The Japanese Conversation Club of the University of Wyoming hosted professional koto, shamisen and shakuhachi players for a Friday evening performance on March 1. Naoko and Kanshin, professionally trained players of the traditional Japanese instruments brought a taste of Japanese culture to the high plains of Laramie with help from fellow performer Ayako Ohara.
Before every song, Kanshin, who played the shakuhachi for the small ensemble, provided an explanation of the cultural context and history of the piece. The group played five songs in total over the course of about two hours.
“It’s really delightful to be here and spread this music to places where it might not normally show up,” Kanshin said to the audience prior to the performance. “We’re going to be doing a series of songs from different periods to give you a taste of the variety of this music and these instruments.”
The featured instruments differ tonally and stylistically from the instruments most common to American music.
The shamisen is a three-stringed lute that originated from the Chinese sanxian; Noako wielded it for the first song of the night. The koto, the national instrument of Japan, is a long-stringed instrument played from the floor, and can be played by two people at once. The shakuhachi is a long bamboo flute that originates all the way back to the 1500’s.
Some songs, such as Shin-Takasago by Terijima Haano of the Meiji Era are traditionally performed in ceremonies such as weddings, while the shakuhachi solo, Tuchi Ningyo by Tadao Sawai, is usually set to meditation.
Japanese Conversation Club President Ben Flickinger said that it’s important to have these kinds of events because Wyoming’s geographical location makes it difficult for residents to be exposed to different cultures.
“Getting these sorts of events here is probably the only way a lot of people around here will get to see it, especially for the local community rather than the university, because they don’t have the same resources with things like study abroad,” Flickinger said.
Flickinger also said he was very happy with the turnout for the club’s first public event. The process of funding the event, making connections with Naoko and Kanshin and getting everything set up at UW were very big steps for the club, he said.
University of Wyoming (UW) students in attendance responded well to the performance. Student Finn Egan said he thought students who missed the show missed out on a very interesting cultural experience.
“I’d say it was really good,” Egan said. “It’s the first time I’m hearing this kind of stuff. It’s really a different perspective on music.”
“I thought it was interesting to see different cultures, unique cultures and especially older classical stuff with those really different instruments and things like that,” UW student Xander Larson said. “I would also like to see the same type of thing with different cultures and get to sample a little bit here and there.”
Larson also said that he wished the event was better marketed.
“I don’t know if this was well publicized,” Larson said. “I almost missed it. I think we barely caught a flier somewhere. I think if it was more well publicized more people would have come.”
After the performance concluded, Naoko and Kanshin invited the audience onto the stage to learn more about and even try the instruments featured in the performance. The performers used the exhibition as an opportunity to teach about what makes the instruments unique as well as the different way Japanese sheet music is written.
