Amaterasu
Amaterasu is the sun goddess and so one of the most important figures in Shinto.
This year, the famous taiko group Kodo teamed up with the reknown kabuki actor/producer/choreographer Tamasaburo Bando to do a production about the legend of Amaterasu. And yesterday I went to see it here in Kyoto!
Tamasaburo Bando in the title role, with Kodo members in the background. Image shamelessly lifted from the Kodo website
The production was a very special event in that it was the first time that, rather than just playing music, Kodo actually told a front-to-end story over the course of 90 minutes. In a way it was modern taiko coming back to its roots.
Traditionally, taiko (which just means "drum" in Japanese) were used in festivals or as accompaniment to theatrical performances. But until quite recently they never took centre stage. It was only after WWII, in 1951, that a Japanese jazz musician by the name of Daihachi Oguchi began experimenting with using taiko in large ensembles and making these traditional drums the central feature of a performance rather than an adjunct to it. From these beginnings, kumi-daiko (as it has come to be known) quickly became popular throughout Japan, thence in North America, and now in other parts of the world. However, until half a century ago, taiko were used just as accompaniment to telling a story.
And so last night's performance was a coming-full-circle for modern taiko in that here, for the first time, Kodo used drums to accompany the telling of an overriding story.
Yoshikazu Fujimoto in green as Sunanoo, the storm god, creates havoc. Amaterasu in distress, behind him.
The legend of Amaterasu is a simple one. The Sun Goddess, distressed by the antics of her brother Sunanoo (the storm god) hid in a cave and cast the world in darkness. Clearly, a bad state of affairs in an agrarian society that was Japan millennia ago. The other gods, despite much effort, could not entice her to come out. Ultimately it was Uzume, the goddess of laughter, who came up with the winning formula of throwing a party (which in some versions of the story was, supposedly, quite a raunchy one), and it was the sounds of gods' merrymaking that finally got the better of Amaterasu's curiosity and enticed her out of her cave.
The world is dark after Amaterasu locked herself in her cave
Last night's rendition of the story was told through music and dance. The costumes and choreography, arranged by Tamasaburo Bando, were superb. The attached pictures do not do them justice and all I can say is that if you have even the remotest chance to see this performance, you simply must. It was fantastic. If you are an old fan of Kodo, know that most of the music in this show is completely new, and that having a story as a backdrop, even as simple a story as that of Amaterasu, makes for spectacular and fantastic taiko.
Chieko Kojima, as Uzume, dancing to entice Amaterasu out of the cave
For me, the performance was extra special in that I attended it with two friends, both Canadians and both taiko enthusiasts. Debra - a long-time resident of Kyoto and a fellow Wadaiko Shien student, and Jay - a dear friend and fellow founding member of Victoria's Uminari Taiko. Jay is visiting Japan for a week or so, and this weekend he and I are about to head off to Nagano prefecture for more taiko. So stay tuned...
Your correspondent with Uminari-Taiko-no-Jacob-san outside the Minamiza Theatre in Gion. Wondering if they can get away with nicking this poster...
This year, the famous taiko group Kodo teamed up with the reknown kabuki actor/producer/choreographer Tamasaburo Bando to do a production about the legend of Amaterasu. And yesterday I went to see it here in Kyoto!
The production was a very special event in that it was the first time that, rather than just playing music, Kodo actually told a front-to-end story over the course of 90 minutes. In a way it was modern taiko coming back to its roots.
Traditionally, taiko (which just means "drum" in Japanese) were used in festivals or as accompaniment to theatrical performances. But until quite recently they never took centre stage. It was only after WWII, in 1951, that a Japanese jazz musician by the name of Daihachi Oguchi began experimenting with using taiko in large ensembles and making these traditional drums the central feature of a performance rather than an adjunct to it. From these beginnings, kumi-daiko (as it has come to be known) quickly became popular throughout Japan, thence in North America, and now in other parts of the world. However, until half a century ago, taiko were used just as accompaniment to telling a story.
And so last night's performance was a coming-full-circle for modern taiko in that here, for the first time, Kodo used drums to accompany the telling of an overriding story.
The legend of Amaterasu is a simple one. The Sun Goddess, distressed by the antics of her brother Sunanoo (the storm god) hid in a cave and cast the world in darkness. Clearly, a bad state of affairs in an agrarian society that was Japan millennia ago. The other gods, despite much effort, could not entice her to come out. Ultimately it was Uzume, the goddess of laughter, who came up with the winning formula of throwing a party (which in some versions of the story was, supposedly, quite a raunchy one), and it was the sounds of gods' merrymaking that finally got the better of Amaterasu's curiosity and enticed her out of her cave.
Last night's rendition of the story was told through music and dance. The costumes and choreography, arranged by Tamasaburo Bando, were superb. The attached pictures do not do them justice and all I can say is that if you have even the remotest chance to see this performance, you simply must. It was fantastic. If you are an old fan of Kodo, know that most of the music in this show is completely new, and that having a story as a backdrop, even as simple a story as that of Amaterasu, makes for spectacular and fantastic taiko.
For me, the performance was extra special in that I attended it with two friends, both Canadians and both taiko enthusiasts. Debra - a long-time resident of Kyoto and a fellow Wadaiko Shien student, and Jay - a dear friend and fellow founding member of Victoria's Uminari Taiko. Jay is visiting Japan for a week or so, and this weekend he and I are about to head off to Nagano prefecture for more taiko. So stay tuned...
posted by Marcin at Saturday, June 17, 2006
1 Comments:
Alas, as yet there are no DVDs of this particular show.
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