: Eternity” Japan Tour
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150606oet_en.html
Video Introducing “Kodo One Earth Tour: Eternity”
We invite you to have a look at this new video that introduces our latest production “Kodo One Earth Tour: Eternity.”
▶Watch on YouTube https://youtu.be/UExUU9LEBmQ
“Kodo One Earth Tour 2015: Eternity” Japan Tour (June–July, Sep.–Oct.)
http://www.kodo.or.jp/news/20150606oet_en.html
[June–July] Kanagawa, Saitama, Gunma, Chiba, Osaka, Nagano, Kyoto, Ehime, Hiroshima
[Sep. Oct.] Chiba, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Yamagata, Iwate, Akita, Shizuoka, Aichi, Hyogo, Tottori, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, Kagoshima