UMD Koto Ensemble and Washington Toho Koto Society: Springtime in Japan
UMD Koto Ensemble and Washington Toho Koto Society
Director Kyoko Okomoto
Event Attributes
Presented By
Experience a journey of spring music depicting the young growing season of springtime in Japan with cherry blossoms blooming and birds chirping to welcome the warmth of spring.
The music expresses the quiet beauty and rustic simplicity of the 13-string, six-foot-long koto, accompanied on some occasions by the shakuhachi (end-blown bamboo flute) and shamisen (three-string, banjo-like instrument).
In the first part, it is as if you are admiring the cherry blossoms on a calm spring day. In the second part, there are musical representations of the flute and drum in a Japanese festival celebrating spring.
Resources from the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library
Our neighbors at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library have compiled a list of available resources relevant to this performance:
The koto and traditional Japanese music
- Films
- Recordings
- Scores
- Books
- Streaming audio of Rokudan no Shirabe by Yatsuhashi Kengyo in 1644, the most famous piece in the koto repertoire