TRADITIONAL JAPANESE ARTS WORKSHOP

Attic Dance Hall (LP 3039)
12:30–14:00

We invite you to a pair of unique workshops on traditional Japanese arts led by top-tier masters from Tokyo. You’ll have the chance to try your hand at playing the koto and learn the basics of the elegant mai dance—hands-on, up close, and with no prior experience required. You’ll meet performers who bridge a century-old tradition with the modern world and regularly perform on international stages. A live demonstration, yukata dressing, and an hour of intensive creative work await you. An ideal opportunity to experience Japan beyond what’s in textbooks.

PROGRAM
12:30–14:00
• Curu no koe (Voice of the Crane) – Jiuta Mai and Jiuta Shamisen
      o Dance: Tamao Yoshimura
      o Vocals and Sangen: Mayumi Ono

• Sarashifu Tegoto (Sarashi Composition)
     o Koto (high tone): Toshisui Noguchi
     o Koto (low tone): Mayumi Ono

• Rokudan no Shirabe
    o Koto: Toshisui Noguchi
    o Sangen: Mayumi Ono
Estimated schedule:
• Demonstration: 15 min
• Yukata dressing: 15 min
• Workshop (60 min): dance instruction – mai (Takasago) and koto playing (4 kotos, simplified sheet music provided for the piece Rokudan-ichidan). Both parts take place simultaneously.

ARTIST PROFILES

Mayumi Ono
She is a graduate of the prestigious Tokyo University of the Arts and the founder of the Jiuta Koto Miono Kai organization. During her distinguished career, she studied under masters recognized as “Living National Treasures,” and today she herself leads dozens of classes in Japan and abroad. As president of the Association of Classical Japanese Arts, she is deeply committed to promoting traditional hógaku music among the younger generation. She regularly performs in concerts around the world, including the U.S., Austria, and Hungary, where she showcases the beauty of the koto and shamisen.

Tamao Yoshimura
She is a certified master of the Yoshimura school, one of the four main lineages of traditional Kamigata-mai dance, which originates from the Kyoto and Osaka regions. Her artistic style is characterized by the elegance and delicacy typical of Goten-mai court dances. In addition to dance, she has also made a name for herself as a television actress, and thanks to her many years of experience as an English teacher, she actively promotes Japanese culture in an international context. She organizes workshops and performances in European cities such as Vienna and Paris with the aim of making this traditional art accessible to the general public.

Toshisui Noguchi
A professional musician and representative of the Ikuta school, she studied koto at the Tokyo University of the Arts. She was a direct student of Toshiko Yonekawa II, recognized as a “Living National Treasure,” and today runs her own school, Reijokai.
 She serves as an official of the Federation of Traditional Music and Dance in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, where she advocates for the preservation of cultural heritage. In her teaching, she combines the classical repertoire with modern compositions and regularly leads courses for beginners and advanced students at cultural centers throughout Tokyo.

Admission is free for all interested parties from HAMU and the general public.