ARTISTS
Special Fringe
Saeki-bayashi Hozon-kai
Saeki-bayashi is a folk performing art that started in 2020 in the Kisaichi area of Katano City, Osaka. It was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, sparked by desire to launch a new taiko-based festival to ward off plagues and bring about bountiful harvests. Saeki-bayashi Hozon-kai is a collective formed by taiko performer Atsunobu Saeki and a group of volunteers that banded together to revive their local area’s Mushi Okuri Matsuri (Festival to Drive Away Crop-Eating Insects). Their creative process is unique—it’s a cycle of creating new folk performing arts from scratch, then breaking that mold to create another new form, over and over again.
Korei no Kai
Korei no Kai is a taiko group in Ogi that has been active in the community since its formation in 1989. At the end of August every year, they band together to pull a taiko cart door-to-door throughout the town, livening up the Ogi Port Festival with their drumming and energy. They also participate in other local events and sometimes play taiko to farewell cruise ships leaving Ogi Port.
Yasukazu Kano
Shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute) Performer Yasukazu Kano became a member of Kodo in 1987. After a decade of touring, he left the ensemble in 1997 to become a solo artist. Remaining on Sado Island. he went on to further explore and broaden the possibilities of playing the shinobue (Japanese bamboo flute), developing his own method of playing. Kano made his major debut in 2005, releasing numerous albums, sheet music books, and more to date. He has performed more than 2,000 times in 30 countries around the world. As a music producer, he wrote a theme song for NHK’s “Nihon no Wagei” and music for television, movies, and theater. Kano leads shinobue workshops nationwide and around the world, as well as sharing his expertise via “Shinobue Kano Method” YouTube tutorials. He has also created many videos of live performances to help revive festival culture and spread shinobue music globally. Some of his other accomplishments include performing with Salena Jones, Kosetsu Minami (Japanese singer), Ryuichi Kawamura (Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer), and Keizo Nakanishi (Japanese singer-songwriter and composer). Kano also serves as an instructor at Kodo Apprentice Centre.
