tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57712195494042798102023-11-16T02:39:00.918-08:00Soju Projekt Blog Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.comBlogger146125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-45505569605727389192015-11-26T15:59:00.000-08:002015-11-26T15:59:09.857-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Kumiko and I before Soju Projekt's Noh lecture this summer at the Cerulean Tower Noh Theater in Tokyo. This year was our 25th anniversary!</div>
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<br />Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-37436543237421813852015-11-20T15:52:00.000-08:002015-11-26T16:22:17.638-08:00Soju Projekt Gamelan at a Retirement Community<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In November of 2015, Soju Projekt once again teamed up with Golden Heron Gamelan for an evening performance of music from Java, Indonesia. Our performance, at the Aljoya Thornton Place Retirement Community in the Maple Leaf neighborhood of North Seattle, provided the ambiance for a beautiful exhibition of textiles from around the world. It's always a joyful experience performing with Golden Heron Gamelan!<br />
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-5168519174756237682015-11-08T19:24:00.001-08:002015-11-08T19:24:17.295-08:00The Noh Play 'Kiyotsune' in Parabola Magazine (Winter 2015-16 issue) <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.5in;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.5in;">My retelling of the <b>Noh play 'Kiyotsune</b>' has recently been published in the winter 2015-16 issue of<b> Parabola Magazine </b>(</span></span><span style="font-family: cambria, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="http://parabola.org/">http://parabola.org/</a></span></span><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.5in;"> )</span><span style="font-family: cambria, serif; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.5in;">, with sumi-paintings by<a href="http://www.sumikumiworks.com/" target="_blank"> Kumiko Lawrence.</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Most of us have experienced death in some form, the loss of a friend or
loved one. If you could have just one more hour with that person, what would
you do? What would you say? </span><span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; line-height: 18.4px; text-indent: -48px;">In this play, the spirit of a samurai warrior, drawn by his widow’s intense suffering, returns to offer her solace. They talk of loss, of anger, of fate and free will and the importance of forgetting. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;"><i>A sleeping ocean bird sinks in tears of rain that fill the salty sea. A
cloud floating. Water flowing, returning to its earthly home; the heart gropes
blindly but in vain. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;"><i>Her sight grows dim, her heart faint. Through the night she weeps, yearning
only for his return, even in dreams. Then she hears his voice: “Dear one, I
have come for you.” </i></span><i style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">The ghost of her husband appears by her pillow. </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%;">Only a
dream, but still she is grateful...</i></div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-71994462185056537882015-10-18T17:49:00.000-07:002015-10-18T17:49:20.866-07:00Sympathy for the Demon (slight return) Nue-鵺<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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" Sanemori" Art by Kumiko Lawrence</div>
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While doing research for my <b>DigiLetter</b> (<a href="https://us.mag2.com/">https://us.mag2.com/</a>)on the Japanese epic <b>Heike Monogatari </b>('Tales of the Heike' 「平家物語」) and the Noh plays it inspired, I've come across many samurai warriors I can relate to: Sanemori 実盛 and his concerns about ageism, Tadanori and his resentment for not receiving acknowledgement for his creative endeavors, the embittered old warrior Yorimasa <b style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 15.104px; line-height: 24.1664px;">頼政 </b>and his resentment of the opaque 'glass ceiling'... I don't think I'm unique in being able to relate to these characters. Their anger and disillusionment at the end of their lives transcends cultural and temporal differences. These are injustices that still occur today and are not uniquely Japanese.<br />
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I'm no longer surprised at being able to relate to characters from a very different culture, in a very different line of work, from plays written more than six hundred years ago. It still surprises me, however, when I feel sympathy for a strange and evil demon. This has happened repeatedly over the years. I am not particularly evil, and I don't think that I flatter myself too much when I state categorically that, while I'm not perfect, I am, in fact, less demonic than most. </div>
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And yet I am moved by the texts of several Noh plays of the 'Demon' category. The Noh play <b>'Nue,</b>' 鵺 for example, tells the story of how the samurai warrior Yorimasa, in his younger days, shot down the monster nue (literally 'nightbird,' a kind of Japanese chimera, mixing body parts of a tiger, monkey, raccoon dog and snake). The nue rose in a black cloud and descended upon the Emperor, terrorizing him until being felled by Yorimasa's amazing arrow shot. He was then killed, stuffed in a log and set adrift in a river. </div>
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The story illustrates the heroic Yorimasa's amazing marksmanship. The Buddhist shadings of the Noh, however, tell of the sufferings of the nue, and of his shame. The play doesn't condone the nue's actions, but it conveys the monsters suffering sympathetically. It's cries for prayers to relieve its agitated soul's suffering are heart-wrenching. </div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-27542316540631987672015-10-11T21:21:00.002-07:002015-10-11T21:21:35.243-07:00Soju Projekt's Book of Noh Retellings 実盛 清経<br />
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<b>Soju Projekt</b> recently published a booklet, '<b>Samurai Spirits: Noh and the Tale of the Heile</b>,' that features my retelling of two Noh plays and Kumiko's sumi paintings. Both plays are based on stories from the '<b>Heike Monogatari'</b> (Tales of the Heike). In <b>'Sanemori</b>,' the spirit of a samurai warrior killed in battle, drawn by the sound of chanting, seeks relief for the suffering of his soul. In <b>'Kiyotsune</b>,' a samurai warrior who has taken his own life returns to offer solace to his suffering widow. These masterpieces are two of the most touching pieces in the Noh repertoire.Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-31929731124911319022015-10-04T20:43:00.001-07:002015-10-04T20:43:58.378-07:00Soju Projekt at Senses of Japan 2015 (2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fran's Chocolate, Georgetown, Seattle</div>
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Maki-e artist Shokan Matsuda decorating a stratocaster.</div>
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It was great to see Jay Rubin again. Jay recently published his first novel 'The Sun Gods.'</div>
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Presenting the art of the Japanese tea ceremony.</div>
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<br />Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-64794527112772995632015-10-04T20:34:00.001-07:002015-10-04T20:34:15.110-07:00Soju Projekt at Senses of Japan 2015 (1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Soju Projekt's Kenneth E. Lawrence and Kumiko Negishi-Lawrence took part in Five Senses Japan's event 'Senses of Japan' at Fran's Chocolates in Georgetown this weekend. </div>
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Interpreting for master lacquerware artist Shokan Matsuda.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQt4wvIOK2hBwpLwfKKd7wBR4z-I98KyoSX7xIYaKoCEDRkBuqivXKJrUZAU8KZGCXdC5GBFjgc-8ai_-JH8zjxBGGUsHSG8N00RZSzWd70kAlRPLu7-S7jq5MdooI6j-4pdzzhVpe-CA/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQt4wvIOK2hBwpLwfKKd7wBR4z-I98KyoSX7xIYaKoCEDRkBuqivXKJrUZAU8KZGCXdC5GBFjgc-8ai_-JH8zjxBGGUsHSG8N00RZSzWd70kAlRPLu7-S7jq5MdooI6j-4pdzzhVpe-CA/s1600/IMG_2313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHiz5nxu1hyphenhyphenyey6Lx4zkB8V83mNWMC45U7YfMy3_G-xOcZROm8cZeaEpmclo04dAqLgEIw3HmETNNfUy8vmowx-dIir7NK_jWjHMSdZtzHkYLqa_ONE-dagUhISOC6nz_4h_ZJgj2eNY/s1600/IMG_2312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHiz5nxu1hyphenhyphenyey6Lx4zkB8V83mNWMC45U7YfMy3_G-xOcZROm8cZeaEpmclo04dAqLgEIw3HmETNNfUy8vmowx-dIir7NK_jWjHMSdZtzHkYLqa_ONE-dagUhISOC6nz_4h_ZJgj2eNY/s320/IMG_2312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A pre-performance lecture by Kenneth before a biwa (plucked lute) performance by Kyokumi Tashiro.<br />
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Giving historical background on the art of maki-e (literally 'sprinkled art').</div>
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A lecture-demonstration on the history and techniques used to create maki-e masterpieces.<br />
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<br />Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-32686184352076475192015-10-04T15:44:00.000-07:002015-10-06T09:11:34.476-07:00Reviving Japanese Tradition and The Stratocaster !!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.sojukai.com/" target="_blank"><b>Soju Projekt</b>'</a>s <b>Kenneth E. Lawrence</b> and <b>Kumiko Lawrence </b>took part in <b><a href="http://www.sensesfromjapan.com/" target="_blank">'Senses of Japan'</a> </b>event at <a href="https://www.franschocolates.com/" target="_blank"><b>Fran's Chocolates</b></a> this weekend. The event was a display of exquisite Japanese craftsmanship, impressive not only for the traditional techniques of the craftsmen, but also for the innovative ways they have developed to keep their art alive. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SB13OZace6q2fUOsponNccsHHlRxEwgcR-Ol2xttrswitwxFk3h-iimvngzw8cjiv5v4IUQpfxwxJhU1ibqW4ViMejnoT58Z7gZuIDQW8Xnu0wFjHjydnxUqL7SxJHg5Jsge5cNo4ts/s1600/IMG_2402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_SB13OZace6q2fUOsponNccsHHlRxEwgcR-Ol2xttrswitwxFk3h-iimvngzw8cjiv5v4IUQpfxwxJhU1ibqW4ViMejnoT58Z7gZuIDQW8Xnu0wFjHjydnxUqL7SxJHg5Jsge5cNo4ts/s320/IMG_2402.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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One example was the work of <b><a href="http://www.makieshi.com/" target="_blank">Shokan Matsuda (<span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">松田</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2px;">祥幹)</span></a> </b>A third-generation lacquer artist, Matsuda-sensei applied the centuries-old technique of <b>makie</b> (literally 'sprinkled art' 蒔絵) to decorate an unusual item, a<b> stratocaster electric guitar</b>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRiQZ9K3qdGUadMkku3bHVSNTkiYpgF07UgAOgGQ33165vbRVCgnma_chq7OCMONuj8EIRg3W3-pKZ2p1cq4iwmF99oVyDATpCK0nhrDQj3XVbtMmnkBu_nGq4yqM4Z3Z64Zo6oB4LDQ/s1600/IMG_2403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhRiQZ9K3qdGUadMkku3bHVSNTkiYpgF07UgAOgGQ33165vbRVCgnma_chq7OCMONuj8EIRg3W3-pKZ2p1cq4iwmF99oVyDATpCK0nhrDQj3XVbtMmnkBu_nGq4yqM4Z3Z64Zo6oB4LDQ/s320/IMG_2403.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Interestingly, the man who commissioned Matsuda-sensei's work, an avid collector of guitars, expressed similar concern for a disappearing tradition, the stratocaster, once the guitar of choice for many great guitarists. This means a lot to Kumiko and I because even a partial list of stratocaster players - <b>Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, George Harrison, Adrian Belew, The Edge, George Harrison, David Gilmore, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townsend </b>- includes many of the guitar greats who we listened to and saw in concert 'back in the day.' The stratocaster is now in danger of fading away. </div>
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Matsuda-sensei used immaculate technique to hand-paint the lacquer, then sprinkle the gold, silver copper and brass powders. The selected design was of a demon mask and costume used in traditional Japanese theater. </div>
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It was an excellent display of traditional craftsmanship, amazing to watch. It was also wonderful to see tradition and innovation in action.<br />
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Mr. Matsuda Shokan's website <a href="http://www.makieshi.com/">http://www.makieshi.com</a>/Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-23000625684974831572015-09-27T15:55:00.002-07:002015-09-27T18:12:59.463-07:00Bonobo...Gamelan sound? - Decibel Festival 2015<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Kumiko and I attended a performance by <a href="http://bonobomusic.com/" target="_blank">Bonobo</a> last night at the Showbox Theater, part of<a href="http://dbfestival.com/" target="_blank"> Seattle's Decibel Festival of electronic music.</a> </span><br />
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I was initially drawn to Bonobo's music by his occasional use of tuned percussion, as in the track 'Cirrus' and other Bonobo pieces. </div>
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I have long been drawn to 'gamelan-like' sounds and music. I'm not sure when it started, exactly, but for as long as I can remember, my music collection has included music for struck percussion. This has led me to discover many different styles of great music, including unaccompanied marimba pieces by contemporary Japanese composers, Afro-pop, the acoustic jazz of Rez Abbasi and, most recently, electronic music.</div>
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My first exposure to electronic music probably came through two CDs. I had (thanks to my love of marimbas) long been a fan of minimalist composer<a href="https://www.facebook.com/SteveReichMusic?fref=ts" target="_blank"> Steve Reich.</a> The release of the two 'Reich Remixed' CDs showed clearly how Reich had influenced a generation or more of electronic musicians. </div>
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-66264812511449423742015-09-25T19:24:00.000-07:002015-09-27T18:18:54.832-07:00What Makes ‘Adachigahara’ a Masterpiece? <div class="MsoNormal" data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;" style="background-color: white; color: #5d5d5d; font-family: 'Exo 2', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue Light', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 19px; letter-spacing: -0.38px;">
The Noh play ‘Adachigahara’ is a masterpiece of the genre. It manages to be simultaneously scary, frightening and haunting. What do I mean by that?</div>
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<span data-mce-style="font-size: 16.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">At a first read, ‘Adachigahara’ is merely scary. Three men on a journey find themselves isolated and alone at night in the bleak moors of Adachi. They ask an old woman for lodgings, only to find she is in fact a demon. In the resulting supernatural battle, good triumphs over evil. It is the stuff of any late night horror flick. “Whatever you do, don’t look behind that door!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;" style="background-color: white; color: #5d5d5d; font-family: 'Exo 2', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue Light', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 19px; letter-spacing: -0.38px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-size: 16.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">But the Noh play ‘Adachigahara’ is more than just scary, it is also frightening. One reason is the <i>nohkan,</i> the flute used in all Noh performances. The <i>nohkan</i> is specially constructed to distort when overblown, giving it an eerie quality unique to Noh. The otherworldly <i>kakegoe</i>, the cries of the drummers, in addition to their important role as markers for the dancers, musicians and chorus members, are an essential part of the Noh esthetic. The masks too, with their bulging eyes and liminal expressions, are truly frightening, emphasized by the strong, sudden cutting movements of the actor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" data-mce-style="mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; line-height: normal;" style="background-color: white; color: #5d5d5d; font-family: 'Exo 2', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue Light', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 19px; letter-spacing: -0.38px;">
<span data-mce-style="font-size: 16.0pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">But what makes ‘Adachigahara’ a masterpiece is that, in addition to being scary, even frightening, it is a tragic, haunting play. Due in large part to the influence of Noh, there are moments of sympathy both for and by the demon, giving the play a pathos that can at times be wrenching.</span></div>
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-69549509849188396552015-09-23T18:57:00.000-07:002015-09-25T18:57:48.785-07:00Adachigahara (Retelling story by Kenetth.E.Lawrence)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ADACHIGAHARA<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Three men come, a priest, his
attendant and their servant. Beneath the sycamores, they don their traveling
robes. Their linen stoles brush the undergrowth, their sleeves droop, heavy with
dew. Senior priest Yukei is on pilgrimage through the province, part of the
ascetic training of the yamabushi <b>define.</b>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They leave behind their sacred
mountain, setting off over mountains and down the coast. Soaked with salt they
weave their way along the shore, a long string of days, reaching at last the
bleak moors of Adachi. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But it’s grown dark, and there is no
hamlet in the area, only the light of a distant fire. They approach the small
hut and ask the old woman there for lodging for the night. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No,” she says. “Here, across this
field so far from any village, the wind blows violently through the pines. The
moonlight comes leaking through into my chamber. How can I let you pass the
night?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The priest smiles. “We are travelers
accustomed to sleeping with only grass for a pillow,” he says.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The old woman’s heart opens to
sympathy. “Yes,” she says. “If that is your wish, please pass the night.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But inside the hut they see
something unfamiliar. What is it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“It’s a spinning wheel,” she says. A
never-ending, lowly task. Let me spin pure linen thread, turning it round and
round. How I long to spin the past into the present!” She twines even at night,
a life of such misery.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Save yourself aspire to Buddhahood.
We are but earth and water, fire and wind, nothing more. We assemble together
very briefly, going ‘round the cycle of Birth and Death, forever revolving
through Five Realms Six Realms of existence, and all this is but the doing of
the illusory mind. Our life is a fast-vanishing dream, now here, now gone. Face
your old age. Nobody can regain their lost youth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The old woman sings and she weaves.
She sings of a nobleman, his hat hung with blue and white string, and of
festival coaches covered with colored strings. She sings too of the pampas
grass of autumn, waving at the moon with tufts as long as thread. Life, too, is
long, so cruelly long. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Tonight is so very cold,” the old
woman says. “I will climb the mountain, cut some wood for a fire to warm you.”
She hesitates. “While I’m gone,” she says. “Do not look into that chamber.” The
priest agrees, giving his word. Once she’s gone, however, the servant makes a
confession: ever since he was young, he has had an overwhelming desire to not
do whatever he’s told. The priest had given his word, but he, the servant, had
not. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Soon the priest and his attendant
are asleep, but the servant, restless and curious, sneaks a peak into the
chamber, then falls over backward in shocked surprise. Dead bodies, bones and
decaying flesh, piled up to the rafters. A mess of arms and legs, all shining
with an unnatural light. Pus and blood flow in streams, bodies bloated with
stinking filth, flesh and fat all inflamed and rotting. Human corpses in
countless number are piled up as high as the rafters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is a poem: In the Black Mound
upon Adachi Moor, a demon lives in hiding.
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The sound of approaching footsteps.
An iron wand raised high to strike with mighty force. A fierce wind sweeps down
the mountain and across the field as thunder and lightning fill heaven and
earth. Priest and attendant chant mystic mantric prayers, rasping together their
rosaries, invoking the five deities, powerful protectors of Buddhist Law. From
east, south, west and north they come, in their center Fudo, their leader, a
sword in his right hand, a rope in his left. The fiendish ogress drops her
wand. Faltering, eyes dazed, she cowers. Then, her secret hiding place exposed,
she staggers out onto Adachi Moor, and her fiendish shouts mingle with the
sound of the stormy night as her form fades from sight. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-80532270025738512372015-09-20T18:21:00.000-07:002015-09-27T18:44:05.056-07:00ADACHIGAHARA: Sympathy for the Demon<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">On September 11 at Shibuya’s Cerulean Tower Noh Theater in Tokyo, Soju Project presented an English-language introduction to Noh, followed by a special full performance by the Takeda Noh Troupe of the demon-Noh play 'Adachigahara.'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">At a first read, ‘Adachigahara’ is merely scary. Three men on a journey find themselves isolated and alone at night in the bleak moors of Adachi. They ask an old woman for lodgings, only to find she is in fact a demon. In the resulting supernatural battle, good triumphs over evil. It is the stuff of any late night horror flick. “Whatever you do, don’t look behind that door!”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">For many in the audience, this was a line reminiscent of the Hollywood horror classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">But the Noh play ‘Adachigahara’ is more than just scary, it is also a tragic, haunting play. Due in large part to the influence of Noh, there are moments of sympathy both for and by the demon, giving the play a pathos that can at times be wrenching.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;">The memory of <a href="http://yoshiterutakeda.com/" target="_blank">Yoshiteru Takeda</a>’s performance haunts me still.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-77560823658946845912015-09-19T18:43:00.000-07:002015-09-25T18:45:17.481-07:00How did you get involved with Noh(能)?<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.08px;">A common question: How did you get involved with Noh(能)? Well, it was thanks to my potential mother- and father-in-law. I married into a family of professional </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.08px;">Noh performers(観世流能楽師). I have to admit, at first I immersed myself completely in Noh in an effort to convince them to let me marry their daughter. It worked. Now I'm completely addicted to Noh. Sumi-painter,Kumiko Lawrence, my wife of twenty-five years, works with me on my writings and presentations. Below are photos of the Noh stage my father-in-law had built in his home, the stage where our son Edward studies and practices Noh. </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 16.08px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16.08px;"><br /></span>Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-86259765457700630502015-09-18T01:18:00.000-07:002015-09-25T01:20:21.077-07:00The Beauties of the Noh Stage - Cerulean Tower Noh Theater<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On September
11, 2015, at Shibuya’s Cerulean Tower Noh Theater in Tokyo, Soju Project led a
pre-performance tour of the Noh stage at Cerulean Towers in Shibuya, Tokyo, followed
by a special full performance of a full evening of Noh by the Takeda Noh
Troupe. The traditional Noh stage, in addition to being beautiful, is
fascinating in its construction as well as its symbolism. Many of the people
who attended the tour had never been inside a Noh theatre before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-76271766902624953592015-09-10T19:00:00.000-07:002015-09-27T15:39:45.468-07:00'Throne of Blood' (Kumonosu-jō) By Kurosawa Akira <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">A photo from 'Throne of Blood' (Kumonosu-jō), Kurosawa Akira's samurai version of Shakespeare's 'MacBeth.' Kurosawa's version of the Weird Sisters, pictured here, was inspired by the mountain hag/demon in the Noh play 'Adachigahara.' </span><br />
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<br />Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-27315322760633486812015-09-06T18:24:00.000-07:002015-09-25T18:29:42.406-07:00Noh Workshop “Tsuchigumo” (at Waterasu in Tokyo)<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">On , Soju Projekt took part
in a Noh workshop by Noh performer Yoshiteru Takeda. The workshop, at Waterasu in
Ochanomizu, focused on the demon-Noh play ‘Tsuchigumo’ (‘The Earth Spider’). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">‘Tsuchigumo’ is often
performed for audiences new to Noh because of its easy-to-understand story and
its dynamic nature. The basic premise of samurai warrior versus spider-monster
has dramatic appeal, and its overall feel –an eerie first half, a spectacular
second half – is entertaining. Because of its special effects – spider webbing
cast a la Spiderman from the hands of the monster – the play resembles Kabuki
as much as Noh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">It was easy to get caught up
in the excitement. The audience was clearly relieved when the loathsome thing
was destroyed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Cambria",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria;">A highlight of the workshop
was, not surprisingly, learning the secret behind the webbing, including how
it’s made and the proper way to fling it. There is a trick to it, but it also
takes a lot of practice. Every participant was given several chances to fling
their webbing. The technique is not easy to master, though, and some of us
showed more spider-demon potential than others. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-70756906165888454822015-08-23T13:54:00.000-07:002015-09-28T14:40:35.654-07:00Gamelan- Peter Gabriel, King Crimson and Bonobo?<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Harrison" target="_blank">Lou Harrison</a> did a lot to help spread gamelan in the U.S.,
but I think it must have been Peter Garbriel who turned a generation on to its
music. Members of King Crimson have also sited it as an influence. I have been
listening a lot lately to Bonobo, an electronica artist who uses a lot of
gamelan instruments in his music. I wonder where he first heard gamelan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-82838961151749762092015-06-13T14:01:00.000-07:002015-09-25T14:01:23.599-07:00Out-of-tuneness (Himalayan healing bowl, Noh flute etc.)<div class="MsoNormal">
There is something about the out-of-tuneness of it all. Some
of the most stunning moments of musical experience for me have been when I was
playing or listening to an instrument or instruments that were ‘out of tune’.
Playing the eerie, distorted Noh flute, or surrounded by a pulsating gamelan
orchestra, feeling the shimmer of a Himalayan healing bowl, these were wondrous
moments for me. <o:p></o:p></div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-61420653434727051972015-06-03T20:46:00.000-07:002015-09-28T14:32:49.667-07:00Ken's reweaving of Italian epic 'Orlando Furioso',on Parabola Magazine<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The Summer 2005 of <a href="http://parabola.org/" target="_blank">Parabola Magazine</a> featured 'An Intersession of Angels,' my retelling of a section from Ariosto's renaissance Italian epic 'Orlando Furioso' as part of their Epicycle series. Sumi paintings by <a href="http://www.sumikumiworks.com/" target="_blank">Kumiko Lawrence</a> of Archangel Michael were also featured. </span><br />
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The theme of the issue was 'Angels and Demons.' The search for an interesting story to retell was, if anything, too easy. The Bible, of course, has many interesting stories about angels, and I contemplated for a time trying my hand at translating a section from Dante's 'Inferno.' I tend, however, to prefer stories from traditions that readers are less likely to be familiar with. </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I went almost immediately to Ferdowsi's 'Shahnameh,' the epic poem of Persia. There are many fascinating tales involving demons in the Shahnameh: Kay Kavus's war attack on Mazandaran, land of the demons; the demon Ahriman's attack on Gayumart, first king of the world; the combat between the demon Akvan Div and the mighty warrior Rustam, all great stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">As usual, however, I longed for the unexpected, a story with a twist. Our basic assumption, of course, is that angels are inherently good and their counterparts, demons, are bad. But a lot of great literature (and some not-necessarily-great-but-<wbr></wbr>interesting literature) has been written using the same technique, taking a masterpiece or well-known story and telling the tale from the point of view of the 'bad guy' (Richard III, Cao Cao, Judas, the Wicked Witch of the West and Loki, just to name a few). Milton's 'Paradise Lost' is a classic example, a retelling of the War in Heaven from the point of view of the losing side. But retelling the story of Milton's great epic poem would clearly be an arrogant and futile undertaking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I finally selected a section from 'Orlando Furioso.' Ariosto's epic poem is nothing if not odd, a manic, over-the-top ride, an example of channel surfing created several centuries before the invention of the television. The episode I selected is particularly odd and stuck with me long after I read it. In it, God sends his right-hand man, the Archangel Michael, to recruit several demons to assist Charlemagne in his 'good' war against his non-Christian enemies. This initially sounds like a good plan. Angels and demons make for strange bedfellows, but the demon Discord does what Discord does best, not allowing peace between the two sides. The resulting carnage and suffering of the battle eventually reaches the ears of Michael, who surely realizes that the plan was flawed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">This image of angels and demons working side by side, and of angels as fallible supervisors and bureaucrats, is typical of Ariosto's strange vision. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #5d5d5d; font-family: 'Exo 2', HelveticaNeue-Light, 'Helvetica Neue Light', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; letter-spacing: -0.38px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-55634425330973165832015-05-22T14:13:00.000-07:002015-09-25T14:13:56.197-07:00“Underground “ by Haruki Murakami<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 25.65px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
The Murakami book I’m reading now, “Underground “is non-fiction, but it’s still brilliant. It brings back memories of one of the creepiest days of my life.</div>
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I was on the train the day an apocalyptic cult released lethal nerve gas on Tokyo trains. I wasn’t on a train that was attacked, but on one of the same train lines, on my way to one of the same train stations, an hour or so later.</div>
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I had no clue what was going on. The train stopped for a long time, and somebody said something about a gas leak. I worked at the National Noh Theatre then, and had to walk to work. I arrived about ninety minutes late. I was stunned when my coworkers told me they were ‘very relieved’ to see me, and told me I should call my wife immediately to tell her I was safe. The entire country was in shock.</div>
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Strange times. Bad nostalgia.</div>
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( Ken Lawrence)</div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-38027332264624163292015-05-03T14:17:00.000-07:002015-09-25T14:17:35.916-07:00Haruki Murakami <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.1px; line-height: 25.65px;">Lately I’ve been rediscovering Murakami Haruki. My wife turned me on to him back in the day, when I first moved to Japan, long before anyone outside Japan had heard of him. I’m rereading everything, most recently ‘Kafka on the Shore.’ I keep spotting noh plays – or at least ‘noh essence’ – in his work. Or is it just my imagination?</span>Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-61029770127334606082015-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:002015-09-27T20:23:47.600-07:00Parabola Magazine retelling from 'Orlando Furioso' with Sumie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-74796342521291498202015-04-26T14:15:00.000-07:002015-09-27T20:19:02.277-07:00Asian flutes ( Saluang, Shakuhachi and Nohkan)<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #666666; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 0.95em; line-height: 25.65px; margin-bottom: 1.1em; padding: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;">
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Circular breathing alters the brain, I’m sure of it. I play the saluang, a bamboo flute of the Minang people of West Sumatra, Indonesia, which requires circular breathing, breathing in through the nose while simultaneously blowing out through the mouth. The effect of playing a single, uninterrupted note for thirty, forty, fifty minutes is amazing, and can’t be explained away as hyperventilation. Much more is happening.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17.1px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Shakuhachi</strong></em></div>
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<span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">My research recently has led me to rediscover an old friend, the shakuhachi. The shakuhachi, a bamboo flute of Japan, is the most responsive instrument I’ve ever come across. It is one with the breath, the mouth shape, head position and posture of the player. A change of breath, a small head shake, even a slight pursing of the lips will change the sound. A disciplined player, with perfect control, can bring the sound from an extreme distance to a close up presence and back again, or gather white noise from nothing, focusing it into a pure tone before allowing it to blur into white. As a listener, the experience can be calming yet astounding. I wonder how the sound effects the brain of the player, or the brain of the listener.</span></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: 17.1px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">Nohkan</strong></em></div>
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<span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lately I’ve been looking into the nohkan, the bamboo flute that accompanies noh, the masked dance drama of the samurai. It’s construction is unique, assuring that blowing won’t give you the same note an octave higher (as on a western flute). </span><span class="s1" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;">During lessons in Tokyo, when my teacher and I played at the same time, the slightly different tuning caused distortions that I hadn’t heard since attending a Stevie Ray Vaughn concert, and I was surprised that such a sound could penetrate my brain without overwhelming my ears with sheer volume. This was a unique and exhilarating experience. I am curious to find out what effect this has on the human brain.</span></div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-43775219347122936532015-04-25T20:19:00.000-07:002015-09-25T20:20:06.345-07:00(Kumiko's post) Archangel Michael-Sumi is on Parabola magazine!!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18px;">One of my Sumi paintings is being used on <b>Parabola magazine</b>'s web site cover slide show (</span><a href="http://www.parabola.org/" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.parabola.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 18px;">) . This painting of Archangel Michael will be featured in their Summer issue with the Italian epic "Orlando Furioso". Thank you angels and everybody for supporting my art!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5771219549404279810.post-37188253991468802032015-04-23T15:25:00.000-07:002015-09-27T15:33:48.268-07:00Cutting Edge and Tradition - Anime reaches Samurai @ Sakuracon2015<div class="p1">
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<span class="s1">In 2015, Soju Projekt once again took part in Sakuracon. Because of the enthusiasm of the audience at our 2014 lecture-demonstrating 'What is Noh?' we chose to present a more specific lecture focusing on the theme 'Traditional Asian Music and Theater in Anime' using specific examples, followed by a live performance of a newly composed piece that illustrates many of the topics discussed in the lecture. The Noh-inspired performance featured gamelan music from Indonesia, music from Japan and the Himalayas, and interactive computer projections of neo-traditional sumi-paintings. </span><br />
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<span class="s1">It's always a thrill to present at Sakuracon. It is truly odd to lecture to and perform for an audience of steampunk robots, dwarves and Sailor Moons, but they are always attentive, and their questions well-thought out. I am always pleased by their sincere interest in the traditional arts of Asia. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The popular samurai anime "Samurai Champloo" defied convention by effectively using the hip-hop music of Nujabes, Tsutchie, Fat Jon and Force of Nature to enhance the anachronistic feel of its alternative Edo setting.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">But examples of traditional music in anime are not difficult to find. The shakuhachi and Noh flute often enhance the eeriness of a scene, and one of the 'villains' in 'Blade of the Immortal' even performs Noh chant before each duel. More surprising is the increasing presence in anime of theme songs and background music performed on or inspired by gamelan, the traditional knobbed-gong ensembles of Java and Bali. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Interestingly, anime may have had a lot to do with the spread of gamelan not just in Japan but in the United States as well. Gamelan inspired composers such as Impressionist Claude Debussy and American Lou Harrison, but its popularization was more likely due to popular performers such as the influential rock performer Peter Gabriel. Progressive rock mainstays King Crimson have also sited gamelan as an influence for their rhythmically complex, interlocking pieces. Still, the gamelan-influenced theme song of the anime classic 'Akira' by Shoji Yamashiro may have been the first exposure of many in Japan and the United States to the music of gamelan. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">More recently, composer Kiyoshi Yoshida composed the theme song for the disturbing anime 'Shigurui' scored for the unusual combination of gamelan, Japanese taiko, didgeridoo and strings. </span></div>
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<span class="s1">The influence of gamelan is also clear in the theme from 'Ghost in the Shell: Arise,' composed by Cornelius (</span><span class="s2">Keigo Oyamada</span><span class="s1">).</span></div>
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<span class="s1">In addition to inspiring the music for anime theme songs and background music, the influences of traditional Japanese theater can be seen in its esthetics. The well-known liminal expressions on traditional Japanese Noh masks are often used to great effect during fight scenes. See, for example, the emotionless expressions of the little girl automaton dolls during their assassination attempts and mass suicide attacks in 'Ghost in the Shell: Arise.' </span></div>
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<span class="s1">Other Noh esthetics in play in many anime include the concept of 'mu' or nothingness. Silence is used to great effect in many anime, including 'Mushishi,' 'Ergo Proxy' and Makoto Shinkai's beautiful "Five Centimeters per Second."</span></div>
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<span class="s1">There is in the Noh repertoire a type of Noh called 'Mugen Noh' or Dream Noh. In Noh of this type, there is a blurring of time, of space and of identity. The distant becomes close; dream and reality, past and present become indistinguishable; who someone is, who they say they are and who we think they are becomes unclear. The underlying dreamlike esthetic of Mugen Noh, whether invoked consciously or unconsciously, is apparent in several of the anime already mentioned, including 'Mushishi,' 'Five Centimeters per Second,' 'Ergo Proxy,' 'Ghost in the Shell, and 'Shigurui.'</span></div>
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<span class="s1">The traditional esthetics mentioned in Kenneth E. Lawrence's lecture on traditional Asian theater in anime were illustrated in the performance that followed the lecture, Sakura Projekt's performance of the piece 'Mist.' While the form of the piece were inspired by Noh theatre, the libretto, written by Kenneth E. Lawrence, was inspired in equal parts by two geniuses, Zeami Motokiyo and American author Gene Wolfe. 'Mist' is the story of a samurai warrior who, due to a brain injury, is unable to recall his past and must piece together his life from what he sees around him. The piece was a collaboration with Golden Heron Gamelan director Jeff Milano, sumi painter Kumiko Lawrence, visual cretor Kaz, taiko drummer Stan Shikuma and electronic musician Kaley Eaton.</span></div>
Kenneth Lawrencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05984323247028856075noreply@blogger.com0