Promoting the 25-String Koto to the Future and to the World

 

 

 

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My name is Eri Nosaka, and I am the representative of the organizing committee for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival.

This festival organizing committee was formed as a result of our group’s strong devotion to expanding the knowledge of and interest in the 25-string koto. In commemorating the 30^th anniversary of the “birth” of this relatively new Japanese musical instrument—which was first developed by my late mother, Sōju (Keiko) Nosaka II—we hope to open doors to further possibilities for the 25-string koto, while raising awareness of this unique instrument for both future generations and the world.

Have you ever heard the sound of the koto, one of Japan’s most distinctive traditional musical instruments?

 

Traditional 13-string koto

 

Widely played throughout Japan even today, the koto is made from the wood of the kiri (paulownia) tree, and is traditionally strung with 13 strings. The koto is a sublime musical instrument with an extensive history that reaches back to Japan’s Nara period (AD 710 – 794). Around 1969, Sōju Nosaka set out to create a koto that could offer freer forms of expression, and could also be played on par with western instruments in terms of the extended range of its musical scale and volume. This resulted in the creation of an expanded 20-string koto.

 

20-string koto

 

Since the introduction of the 20-string koto, the number of new compositions and players has vastly increased, and Sōju found herself very active, touring not only in Japan but also overseas. She continued to develop other different types of koto featuring a greater number of strings, and finally, in 1991, the 25-string koto was released as a solo instrument that could cover the entire range of the traditional 13- string koto, yet with a fuller tone (particularly in the lower register), which would allow others to enter the inner world of the koto — something Sōju had long been striving for.

 

25-string koto

 

Owing to the diversity of the 25-string koto’s broad range of musical expression, the number of its players has been steadily increasing to the extent that I myself do not know many of them, although their recognition has been growing throughout Japan.

 

▼Hear the sound of the 25-string koto!▼

Practicing Building An Ark

(first performance commissioned for the 30^th Anniversary Festival concert)

https://youtu.be/TxtrEnULbFU

 

 

Sōju Nosaka had planned to hold her own commemorative recital in 2021, and was very much looking forward to the approaching 30th anniversary of the creation of the 25- string koto, to the extent that she even commissioned a new composition. However, while engaged in her enthusiastic commitment to this unique musical instrument, she sadly passed away in August of 2019, before she could see the results of her many years of dedication.

 

Sōju Nosaka II

 

Sōju Nosaka II, devoted her life to the koto, and in 2015 was honored by Japan’s MEXT government ministry as a bunka kōrōsha, or Person of Cultural Merit.

 

“The path of the koto is profound and full of music.

I hope all of you will take great care of this treasure of Japan.”

 

These were the last words left to me by Sōju Nosaka II.

 

Playing the koto together with my mother, Sōju Nosaka II,

at a concert rehearsal in San Francisco.

 

Having since taken over my mother's affairs, I decided to designate the year 2022 as a “Festival Year,” strongly wishing to remember Sōju Nosaka II’s enormous contribution to the world of koto, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her creation of the 25-string koto, while hoping to pass on the charms of Japanese traditional music to both the next generation and the world.

Unfortunately, as we all well know, the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, and has since had a devastating impact on the world of music. Thus, the organizing committee had many discussions about whether the festival should even be held while the pandemic continued. Finally, after taking thorough precautions to prevent further transmission and infection, it was decided to hold the festival.

 

 

The 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival will be held on February 19^th and 20^th (Sat. & Sun.), 2022 at the Toyosu Civic Center Hall (Other Rec Hall/Sub-Rec Hall).

 

The festival will feature three parts, as follows:

1. Listening (a koto concert to provide an appreciation for the 25-string koto)
2. Knowing (a koto workshop to provide a working understanding of the 25-string koto)
3. Seeing (an exhibition that shows the history of the 25-string koto)

Note: The festival will be held in Japanese only. 

Brochure for the Festival Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the 25-String Koto

 

Note: This brochure is only available in Japanese.

 

The total cost of this project will be approximately 4 million yen, (or about US $35,000, at an exchange rate of ¥114.85/US $1) for the reprinting of Sōju Nosaka II’s book, 悠久の音を求めて (In Search of the Sound of Eternity), and to cover organizing costs for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival.

Of this amount, about 3 million yen (or US $26,000) may be raised through grants from the Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Arts Council Tokyo, or from our own funds, including ticket sales. However, in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 25-string koto, which Sōju Nosaka II devoted most of her life to promoting, and to pass the baton on to the next generation, the project will necessarily have to be larger, and there is a limit to how much we can raise with our own funds.

Most of all, we are hoping to have a big festival to celebrate 30th anniversary of the 25-string koto, so that more people can learn about this fascinating Japanese musical instrument. After considerable discussion among the members of the organizing committee, we decided to try crowd funding.

 

 

 

Today, there are many performers who play the 25-string koto, but there has never been an opportunity for them to come together in one location and perform. When we put out the call for performers for this festival, which is currently scheduled to be held this spring of 2022, we found many unique performers working with the 25-string koto who had developed a wide variety of musical styles and genres.

This festival will also be a remarkable opportunity for observers to see how the 25-string koto has developed over the years, as well as to provide a stimulating experience for other players. I am sure that through these new forms of collaboration, knowledge of the 25-string koto will continue to expand and develop throughout the world.

The main reason why I decided to take on the challenge of crowd funding at this time was not only to raise funds, but also because I, as well as the other members of the organizing committee who have been through so much together, sincerely felt that we wanted to carry out Sōju Nosaka II’s final wish that “Japan’s treasures should be carefully nurtured,” and to make the 25-string koto known to as many people as possible in order that it might be carried forward to later generations, and the world.

 

 Members of the festival organizing committee

 

In this, our first attempt at the promotion of the 25-string koto, we are all working together as one. It would give us the greatest joy if we could reach our goal and welcome the day of the festival with the same feelings shared by our sympathetic supporters.

We hope to continue to promote the 25-string koto—which was originally developed by my mother, Sōju Nosaka II—to later generations… and the world.

Thank you all for your support!

25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival Organizing Committee

Representatives: Eri Nosaka

Nobuhiro Kaneko, Toshiko Kuto, Yasuko Sato, Yukari Sato, Rimi Sato, Haruna Takahashi, Michiko Takita, Ayako Tada, Miwa Naito, Sousei Hanaoka, Miho Yoshiba (in Japanese alphabetical order)

 

Project Representitive:

Eri Nosaka, representative of the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival Organizing Committee

 

Project Date: March 31, 2022

 

Notifications

Project Outline and Intended Use of Funds Raised

We are currently seeking funds for the reprinting of Sōju Nosaka II's book, 悠久の音を求めて (In Search of the Sound of Eternity), to be released February 19, 2022, as well as organizing fees for the 25-String Koto 30th Anniversary Festival (to be held on February 19 & 20, 2022), including the fees for READYFOR return costs.

 

Risks and Challenges

Qualifications and permits required to implement both this project and the return

The crowdfunding project will require an application to the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, (JASRAC) for approval of the release of the sound source files to be distributed in the return. This application will be made after the number of return recipients is determined.