Tsugu-Kaji KOTO

 

TsuguKaji-KOTO is a koto duo formed 10 years ago by the talented koto performers Tsugumi Yamamoto and Ai Kajigano. They use 13, 17 and 25-string kotos to freely express their sense of musicality. Their repertory includes traditional as well as contemporary works, drawing out the colourful tones of the koto instrument with their matchless skill. Their original compositions, which layer the sound of koto with their singing and narrative voices, are exceptionally well received in Japan and abroad. During ten years of collaboration, this duo has lived up to their reputation for keen attention to the Koto’s unique sound. Blending song and voice into their sound, they have produced unprecedented contemporary works in collaboration with various composers. Using 13-, 17-, and 25-stringed Kotos, the duo has woven a repertory of enchanting tunes, bridging the traditional and the contemporary. Since 2001, the TsuguKaji-KOTO has participated every year in the Festival of Japanese Sound. The duo’s live performances took them all over Japan, including Tokyo, Kobe, Ibaragi, Okayama, Kanagawa, Kagoshima, Hiroshima, and Okinawa. In 2010, the duo made its U.S. debut at the Asian Society in New York City, Nashville, and Atlanta on a tour organized by The Japan Foundation, expanding the musical potential of their instruments and voices internationally. Their CD “Katari, Uta, Koto” was released in 2008.

In September 2011, in the Canada tour, two other distinguished performers joined the duo: shakuhachi player Akihito Obama, and taiko percussionist Makoto Yamamoto — both of whom have extensive performing experience abroad. Adding to the flowing melodies of the koto, the expansive sound of shakuhachi and vibrant rhythm of taiko created an exquisite harmony and dynamic ensemble. This concert tour with the theme “Tradition and Innovation,” presented a contrasting range of classical tradition and the artists’ contemporary sensibilities, gracefully bringing together the beautiful world of Hogaku.

Ai Kajigano (Koto, Sangen, Vocal)
Ai KAJIGANO first learned Koto under her mother, Ryorei Kajigano, then studied with Tadao Sawai and Kazue Sawai. After graduating from the NHK Academy for Japanese Traditional Music in 1997, she was selected for the Agency for Cultural Affairs Internship Program in 2000. She has performed internationally in 18 countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. In addition to various TV and radio appearances, KAJIGANO participated in the sound track recording of the annual NHK national broadcast historical drama. She has held three solo recitals, the first of which took place in her home prefecture of Kagoshima (2000); the second, also in Kagoshima, was in honour of her winning both the Kagoshima New Talent Competition and the Kagoshima Bank Foundation Award (2002); and the third in Tokyo (2005). She is a registered artist under the Vitalization Program for Public Auditoriums and a lecturer at the Sawai Koto Academy and the Kagoshima International University.

Tsugumi Yamamoto (Koto, Vocal)
Tsugumi YAMAMOTO began studying Koto under Shoko Moriya, Katsuhiko Yoshizaki, and Keiko Nozaka. She graduated from the NHK Academy for Japanese Traditional Music in 1993 and was selected as the Progressive Artist Research Student by the Agency of Cultural Affairs in 2002. She won the Copper Award at the National Koto Competition in 1996, and passed the NHK Japanese Traditional Music audition in 1997 and 1998. Her first recital took place in her home city of Kobe in 1999. Since then YAMAMOTO built her career as a recitalist presenting a live concert series “Tsugumi” collaborating with a wide range of artists even beyond the genres of traditional music. Following the success of her recital on the 25-stringed Koto in Tokyo in 2003, she has performed in concerts for 25-stringed and 17-stringed Koto (part of the Tokyo Summer Music Festival), two 25-string Kotos, and formed her Koto duo TsuguKaji-KOTO and an ensemble Ho with whom she has premiered several new compositions. She is a member of Hogakusha and Shingensha of Ikuta Koto School and a player in the Ikuta Koto School Shingensha Ensemble.