We are happy to announce that the Agency for Cultural Affairs, a division of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan has designated Chihan'an as one of the National Cultural Treasures of Japan!This major recognition was announced officially by the Japanese government on February28, 2012. Prior to the announcement, city government of Izu-no-kuni held a press conference at Chihan'an for print and broadcast media.
It took almost two years for the government to complete the historical and architectural research and investigation on Chihan'an. During this period, we put Chihan Art Project on hiatus. However, we are delighted to let you know that the art programs will be resuming shortly; we are now in preparation for our 2013 Spring event.
Please stay tuned. More details to follow!
We look forward to seeing you again at Chihan'an soon!
Nobuko Awaya, Chihan'an Proprietor / Chihan Art Project Director
The five artists who performed the site-specific contemporary dance work Izu House for Chihan Art Project 2008 will re-unite in Philadelphia this week to create a new site-specific piece at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Philadelphia, USA (http://www.shofuso.com/). Tokyo artists Hideo Arai and Mika Kimula will once again work with American artists Leah Stein, Roko Kawai, Toshi Makihara and several members of the Leah Stein Dance Company. Japan House/Philadelphia will premiere as part of The Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Sep 9 -11. For more information, please go to: http://leahsteindancecompany.org/
From Tokyo dancer/performance artist Hideo Arai:
"The bonds and connections that we created at Chihan-an will travel across the Pacific Ocean. I believe that this is just as Mr. Chihan hoped -- to keep art making and collaborative searching moving forward, like the passing of the baton in a lively relay race. Also, we are delighted that Mr. Shiba will be attending Japan House/Philadelphia! We all look forward to hearing his report!!"
From Philadelphia/San Francisco artist Roko Kawai:
"Leah and I are thrilled to welcome Hideo and Mika (and the Chihan spirit!) to our 'native' Philadelphia. While on the surface the similarities between Chihan-an and Shofuso are strong, our research reveals a different story. First of all, Shofuso was never lived in! It was a gift, a 'good will gesture,' a political maneuver in 1953 between Japan and the U.S., just a year after General MacArthur's occupation ended. It was designed as 'the ideal' traditional Japanese home from circa 16th century and built by master craftsman from Japan. First on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, it found its a permanent home in Philadelphia's renowned Fairmount Park. It has, and still remains, a beautiful 'symbol,' a place to visit and be curious about. In contrast to Chihan-an, there is no family oral history, no birthing room for successive generations, no memories of a returning sister or a community funeral or an art piece left behind by a grateful guest. Language like 'tadaima' and 'okaeri' have no place here. Thus, Leah and I felt that it would be impossible to 'import' entire sections of choreography from Izu House to Japan House/Philadelphia, even though it was tempting to re-utilize our 'favorite' scenes.
On the other hand, Shofuso's history offers new possibilities. It harkens to the surprising connections between Meiji-Taisho Japan and Philadelphia, the birthplace of the United States. For instance, the Mississippi, one of the four ships that Commodore Perry steamed into Uraga Bay in Shimoda, was built and launched from Philadelphia. The Iwakura Mission, during their symbolic tour to the West, stopped by Philadelphia for four days in 1872. Now, for this new project, we are exploring themes of embarkation, gifting, negotiation, disorientation, curiosity, encounters, retreating, relationship break-throughs and good-byes.
One thing is certain -- that the many hours and days and nights we spent at Chihan-an gave us an intimacy and understanding of the traditional home in ways that otherwise would never have been accessible to us. For that and more, we want to thank Nobuko-san and Junji-san and everyone at the Chihan Art Project!!!! Sending hugs and kisses from Philadelphia!!!" -- Roko Kawai
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For those of you who missed Izu House 2008 at Chihan-an, please read more about the history of the project in both Japanese and English at our Chihan Art Project blog, go to the Leah Stein Dance Company website (http://leahsteindancecompany.org/) or check out creative process and artist interviews on YouTube:
Christopher Yohmei and Zenpo Simura who played together at Chihan-an in 2009 for the 3rd Chihan Art Project, recently were in Prague to perform in European Shakuhachi Festival 2010. They gave several concerts from August 26~31 and also tought master classes of the students from different part of the globe during the period. This is annual international shakuhachi festival held in Plague which began 8 years ago and Christopher has been very active as senior artistic director. For the detail of ESF, please visit http://www.komuso.cz/en/festival
Takiotoshi, (The Waterfall) is one of the thematic pieces for today’s concert. SIMURA Zenpo Satosi performs this old version with a ji-nashi (no lacquer in the inner bore) shakuhachi, a simply made instrument without the resilient urushi lacquer coating on the inside bore.
Takiotoshi, (The Waterfall) is one of the thematic pieces for today’s concert. SIMURA Zenpo Satosi performs this old version with a ji-nashi (no lacquer in the inner bore) shakuhachi, a simply made instrument without the resilient urushi lacquer coating on the inside bore.
This version, from the more refined Kinko style, differs considerably from the previous Myôan version and is played on a modern shakuhachi with the inner bore coated in urushi lacquer. The difference is a brighter, more penetrating sound.
This version, from the more refined Kinko style, differs considerably from the previous Myôan version and is played on a modern shakuhachi with the inner bore coated in urushi lacquer. The difference is a brighter, more penetrating sound.
This version, from the more refined Kinko style, differs considerably from the previous Myôan version and is played on a modern shakuhachi with the inner bore coated in urushi lacquer. The difference is a brighter, more penetrating sound.
The Taizôkai is one of two seminal mandalas used in the esoteric (mikkyô) sect of Shingon Buddhism. A central figure (Dainichi Nyorai) is surrounded by 12 radiating sections, each filled with various Buddhist deities. When Yohmei first saw this mandala, as a young man, he experienced the repeated images as tones; each one a reflection of the other and the total mandala as a composition reflecting the self. This piece is performed on a modern ji-nashi shakuhachi.
Takiotoshi, (The Waterfall) is one of the thematic pieces for today’s concert. SIMURA Zenpo Satosi performs this old version with a ji-nashi (no lacquer in the inner bore) shakuhachi, a simply made instrument without the resilient urushi lacquer coating on the inside bore.
3. Kinko Style Honkyoku: Takiotoshi no Kyoku Christopher Yohmei
This version, from the more refined Kinko style, differs considerably from the previous Myôan version and is played on a modern shakuhachi with the inner bore coated in urushi lacquer. The difference is a brighter, more penetrating sound.
Shika no Tohne (The Distant Cry of the Deer) is one of the most famous of all shakuhachi pieces. Composed as a duet, it programmatically depicts two deer, male and female, calling out to each other in the through the Autumn forest.
*** 15 minute intermission ***
5. Taizôkai composed and performed by Christopher Yohmei
The Taizôkai is one of two seminal mandalas used in the esoteric (mikkyô) sect of Shingon Buddhism. A central figure (Dainichi Nyorai) is surrounded by 12 radiating sections, each filled with various Buddhist deities. When Yohmei first saw this mandala, as a young man, he experienced the repeated images as tones; each one a reflection of the other and the total mandala as a composition reflecting the self. This piece is performed on a modern ji-nashi shakuhachi.
6. Kokû SIMURA Zenpo Satosi
This old honkyoku is one of the most sacred in the shakuhachi repertory and is performed on various historical intstruments by SIMURA Zenpo Satosi .
Today we are streaming the live concert from Chihan'an. For those of you who cannot attend the concert because of the limitations of time or distance, please log onto the site listed below. The visual and sound quality may be a bit diminished, but we hope you enjoy the concert! The concert will be streamed live and then archived for a period of 48 hours. Please have a look and enjoy the music! The concert begins at 4 PM, Japan Standard Time.
