TOYOAKI SHAMISEN
Discover the Japanese traditional lute, SHAMISEN !
Legendary "Ozashiki" shamisen music from Toyoaki family.
a division of JASC Tsukasa Taiko
taikolegacy.com
江戸文化の伝統、お座敷三味線「豊秋」
日本語でのお問い合わせも、どうぞお気軽に！！
TOYOAKIMOTO: Re-constructing Tokyo geisha music
SUPPORT THIS PROJECT
THIS PROJECT WILL ONLY BE FUNDED
IF $5,000 IS PLEDGED BY MAY 25, 11:59PM
http://3arts.org/projects/geisha-music/
TOYOAKIMOTO: Re-constructing Tokyo geisha music
by Tatsu Aoki
About the project
This has always been one of the projects I have wanted to finish, but have had a difficult time since it required not only a certain level of commitment from grand masters from Japan but also on the masterly execution.
I have been active in both traditional music and the advancement of Asian American Music in the Chicago area since coming to America in 1977. I started the “re-construction” of our Geisha house music about 5 years ago. This started out with meeting two Shamisen grand masters from Tokyo. The process began with the collaborative effort of having them learn the music and concepts. It took the three of us about 3 years to learn the songs and become fluent in performing. I took 3 trips to Japan and the masters also reciprocated with 2 trips to Chicago and San Francisco. Needless to say, these trips were in part supported by my 3Arts Award.
One of my most important goals is to preserve the original essence of fluidity and flexibility and perform the rawness of REAL sound. I always apply this idea to everything I do. From the environment of my childhood, I inherited the historical and traditional essence of the Tokyo entertainment district’s musical concepts, and the basics and value of flexible creations and applications. With the decline of these special districts in the late 60s and early 70s, the musical concepts of Tokyo’s regional entertainment also disappear along with many other art forms that Tokyo geisha music had institutionalized.
I am at the last stage of this important project of Japanese cultural diaspora and aesthetics. I am in need of your help to support and finish this project. The CD has been recorded and partially edited. The $5,000 I am currently trying to raise will cover the costs to finish the editing and mixing of the CD at which point I can have the CD pressed and pay for distribution. In addition, a portion of the funds will help cover some of the costs of the CD release party to be held on July 29.
ABOUT TOYOAKIMOTO
I was born in 1957 in Tokyo, Japan into an artisan family called TOYOAKIMOTO, traditionally categorized as OKIYA, meaning a booking and training agent for geisha ladies in downtown Tokyo’s designated area. While the economy and social environment forced many of those traditional artisan family businesses to close down in the 1960s, I was fortunately able to receive some of the important essence of traditional Tokyo geisha cultural training and studies at age 4, and became a part of the performing crew in early childhood. After my grandmother passed away, I continued the Tokyo music training until my early teens when I shifted my musical focus to American pop music and experimental music. I was active performer during the early 70s in the midst of the Tokyo underground arts movement. I also became a member of a Japanese experimental music ensemble called GINTENKAI which presented a mixture of traditional music and new western music.
REWARDS
Contribute any amount or chose from the reward levels below.
- $25 - Tsukasa Taiko CD (one geisha song is in the album)
- $50 - Tsukasa Taiko CD and the TOYOAKIMOTO CD
- $100 - CDs and your name will be listed at the CD release concert
- $300 - CDs and your name will be listed on CD as contributor
- $500 - All of the above and three shamisen lessons and your name listed on CD as associate producer
- $1000 - All of the above and a performance at your private event
3arts.org: 3Arts is a nonprofit organization that advocates for Chicago’s women artists, artists of color, and artists with disabilities who work in the performing, teaching, and visual arts.
The Art
I was born in Tokyo, Japan into an artisan family called TOYOAKI MOTO,
traditionally categorized as OKIYA, meaning a booking and training agent for
Geisha ladies in downtown Tokyo’s designated area. While the economy and
social environment forced many of those traditional artisan family
businesses to close down in the 1960s, I was fortunately able to receive
some of the important essence of traditional Tokyo Geisha cultural training
and studies at age 4, and became a part of the performing crew in early
childhood. The business was organized and managed by my grandmother Aki, a
second generation owner of TOYOAKI MOTO. Most of the training I received was
from Aki and her disciples.
After my grandmother passed away, I kept the Tokyo music training until my
early teens, and then shifted my musical focus to American pop music and
experimental music. I was a very active performer during the early 70s in
the midst of the Tokyo Underground Arts movement. I became a member of the
experimental Japanese music ensemble, GINTENKAI, presenting a mixture of
traditional music and new western music. After coming to the U.S. in 1977, I
studied experimentalism in school. During the late 1980s, I became involved
in Chicago's Asian American community and joined the Asian American music
movement.
From the environment of my childhood, I inherited the historical and
traditional essence of the Tokyo Entertainment district’s musical concepts
and basics, and learned the value of flexible creations and applications.
With the decline of these special districts in the late 60s and early 70s,
Tokyo’s regional entertainment musical concepts also disappeared, and like
many other art forms, Tokyo Geisha music had also institutionalized.
One of the most important goals is to preserve the original essence of
fluidity and flexibility and to perform the rawness of REAL sound. In
organizing Toyoaki Shamisen in Chicago, I have adopted this idea to newer
works as well. My main general concern is to present music which evokes a
reality of roots and the true quality of my upbringing as a member of a
long-lost traditional artisan family which at one time employed a
distinctive musical style. It is my pleasure to share the effort of making
this unique sound of Tokyo (EDO) Shamisen culture.
Thank you very much for your continuous support and love.
Tatsu Aoki
JASC Tsukasa Taiko
Toyoaki Shamisen
Media
Toyoaki Shamisen Photo Gallery
View Video Clip
"Art in the Family: Find out how Tatsu Aoki's early life shaped his career in music."
from WTTW(Channel 11): Tatsu Aoki, Made in Japan
Contact TOYOAKI SHAMISEN
For booking performances, workshops, lecture/demonstrations and to find out about class/workshop schedules and The Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) member/family discounts, please contact the JASC at
(773) 275 0097 ext. 229 or programs@jasc-chicago.org
TOYOAKI SHAMISEN
Japanese American Service Committee
4427 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640
Acknowledgments
JASC Tsukasa Taiko is one of the leading taiko (Japanese drumming) programs in the Midwest and a program of the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) and Asian Improv aRts Midwest (AIRMW) . For more information please visit: tsukasataiko.com
Celebrating its 60th year of serving the community, the mission of the JASC: Japanese American Service Committee of Chicago is to preserve and raise awareness of Japanese American culture and heritage, and promote the physical and spiritual well-being of Japanese Americans and the greater multicultural community in the Midwest. Visit www.jasc-chicago.org for more information.
Asian Improv aRts Midwest's mission is to build a vital, self-empowered Asian American community in the Chicago area by advancing the understanding and profile of Asian and Asian American cultures through the traditional and contemporary cultural arts. AIRMW is dedicated to creating productive relationships with artists, community and institutions in order to produce high quality arts programs that accurately reflect the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic reality of Chicago and the nation. Visit www.airmw.org for more information.
