Tag ‘Sado Island’
“EXADON” by Tsugumi Yamanaka
EXADON
In the near future, apparently one in five people aged 65 & over in Japan will be likely to suffer from dementia. To combat this, Sado Island Taiko Centre and Sado City Senior Citizens Welfare and Care Insurance Division launched “EXADON” in 2014, which is a course that teaches people about playing taiko as a way to prevent dementia.
“EXADON” is a word created by dementia specialist Mr. Yoshinori Morimoto (Shiosai Clinic) from these three words: “Exercise” + “Sado” + “Don (the sound of a taiko drum).”
Last year, the “EXADON 2014 Supporter Training Course” was held to teach supporters (future EXADON facilitators). This innovative project has been expanding on Sado Island ever since. There were 30 participants in this course and they came to Sado Island Taiko Centre twice a month for three months. At the beginning of the course, their sound was very weak, but at the end of it, they all enjoyed playing taiko so their sound got much bigger and really powerful. Over the course of those 3 months, they had all become taiko enthusiasts.
Recently, the first EXADON workshop was led by some of the EXADON supporters at a lecture about dementia prevention. It went really well.
Warm-up exercises
The EXADON supporters took the reigns to lead workshops for the first time.
When the EXADON supporters were too serious, Shinchan-sensei gave them this adivice: “Don’t forget to smile!”
When the workshop participants smiled and laughed, the EXADON supporters really enjoyed themselves, too. They all had a great time together.
Everyone played a new piece, “EXADON Song,” together.
This happy couple smiled non-stop. They made us smile, too.
With the EXADON supporters
Community Development Course Trainee Report: “Dondoyaki at Kodo Village”
Jan. 15 Dondoyaki (New Year Bonfire) at Kodo Village
There was a Dondoyaki* event at Kodo Village on January 15.
Before dark it was raining, but when Kenta Nakagome cheerfully shouted out “Seh-no!,” the rain stopped and we all started singing a Dondo-yaki song as the bonfire was set alight.
I had never heard this song before.
Dondoyaki is a traditional Japanese event. The Kodo members burn their broken bachi (drumsticks), worn-out fans and bamboo dance props… so the essence of performing arts infuses the flames, taking that lifeforce up into the night sky in the smoke.
After the event, we, the Community Development Course trainees, were on duty watching the fire go out. As I watched the ashes in the dark, and weakened, gentle flames, I could hear many sounds as it crackled and burned.
By Misaki Nakamura, 2014-2015 Community Development Course trainee
*Translator’s Note: Dondoyaki Explanation from Kodo eNews Issue 3
Every year on January 15th, Kodo Village holds its own Dondoyaki, a traditional Japanese fire ceremony to farewell the New Year gods back to the heavens. New Year decorations and good luck charms and amulets from the past year are burned in the fire, a tepee-like structure made of bamboo, thatching hay, and straw. At Kodo, players burn the drumsticks they can no longer use in this fire. It is said that the deity of the New Year goes back home with the smoke of Dondoyaki,, so we like to send the heart and soul forged in the drumsticks along with it. Mochi (pounded rice cakes) from the week before is also toasted over the fire and eaten to bring good health in the year ahead.
Happy New Year from Kodo
Happy New Year from All of Us!
May 2015 be a happy and fruitful year for all of you.
Photo taken at Sado Island Taiko Centre on January 13, 2015
“Autumn ‘Kiyohime’ Photo Shoot on Sado Island” by Chieko Kojima
Hi, everyone! How are you? It’s Chieko here. I’d like to tell you about the “Kiyohime Picture Scroll” project I am currently working on.
“Kiyohime” is a profound work that I perform as part of my solo Yukiai performances, which is based on the female protagonist, Kiyohime, from the Dojoji Tales. For a year now, I have let that character loose on Sado Island to take photographs backed by the distinct four seasons for a Kiyohime photo book. Photographer Maiko Miyagawa, who is also an official photographer at Earth Celebration, is taking the photos for this project. This work is a collabration between the two of us.
Kiyohime standing in a freezing cold blizzard…
reaching out to a subtle color or fragrance…
basking in the light refracted from the summer sea…
making leaves fall all around with the resonating sound of her taiko playing…
We have captured a special story of Kiyohime through the camera lens as the seasons perpetually change.
Snow, wind, sea, flames, forest, flowers… everything was beautiful…
This photo book is also a collaboration with beautiful Sado Island.
It will be printed on traditional Japanese paper. So, no two will be the same.
Our book will go on sale in Spring 2015. I’m so excited.
For those of you who can’t wait, here are just a few of Kiyohime’s autumn scenes.
I hope you will enjoy the seasons of beautiful Sado with Kiyohime once our work is complete!
With photographer Maiko Miyagawa
“Kodo & Sado Featured on JNTO Website” by Kodo Cultural Foundation
On March 14, 2015, the new Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) will open for travel between Kanazawa, Toyama and Nagano.
To promote this new route to Niigata and Sado to foreign tourists, a PR article in English about Sado Island is now featured on the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) website.
http://www.japantravelinfo.com/blog/japanese-time-travel-in-sado/
The writer introduces Kodo, saying “If you have the opportunity to attend one of these (Kodo) performances in your area, I highly recommend it to experience the timeless quality of the island’s continuing creative spirit.”
“Kodo Eien no Hibiki” (Kodo, Echoes of Eternity) on YouTube
Watch TV Special “Kodo Eien no Hibiki” (Kodo, Echoes of Eternity) on YouTube!
The special programme shown on Nov. 22 on tvk in Japan, “Kodo Eien no Hibiki” (Kodo, Echoes of Eternity), is now available for viewing on YouTube. Even if you don’t understand the Japanese dialogue, we’re sure the taiko speaks your language and hope you’ll enjoy seeing scenes from the performance, rehearsals, and beautiful Sado Island.
[About the Programme]
This TV programme was filmed this autumn and features one of the key cast members, Masayuki Sakamoto, giving a tour around Kodo Village, shows the Kodo members off-stage & up-close, as well as taking at behind-the-scenes look at the regimented training they undergo to become performers on the Kodo stage.
The programme also introduces “Eternity, our brand new production that will tour around Japan from late November through December, alongside various other works directed by and in collaboration with Tamasaburo Bando in recent years.
Nov. 20 (Thu) Amusement Sado, Sado Is., Niigata
Nov. 30 (Sun) City Hall Plaza “Aore Nagaoka,” Nagaoka, Niigata
–”Heartbeat Project” Special Version–
Dec. 2 (Tue) Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Dec. 4 (Thu) Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater Concert Hall, Nagoya, Aichi
Dec. 6 (Sat) & 7 (Sun) NHK Osaka Hall, Osaka City
Dec. 10 (Wed) Okayama Civic Hall, Okayama City
Dec. 12 (Fri) Ueno Gakuen Hall, Hiroshima City
Dec. 15 (Mon) & 16 (Tue) Hakataza Theater, Fukuoka City
Dec. 19 (Fri)–23 (Tue/Public Hol.) Bunkyo Civic Hall, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Dec. 25 (Thu) Niigata Prefectural Civic Center, Niigata City
“Eternity” Premieres on Sado Island!
“Kodo One Earth Tour 2014: Eternity” Opening Night on Sado Island
Ameyo Kazeyo (Photo: Takashi Okamoto)
On Nov. 20, we gave our debut performance of our new production “Eternity” here on Sado Island. Thank you very much to our hometown audience for their warm applause and so many curtain calls!
We will set off on tour with this performance at the end of November and visit theaters nationwide.
We hope you will come along to see Kodo’s portrayal of “eternity.”
Nov. 20 (Thu) Amusement Sado, Sado Is., Niigata
Nov. 30 (Sun) City Hall Plaza “Aore Nagaoka,” Nagaoka, Niigata
–”Heartbeat Project” Special Version–
Dec. 2 (Tue) Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, Kawasaki, Kanagawa
Dec. 4 (Thu) Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater Concert Hall, Nagoya, Aichi
Dec. 6 (Sat) & 7 (Sun) NHK Osaka Hall, Osaka City
Dec. 10 (Wed) Okayama Civic Hall, Okayama City
Dec. 12 (Fri) Ueno Gakuen Hall, Hiroshima City
Dec. 15 (Mon) & 16 (Tue) Hakataza Theater, Fukuoka City
Dec. 19 (Fri)–23 (Tue/Public Hol.) Bunkyo Civic Hall, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo
Dec. 25 (Thu) Niigata Prefectural Civic Center, Niigata City
The cast of the School Workshop Performance tour greeted the audience in the lobby
Earth Celebration 2014 Photo Gallery
A new gallery page with photos from Earth Celebration 2014 is now ready for viewing on the official EC website. Have a look at the great memories captured at EC this year!
Earth Celebration 2014 Photo Gallery
http://www.kodo.or.jp/ec/en/gallery2014/
“Performance at ‘With World-Renowned Kodo: Sado, Island of Performing Arts'” by Ryosuke Inada
I performed at “With World-Renowned Kodo: Sado, Island of Performing Arts” on Sado Island. This is a special performance series for tourists who come and stay on Sado.
For our programme, it was a cast of veteran performers with the exception of me, so I felt even more tense more than usual. As soon as our rehearsals began, I did my best to grit my teeth and try keep up with them, letting the sound of each beat they drummed echo into my core. These performances really made me think about putting my heart and soul into my sound to convey my feelings to the audience.
This performance also featured wonderful traditional Sado performing arts such as Ondeko (demon drumming and dance) Sado Okesa (folk song and dance), so I think the audience enjoyed this varied concert, which showed another side to Kodo from our usual performances.
Thank You for Coming to Our “Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island 2014: Autumn”
Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island 2014: Autumn
Many people came to see Kodo’s performances at Shukunegi Community Hall this fall. The performers created a colorful world on stage with a joyful atmosphere to suit the harvest season. Thank you all for coming along!
After each performance, the performers played taiko outside to farewell the audience. The sound of taiko echoed out clearly, high into the sky.
Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island 2014: Autumn
Oct. 2 (Thu)–Oct. 5 (Sun), 2014 Shukunegi Community Hall, Ogi Peninsula, Sado Island, Niigata
Appearing: Kodo (Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Chieko Kojima, Motofumi Yamaguchi, Eiichi Saito, Tomohiro Mitome, Ryosuke Inada)
Special Appearance: Yoshie Abe