In 1912, Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki donated more than 3,000
cherry blossom trees as a gift of friendship to the people of the United
States. Since then, when cherry blossoms bloom each year between the end of
March and the beginning of April, people celebrate the National Cherry
Blossom Festivals around Tidal Basin in Washington D.C. This is also when traditional
Japanese music like koto comes into play in celebrating the spring’s blossoms.
Koto is recognized as the most unique, ancient Japanese
musical instrument in Japan. It is a six-foot long zither made of paulownia
wood with movable bridges supporting thirteen strings. These strings are plucked with
three ivory picks worn on the right hand, while the left hand presses or pulls the
strings to create more varied sounds.
Kyoko Okamoto is the only koto professor teaching the University of Maryland School
of Music’s Japanese Koto Ensemble. She has been teaching MUSC129K/629K, a
one-credit music course that is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate
students, since 1973.
Kyoko Okamoto is the only koto professor teaching the University of Maryland School
of Music’s Japanese Koto Ensemble. She has been teaching MUSC129K/629K, a
one-credit music course that is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate
students, since 1973.
She is also the president and founder of the Washington TohoKoto Society, which is an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit cultural organization created
in 1971. She is known for her pioneering efforts in introducing and spreading koto music to music-loving Americans in the greater Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Each spring during the cherry blossom seasons, both groups
are invited to perform at various national venue and local community events,
as well as on UMD’s Maryland Day. Some of their memorable past
performances include Presidential Inaugurations for former Presidents Jimmy
Carter and Ronald Reagan. They also perform for the Japanese Embassy events for the Crown
Prince and Princess Akihito and former Vice President George H.W. Bush.
Professor Okamoto Appreciates Traditional Japanese Music Because of Personal Preference
Okamoto has a strong affection on koto. “I like the sound of koto, which is a very simple, clear sound,” she said. “Although the koto is
ancient, we add to it with our lives when we play and teach. We contribute the
dimension of the present to the past traditions of music.”
In order to preserve the finest quality of koto music, she sets
high expectations for her students to play well.
Okamoto emphasizes that playing koto requires one to pay
full attention and coordinate with others. “Hitting note is not playing music,”
she said. “If one person does not concentrate on the music, he or she destroys
the whole group.”
Another Japanese custom that is associated with koto is to
wear traditional Japanese clothing, kimono, while playing the music on one’s knees.
Okamoto said this allows players to become more immerse in the culture.
Professor Okamoto’s 44 Years of Music Dedication Promotes Friendship between Americans and Japanese People by Teaching Koto
Okamoto believes that music has no national boundaries and is an effective channel to foster mutual understanding between two cultures. “Some American students like to play the music, and there is a cultural exchange when American people and Japanese people are doing things together,” she said.
In October 2003, the Washington Toho Koto Society received a Special Award from
the Foreign Minister of Japan, Yoriko Kawaguchi, for their relentless contribution
in spreading Japanese koto music in the United States.
Additionally, in 2014, the Japan-America Society of
Washington D.C. awarded the WTKS the Marshall Green Award to recognize
the group’s efforts in strengthening the U.S.-Japan relations. The Citation
reads:
“For your significant and sustained contribution to
strengthening the relationship between the United States and Japan for more
than 40 years by bringing Americans and Japanese closer through hundreds of
performances of traditional Japanese music. The Society pays special tribute to
you for your active involvement in educational, cultural, and people-to-people
understanding between our two countries.”
Furthermore, Okamoto said teaching koto is both her first and last
job because she plans to teach the music for the rest of her life. “I always sacrifice myself for others,” she said. “I don’t think about myself.”
She said she has decided to donate her house to WTKS because the
non-profit organization needs an ideal place to store all
music equipment (including 30 boxes of kimono), as well as a
temporary accommodation and practice area.
Koto Music Teaches Students Life Lessons and Beautifies Their Lives
Learning a musical instrument is not easy. It requires an
individual’s constant persistency, time commitment and passion in order to play
well.
Frederique Thompson, a junior student at UMD, said the learning
outcome depends on how much effort one puts into practicing the instrument.
Kaleb Bordner, also a junior from the koto class, said he practices
at least ten hours a week so he can follow the ensemble. Besides learning about
Japanese history and notations, he has also learned to be a hardworking individual.
Though it is a challenge for him, he said he still enjoys doing it and feels rewarded for it.
Melanie Brose, a member of the WTKS for 15 years, said the ethereal
sound that Koto carries and the fact that she can play with other members to create
a harmony are two main factors that keep her coming back. She said that learning koto means a lot to her as an American.
Lombar Martinez, who is also a member of the WTKS for more than 20
years, said koto enriches his life culturally, linguistically and
intellectually. He shares how koto music brings him joys and why it is
so special to him.
The UMD Japanese Koto Ensemble will perform six songs on Maryland
Day, April 25, 2015, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Dekelboum Concert
Hall at 10 a.m. The group will also join the WTKS in presenting the 43rd Annual
Spring Koto Recital at the Center’s Concert Hall on May 2, 2015. They are both free
admission and open to the public. For more information about upcoming
performances, visit http://www.kotosociety.org
No comments:
Post a Comment