Saturday, August 06, 2005
>> Cool RIK Wallpaper for August
RIK (Ryukyu Internet Kingdom) have posted their latest kabegami (wallpaper) for the month of August. Visit the kabegami download page here.
[posted with ecto]
>> Cool RIK Wallpaper for August
RIK (Ryukyu Internet Kingdom) have posted their latest kabegami (wallpaper) for the month of August. Visit the kabegami download page here.
[posted with ecto]
>> Sosakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana Website
My friend Ray created a website for his Okinawan eisa taiko group, Sosakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana, complete with a weblog and the posting of several pics of their performances (and outings). The group’s profile reads: “We are an Okinawan Taiko group with members of all ages from 5 to 70.â€? Check them out!
[posted with ecto]
>> Sosakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana Website
My friend Ray created a website for his Okinawan eisa taiko group, Sosakudaiko Ryukyu Yuihana, complete with a weblog and the posting of several pics of their performances (and outings). The group’s profile reads: “We are an Okinawan Taiko group with members of all ages from 5 to 70.â€? Check them out!
[posted with ecto]
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
>> Orange Rock @ Orange County
Get ready to rock! Green Brain presents “Orange Rock @ Orange Countyâ€? on Friday, June 17, a concert that will feature an all-Japanese line-up of indie rock bands. Performing will also be BLEACH: the “3 Japanese Girls from Okinawaâ€?. Check out Green Brain’s blog for more information on this event.
[posted with ecto]
>> Orange Rock @ Orange County
Get ready to rock! Green Brain presents “Orange Rock @ Orange Countyâ€? on Friday, June 17, a concert that will feature an all-Japanese line-up of indie rock bands. Performing will also be BLEACH: the “3 Japanese Girls from Okinawaâ€?. Check out Green Brain’s blog for more information on this event.
[posted with ecto]
Thursday, March 03, 2005
>> Happy 34 (Sanshin) Day!
Well, technically it’s still March 3rd here in Hawaii, but in other parts of the world it’s already March 4th: Sanshin Day! Why? March, the third month of the year, is read as “san” in Japanese and the number four is read as “shin” (actually it’s shi but we’ll celebrate on this day regardless :p). To celebrate this occasion, there’s a gathering of Okinawan musicians the world over and they play “Kagiyadefu Bushi” at the same time via the radio, phone, or internet (I guess). I actually participated here in Hawaii several years ago and it was pretty exciting playing with over 1,000 sanshin players throughout the world.
A commemorative wallpaper (or kabegami in Japanese) for your desktop available here [via シマウタ37.6度].
Here are a bunch of sanshin day related links (in Japanese) to whet your appetite with:
- “2005 Yukaru Hi Masaru Hi Sanshin no Hi” RBC iRadio
- “Sanshin no Hi” i dub okinawa
- “Ryukyu Koten Ongaku” Wonder Okinawa
- “Sanshin no Susume”
- “Sankichi-kun” a fun little sanshin tuning app for your Mac/PC
- www.sansinya.com where you can lust over your first (or next) sanshin
Thursday, January 27, 2005
>> Monkey Waterfall in Concert
Monkey Waterfall—a dance theatre production with masks and stilts—will hold a concert on February 4 & 5 (a Friday & Saturday, 7:30pm) at Windward Community College. Please visit the website for ticket information.
Using masks, movement and music, Monkey Waterfall tells “stories that amuse and enchant audiences.” The performance is not recommended for children under 8 years old.
Co-founded by Yukie Shiroma and Ben Moffat, Monkey Waterfall has performed in England, Scotland, Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and across the mainland.
Teachers and their students are featured in the program. Cheryl Yoshie Nakasone, an Okinawan dance master, will appear in a piece choreographed by her student, Yukie Shiroma. [via the WCC concert website]
Nifee for the link Charlene!
Monday, January 17, 2005
>> Radio Go Go Goya!
Being that my updates to the Sampler Sunday feature is a bit, um, few and far between, how about giving
Sunday, January 02, 2005
>> Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu at KZOO
You might as well get used to seeing this image as I’ll probably be posting it on the first Sunday of every month. :)
Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu (the Okinawan folk music club I belong to) welcomed in the New Year with a short “live” at our local Japanese-language radio station KZOO. Some of us were there about a month ago for the inaugural First Sunday at KZOO (the name I’m giving it) but that was for the HUOA Culture (music) Club (or something like that—I’ll have to ask them to come up with a more hip name *heh*).
A nice early evening in Manoa.
It rained on Friday and Saturday so Sunday’s rainless weather made the drive to Manoa Valley quite nice. Half of the group had just arrived when I got there so we didn’t waste any time getting some practice in.
Once again, I’m not in any of the pics. :(
Of course it would’ve been nice to stay home since we’re just a day out of 2005, but meeting up with everyone really made my day. (Not to mention that this is one heck of a bunch of really nice peeps.)
Yeah, I know. Not a steady-looking shot huh? (Read on.)
We had only prepared three songs to perform tonight and since we had a bit more extra time than anticipated, Kiyoshi Sensei added in a fourth song (“Gusuku nu Mê”) for good measure. Allison Y. and I didn’t have to perform any additional songs so that was a relief. :) I took the (unsteady) shot above while holding onto my sanshin under my arm and I’m dubbing it the Richie Shaky Effect™. :P Next month, the HUOA Culture Club returns to KZOO!
Sunday, December 05, 2004
>> First Sunday at KZOO Radio
Today was the inaugural performance of a new KZOO radio (our local Japanese-language radio station) segment that will feature local Okinawan music on the first Sunday of every month. Our Thursday group’s fe/male performers played two songs each and did a pretty swell job (I think it was the first time they performed live on radio).
“Umichiru” (pictured with group member Dexter T.) will be taking over the retiring Keiko Ura’s place as DJ for the Sunday Okinawa show. I met her at the Tamagusuku Ryu Senjukai Hawaii’s Awamori Fest and she seems like a very nice person. (Here’s wishing her luck as the new face of KZOO’s Sunday Okinawa broadcast.)
Most of the group were already at the studio when I arrived there (around 5:30p) and they were practicing/warming up before the on-air at 6:00p.
It was the first time that I visited the station since they moved from their Ward location (they’re now in one of Manoa Marketplace’s 2nd floor offices) and the studio is very nice and cozy.
Sadly, I didn’t have a chance to take any pics of the female group since they were up shortly after the guys and I helped out on sanshin (which also explains why I’m not in any of the pics too). After the 30 minute show, we headed downstairs for dinner at Hanaki (known for their delicious Japanese food buffet). All in all, despite the rainy weather, it turned out to be a pretty nice Sunday. :)
Friday, October 29, 2004
>> AUTUMN FESTIVAL OF RYUKYUAN COURT MUSIC AND DANCE
AUTUMN FESTIVAL OF RYUKYUAN COURT MUSIC AND DANCE
performed by the Ukwanshin Kabudan-Ryukyu Performing Arts Group
Friday November 12, 2004
7:30 PM, Orvis Auditorium (University of Hawaii Music Dept.)
tickets: $15 general / $10 students & senior citizens
A performance of Ryukyuan (Okinawan) court music and dance focusing on
the Sho Dynasty when the Ryukyu Kingdom prospered through trade with
China and abroad. Presented in a dance narrative, the repertoire
celebrates the four seasons and a story of duty and honor.
The first part of the performance will present rarely performed pieces
from the repertoire of classical women’s dances. The gestures in these
dances hint at the cultural influences from across Asia from Japan to
Java. The second half of the concert will feature the male classical
dances. While women’s dances portray deep inner emotions, the male
dances often focus on duty and piety. The notably stronger motions find
many of its roots in the Okinawan martial art now known as karate.
The dancers are from the Tamagusuku Ryu Tamagusuku Setsuko Ryukyu Dance
Academy, Hawaii Chapter. They are as follows:
Eric Wada (instructor)
Shizue Afuso
Takako Miyazaki
The musical ensemble will feature the following:
Norman Kaneshiro…uta/sanshin
Keith Nakaganeku…uta/sanshin
Jolene Takamori…koto
Allison Yanagi…kucho
Terry Higa…taiko
The concert is sponsored by the Department of Southeast Asian Studies
and the Music Department of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. The
proceeds from the concert will be used to benefit programs at UH
focusing on Okinawan performing arts.
For more information, please call 95-MUSIC (956-8742) or e-mail:
uhmmusic[at]hawaii[dot]edu; OR email Norman:
nkaneshi[at]hawaii[dot]edu.
(Nifee for the email notice Norman!)
Sunday, September 19, 2004
>> 2004 Okinawan Festival Pics
Thursday, September 16, 2004
>> The Off Note/Disc Akabana Weblog
I’ve had this weblog on my RSS newsreader for a few weeks now but I only had a chance to look through the entries today. Now I’m thinking, “I wish all entertainment (music for this discussion) labels were like this one”. The off note-blog- is the brainchild of masaru0801, who blogs about the latest news of the artists from the disc akabana and off note (also written as offnote) record label. The blog provides OMGs (Okinawan Music Geeks) with an invaluable resource on the web by providing detailed information on the label’s album releases as well as concert schedules. Sadly, it’s only in Japanese so be sure to visit the blog with your trusty e-dictionary or web translator.
Thursday, July 01, 2004
>> Guess Who’s Coming to Honolulu?
Monday, May 10, 2004
>> Lorraine Kaneshiro Cultural Benefit
The HUOA (Hawaii United Okinawa Association) will be holding a cultural benefit for the late Lorraine Kaneshiro on Sunday, May 23, 2004, from 10:30am to 2pm at the HOC (Hawaii Okinawa Center). For more information (as well as where to buy your tickets) please visit the HUOA website or call the center at 808-676-5400.
[View the flier—Adobe PDF
1.59 MB]
Sunday, September 21, 2003
>> An afternoon of fine Ryukyuan music at the 2003 Godo Ensou Kai
Join the Hawaii chapters of Nomura Ryu Ongaku Kyokai and Ryukyu Sokyoku Koyo Kai for an afternoon of fine Ryukyuan music at 2003 Godo Ensou Kai on Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Natsunoya Tea House. The program will open at 3:00 p.m. with a large ensemble performing classical Okinawan music.Please email me if you’re interested and I’ll send you the contact information.
Member schools will showcase their students in solo and small ensemble performances. There will be a ceremony recognizing achievement in sanshin and koto performance; including presentation of shihan menkyo jo (senior teacher’s certificate) to Yasuko Arakawa and kyoshi menkyo jo (junior teacher’s certificate) to Sueko Okuma. The event will conclude with a buffet dinner served at 6:30 p.m. followed by Okinawan dance entertainment provided by members and friends. The cost is $30.00; full-time students pay $15.00.
Saturday, September 13, 2003
>> Miruku Yu Nu Nauri (Blossoming Petals of Peace)
The Tamagusuku Ryu Senju Kai Frances Nakachi Ryubu Dojo will be holding a dance recital on Sunday, November 2, 3:00 pm at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center’s Concert Hall. The cost of admission is US $20 and a limited amount of tickets are being sold through this website. If interested, I’m accepting payment by check or via PayPal and early takers will be given a discount of US $2 off the admission price. [Email for more info]
[Update: Thanks to one of Nakachi Sensei’s students (nifee ft!) who pointed out my misspelling of her sensei’s name as Francis instead of the correct Frances. Oops!]
Sunday, July 13, 2003
>> Update to my entry on the First Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference in Honolulu
I recently received a yuntaku (comment) for this earlier entry from Dawn, who asked me to check out her site, www.Uchinanchu.com. My earlier entry contained nothing more than a few links (to her site as well as two others), so this is a much needed update.
The First Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference will be held in Honolulu from Friday, August 29th, to Tuesday, September 2nd.
Here’s an excerpt from the www.Uchinanchu.com website:
Aloha! Building on the success of three worldwide Uchinanchu Festivals or Taikai in Okinawa in 1990, 1995 & 2001, Hawaii welcomes uchinanchu and uchinanchu-at-heart from around the world to a mini festival - the First Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference.Since this is an Okinawan pop culture site, of particular interest is the Closing Ceremony International Eisa Festival on Tuesday, September 2nd, at 6:00 pm. Performing on that day will be the most popular O-pop band in Japan, Rinken Band. The concert will take place during the finale of this event and will be held at the Les Murakami Stadium, located on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
For more information regarding this awesome event, please check out the www.Uchinanchu.com website. They even have a section for travel and accommodations for our mainland and international visitors.
Thursday, June 12, 2003
>> Update 061203: OMG (Okinawan Music Geeks)
It’s settled. By popular demand (thanks to those who emailed me about this) the name “O.M.G.” will remain as it is and it won’t be changed to OMF (Okinawan Music Fans/Fanatics). We’re still looking for new members so if you’re interested in joining us (more info on our Okinawan music fan group can be found on this post) you can email me at riccin@internet-okinawa.com or leave a Yuntaku (comment) below. I’m looking to have the first email newsletter sent to everyone by the end of the month. It’ll probably be a questionnaire to gather info on what music genre you’re interested in and what you may be able to contribute to the club.
As always, if you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to let me know. Oh, and from now on, I’ll have a separate category for the club so my past posts will be easier to find on this pop blog. Tege!
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
>> Okinawan Music Geeks (O.M.G.)
Okay, that (“O.M.G.”) name is not etched in stone yet, but it’s a start. I’m starting an Okinawan music listeners (lovers) club so I’m looking for the all-important “CLUB MEMBERS” in order to make this thing work.
What will the O.M.G. do? Well, for starters, I want this to be a way that extreme lovers of Okinawan music of all genres can get together (in real life) to share music stories, trade music, listen to music, and perhaps go on a tour to minyou clubs and/or J/O-pop concerts in Okinawa.
Who should join the O.M.G. club? Anyone with an interest in Okinawan music who actually owns LPs, cassettes, CDs, videos, or DVDs of any genre of Okinawan music. How can you join O.M.G.? You can either 1) email me or 2) leave a Yuntaku (comment) on this post (it automatically gets emailed to me). Or better yet, if you know me in real life, give me a call.
Monday, May 19, 2003
>> 2003 Okinawa T-Shirt Design Contest
Team i-O member Travis has an Okinawa t-shirt design contest up at his site. Ever wanted your Okinawan design on a t-shirt to be sold worldwide? He’s even offering prizes for the winning designs too so check it out!
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
>> Okinawa Music Jukebox
i-O team member and logo designer, Travis Morgan, has an Okinawa Music Jukebox up on his weblog site. If you’re interested in listening to some cool O-Pop (Okinawan Pop Music) tunes, you need look no further. His weblog also has a lot of interesting entries on Okinawa.
Sunday, May 04, 2003
>> Q and A from Friday’s yuntaku
[note: the Q & A for this entry are from my recent yuntaku at Hawaii’s Plantation Village.]
After allowing myself some time to think about which questions to post to this weblog, I’ve decided on the music-related ones of which I’m most familiar with. I’ll be more than happy to answer any other questions you may have so feel free to email me.
Q: What instruments are in an Okinawan ensemble?
A: For a koten ongaku (classical music) ensemble, a “full” cast would consist of at least one of each of these instruments:
Sanshin (banjo): The most essential instrument of Okinawan music. Called shamisen in Japanese, it has three strings or chiru (the word ‘sanshin’ means ‘3 strings’), and a body or chîga made from python skin.
Kutû (zither): This instrument called koto in Japanese, has thirteen strings and is the largest of the ensemble.
Têku (drum): This instrument is actually a pair of drums, called taiko in Japanese, with a large one placed vertically and a smaller one placed horizontally.
Kûchô (fiddle): This is basically a “mini-me” version of the sanshin although it may have an added fourth or fifth string to it. When played with the ensemble, the instrument (called kokyû in Japanese) in most cases will follow the main melody which is being sung by the uta-sanshin (voice or song with sanshin) player.
Fansô (bamboo flute): Called hanshou in Japanese, like the kûchô this instrument in most cases will follow the main melody that’s being sung by the uta-sanshin player.
In minyou, or folk music, it’s possible to have the above instruments as well as Western instruments like a violin, piano, or a guitar. For the most part, minyou is kept acoustic with the norm being a combo of sanshin and têku.
Q: What’s the difference between the Okinawan sanshin and the Japanese shamisen?
A: The Okinawan sanshin is the origin of the Japanese shamisen. The sanshin we see today is actually a modified version of the original instrument (called sanxian) which arrived in Okinawa from China in the 14th century. The major differences between the sanshin and the shamisen are:
The sanshin body is covered with snakeskin and is circular in shape, while the shamisen body is covered with cat skin and is rectangular in shape. The sanshin is smaller in length than the shamisen. The plectrum, or bachi, used for the sanshin resembles a comma-shape while the one used for the shamisen is shaped like a rice paddle.
To be continued…
Friday, May 02, 2003
>> Visitor from Hawaii’s Plantation Village?
If you’re a visitor to the site who was part of today’s yuntaku (talk story) with me, haisai (hello)! I had a lot of fun today (although I was quite nervous) and I thank you for your gracious hospitality. The spirit of aloha is definitely alive at Hawaii’s Plantation Village.
As promised, I’ll have some of the questions (with answers) posted on my pop site by Sunday at the latest. Once again, thank you for visiting and keep in touch with me by email or by leaving a comment (called “Yuntaku”) on this entry. Nifee (thanks)!
Sunday, April 27, 2003
>> Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu performs at the 2003 Spring Craft Fair
The minyou group that I’m a member of, Nidaime Teishinkai Hawaii Shibu, performed at the 2003 Spring Craft Fair at the Hawaii Okinawa Center this past Saturday. We performed a 30 min. set for this yearly event.
![[Image of Performance at 2003 Craft Fair]](http://pop.internet-okinawa.com/blog/images/nths-03craftfair.jpg)
photo courtesy of Donna.
(pictured from l-r: Lisa W on kutû, me on uta-sanshin, and Allison Y on uta-sanshin.)
Also performing with us were Scott N and Sara N who along with Lisa (they’re all members of Miyashiro Soho Kai) took turns on kutû, and Nona M on têku who is a member of Hawaii Taiko Kai.
Thursday, April 24, 2003
>> First Worldwide Uchinanchu Conference
We’ve been receiving quite a bit of inquires about this upcoming conference so I’m going to go ahead and post some links to sites of interest. (I’ll post more about it later as I’m still gathering a little more info on this one myself.)
- East-West Center: News & Events (nifee to Professor Vincent Pollard for the link).
- HUOA.org (the Hawaii United Okinawan Association’s site.)
- WUB - International (the Worldwide Uchinanchu Business Association’s site and one of the conference’s main sponsers.)
[Update: This entry has been updated. Please check out my latest post for more info.]
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
>> Ukwanshin Kabudan
Champuru.com has a “Backstage Pass” of the Okinawan performing troupe Ukwanshin Kabudan’s recent performance in Maui. Although the troupe’s been around for several years, they did not have an “official” name and they would instead list the different schools each member belonged to. This is definitely one of the groups you’ll want to keep your eye on in the coming months. Karii (cheers) to Ukwanshin Kabudan!
