Interview: Yumi Torimaru talks taiko, fue, shamisen, and music culture in Japan

I had a fun time talking with Yumi for this interview. I think we have a mutual understanding especially because of our strong connection to both Japanese and North American arts and culture. When I first moved to Portland, Yumi kindly bought me lunch and welcomed me to the area with warm enthusiasm. It’s always nice to have a friendly greeting because going to a new location can be somewhat challenging. Since then, we’ve become friends and colleagues who also share an appreciation for high-quality natto along with other food and drinks.

Yumi’s group Takohachi is always fun to watch. As I mention in the interview, my favorite part is their distinctly unique style where energetic original pieces are mixed with a minyo (Japanese folk arts) feel. In this way, I would love to see more taiko groups that simultaneously embrace their own voice and appreciate a deeper connection to the roots of the instruments and music which came from Japan. Yumi is also very active with other projects where she collaborates with various musicians and other artists.

We covered a lot in our conversation including her early musical experience, finding taiko by chance in the US, the pros and cons of getting a natori (stage name), quitting her day job to be a full time musician, her recent trip to Japan, her many great teachers, and much more. There is a lot of material on her websites and social media so please check out the links below. Yumi sent me four audio excerpts which are interspersed throughout the interview:

Sakura in Spanish Wind by Toshi Onizuka (guitar/percussions/arrangement), Yumi Torimaru (shamisen/shinobue), Otsuki (vocal)

Tawaratsumi Uta from Nanbu (Aomori)
This was made with my tsugaru shamisen teacher (Ryuhiro Oyama), his sister (Chigusa Takehana, vocal), and her two daughters (Marino/ Minori Kajiwara, taiko/Narimono) with my shinobue.

Portland Raincolors by Yumi Torimaru

Sora no Tori by Yumi Torimaru

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Kotori Japanese Music
www.KotoriJapaneseMusic.com

Takohachi
www.takohachi.org

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Yumi Torimaru founded her music ensemble, Takohachi, in 2006 in Portland, Oregon. Takohachi became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2007 to preserve traditional Japanese music and dance and create innovative taiko drum performances using Japan's strongly moving music and rhythm element. She has created hundreds of Takohachi shows to educate and entertain throughout Oregon at schools, libraries, festivals, and cultural events.

In recent years she established a smaller ensemble, Takohachi’s Q-Ensemble, to perform flexibly with high demand. She also has undertaken a solo project Kotori Japanese Music focusing more on cultural content. With all the newer projects, she freely expresses her originality in music using Taiko drums, Shinobue (bamboo flutes), and Tsugaru Shamisen (Japanese lute). The smaller ensembles and Solo projects allow her to do more collaborations with other musicians and artists in different genres. Duo units, Maido Mind (shinobue and piano/voice), and Takohachi X (multi-Japanese instrumental) are actively performing. She enjoys being an ambassador to introduce Japanese culture through music to American communities and exporting new work with a fusion of American Experience back to Japan. With Takohachi, she wants to build a special two-way relationship with Japan to bridge the two cultures.

In 2016, she became an apprentice of Ryuhiro Oyama, the distinguished Tsugaru Shamisen (Japanese lute) master of one of the biggest Tsugaru Shamisen Associations (Oyama-Kai) in Japan. He is well known for his deep knowledge of the Tsugaru style Minyo (folk songs). In 2020, Yumi started to take online professional shinobue training by a world-renowned musician, Yasukazu Kano.

Interview: Fumi Tanakadate talks piano, taiko, fue, and writing music

Photo by Michael Holmes

It was fun talking with Fumi for this interview. We first met several years ago during one of my Brooklyn trips to visit Kaoru Watanabe. Even though we haven’t had many opportunities to play together, I have always appreciated her clear musicality. Fumi is one of the most solid taiko and fue players I know and her work spans a wide range of musical genres and artistic disciplines. And of course she is highly accomplished on her main instrument, the piano. I’m sure that if we were based in the same town, our musical paths would be much more interconnected. Hopefully there will be increased chances to work together in the near future.

In the interview, Fumi talks about her musical beginnings in Tokyo and how she ended up as a member of the taiko class at Wesleyan University. We also discussed her experiences as a student of Kaoru which eventually resulted in performing in his groups and helping to teach at his taiko school. I also enjoyed hearing about composing for fue and piano because we all seem to have different approaches to writing for this somewhat unusual instrument combination. Finally, it was enlightening to discuss Fumi’s current nohkan and Edo Bayashi studies, especially because of who her teachers are. Thank you to Fumi for taking time to record this conversation.

Included in the interview are excerpts of music recordings that Fumi sent me. They are:
Sketch 01 - Fumi Tanakadate
Kimigayo - Hiromori Hayashi, Yoshiisa Oku (arr. Fumi Tanakadate)
Momotaro - Teiichi Okano (for Crossing Jamaica Avenue)
Senkou Hanabi - Fumi Tanakadate
Uplifting - Fumi Tanakadate

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Fumi Tanakadate is a versatile music artist, specializing in piano, Japanese percussion and bamboo flute, who has a unique combination of an expertise in European Classical music and a background in traditional folk dance and music from Japan.  Fumi studied and worked extensively with Kaoru Watanabe, performing at such venues as Joe’s Pub, National Sawdust, Pioneer Works, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, the Rubin Museum of Art, Super Deluxe in Tokyo and at PASIC, Percussive Arts Society International Convention.  Fumi has also collaborated with Shane Shanahan of the Silkroad Ensemble, Brooklyn Raga Massive, Chieko Kojima and Yuta Sumiyoshi of KODO, Alicia Hall Moran, Sonoko Kawahara (theatre director), Parijat Desai (dancer), Garrett Fisher (composer), Satoshi Takeishi, and Kiyohiko Semba. 

One of her recent projects was an unconventional trio with an erhu player Ying-Chieh Wang from Taiwan and a janggu player Woonjung Sim from South Korea, sharing and creating a new perspective on traditional music as part of Contemporary Music Platform, a residency at National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts in Taiwan.

Photo by Bedouin Hao

Fumi currently teaches at Wesleyan University and serves as the primary instructor at Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center, giving classes and educational workshops at local schools and colleges. She has also taught at North American Taiko Conference, East Coast Taiko Conference, and European Taiko Conference.

As a classical pianist, Fumi has performed throughout Japan, tri-state area, Austria, and Spain. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University and a Master of Music degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music.

Fumi’s webpage
http://www.taikonyc.com/fumi-tanakadate

Interview: Kaoru Watanabe talks Japanese etiquette, studying, teaching, and performing

photo by Max Whittaker

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Kaoru Watanabe, a friend and wonderful musician based in New York. We first met while I was living in Honolulu and playing with the Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble. Kaoru and I have performed together in a variety of configurations over the years and I always have a fantastic time. I especially appreciate his musical openness and keen ear which constantly kindle spontaneity and real interaction on stage as we improvise. Kaoru, like myself, is all about the music, and I think this philosophical bond can be heard in our conversation.

For this interview, I asked Kaoru about etiquette in Japanese culture and more specifically within traditional arts. My interest in this topic has grown as I learn more about 礼儀作法 (reigi sahou, or etiquette system) through my Edo Bayashi studies with Kyosuke Suzuki sensei. At the beginning of the interview, I mention Suzuki sensei’s video interviews I produced for the Online Edo Bayashi Gathering in February 2021. Here is the link where you can find three videos dedicated to this topic:

https://vimeo.com/showcase/7974529

As I had anticipated, Kaoru shared valuable insights he gained through a wealth of experiences in the US and Japan. I can relate to his fluency in both cultures so it felt easy and natural to conduct the interview. The included music are excerpts from three of Kaoru’s pieces: Merge, Shinobu, and Bloodlines. I am grateful to Kaoru for his time and look forward to the next time we can record another interview on a different topic.

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Website
http://www.watanabekaoru.com

Youtube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBL_1I2mRPcVK2gvyRAeNA

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kaorufue/

Kaoru Watanabe Taiko Center
http://www.taikonyc.com

Kaoru Watanabe, a New York-based composer and musician specializing in Japanese flutes and percussion, works with such groundbreaking artists as Laurie Anderson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Yo-Yo Ma, Wes Anderson, Bando Tamasaburo, Simone Leigh, and Jason Moran. Watanabe is known for the artful and innovative ways he merges traditional Japanese music and theater elements with the contemporary Western world.

Originally from St. Louis, MO, where his parents played in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Watanabe played classical music as a child before going to the Manhattan School of Music to study jazz flute and saxophone. He then spent a decade in Japan, re-discovering and diving deep into his cultural roots as a member of the iconic taiko drumming ensemble Kodo. Watanabe studied a wide variety of traditional Japanese folk dances, songs, drumming, Noh, Kyogen, tea ceremony, woodworking, and rice farming to deepen his understanding of Japanese culture and the function and place of the performing arts within it.

As a solo artist, Watanabe seeks to collaborate with artists who embrace both tradition and innovation, such as Eva Yerbabuena, Imani Uzuri, Tamangoh, Adam Rudolph, Alicia Hall Moran, Rhiannon Giddens, Jen Shyu, Susie Ibara, Hassan Hakmoun, Zakir Hussein, Gamin, Vernon Reid, Wu Man, Tseyen Tserendorj, and many others.

As a composer, Watanabe writes for various, often unconventional instrumentations and explores a wide variety of compositional techniques. He has written orchestral works for the Sydney Symphony, premiering them at the Sydney Opera House. Watanabe composed music for the Academy Award-nominated Isle of Dogs soundtrack and three separate commissions for Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad ensemble. Watanabe's compositions often explore social justice, politics, history, and heritage. He has written a piece called Iki, meaning "breath," a mantra-like performance-art piece for Eric Garner. Watanabe has written for prepared koto about the Japanese fighter planes used in WWII, a symbol of both the beauty and genius of Japanese culture and the evil and destruction it perpetrated. During the pandemic, Watanabe developed a body of work that uses electronics to sample and playback his flutes, drums, and voice live, allowing him to create ensemble works solo that he titled INCENSE.

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Ranjo, master Japanese bamboo flute maker, with Daniel and Kaoru

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photo credit: Daniel Torres

Ranjo flutes I'm currently using

My first experience with a Ranjo shinobue (horizontal Japanese flute made from shino bamboo) was more than 10 years ago, when I bought a number 6 flute from Kaoru Watanabe. I started playing fue seriously upon moving to Honolulu in 2001 for graduate work at the University of Hawaii and to play taiko with Kenny Endo. Since that initial introduction, my fue collection has grown and I have had the opportunity to visit Ranjo san's workshop multiple times. Visiting him is always a wonderful experience, not only because I can play and handpick any flute in the shop, but especially because of the opportunity to see him work, ask questions, and experience his warm enthusiasm and complete dedication to his craft. My musicianship has grown largely due to Ranjo san's high-quality instruments and knowing him personally. Kaoru also continues to support me and provides constant inspiration. He introduced me to Daniel Torres last year because of our common interests, and I wanted to feature his thoughts and photographs on this blog. I asked both of them 5 questions.

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Daniel Torres interview

photo credit: Daniel Torres

When and where did you first meet Ranjo san?
I met Ranjo san for the first time on June 2013, thanks to Kaoru san, who was kind enough to make the necessary introductions. I spent a whole day photographing him at his workshop in Chiba. 

What makes his flutes special?
There are at least two things that make Ranjo san's flutes special. First, his hearing and sense of tuning is extremely accurate, and since the tuning of a fue is done by hand, he has the required skills to create very precise instruments. Second, his craftsmanship has been perfected over more than forty years of practice, so there is almost no compromise between form, aesthetics, and function. Ranjo san is quite ingenious when it comes to his crafting techniques and he is constantly improving upon his own designs. Kaoru can describe some of this better. 

How can someone order a Ranjo fue?
I believe Kaoru san is the only person that sells Ranjo fue in North America. In Tokyo, you can go to Mejiro (a well known shinobue and shakuhachi store located near the station of the same name) and place an order.

What advice do you have for fue students?
Practice every day. There is no substitute for dedication and discipline. It is going to take a long time, it is going to take a lifetime. Sometimes it will be frustrating, but every now and then you'll have moments when it will be clear that you are going somewhere. Get used to playing in public as early as possible. Look for a mentor that can correct your technique as often as possible.

How can people learn more about Ranjo san?
Through Kaoru, perhaps? That is a bit of a difficult question. People who play fue know Ranjo through his craft, but to get to know him personally, you'd need to have access to him. Ranjo san is an amazing person, extremely generous, humble, and easy going. Perhaps some day we could convince him of doing a talk about his own life as a fue maker?

Daniel Torres

About me: 
I'm a video game programmer, sake brewer, and occasional photographer. I've been studying fue for about three years so far, and played Taiko for about ten years as member of Kita no Taiko in Edmonton, Canada. My photography page can be reached at http://photography.dantorres.net, and my sake blog is http://sake.dantorres.net.

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Kaoru Watanabe interview

photo credit: Daniel Torres

When and where did you first meet Ranjo san?
I met Ranjo san the first time while I was on tour with Kodo in the early 2000. Either I visited his studio as a young member of kodo or perhaps he came to the concert hall where we were performing. 

What makes his flutes special?
The quality of material, the quality of craftsmanship are, first of all, superior to other flutes. He does certain things while making his fue that most others don't do - such as obsessing over the intonation of the overtone series and octaves. He has a curiosity and love of experimentation that propels him to improve upon his technique, even after nearly four decades of making fue. He once recreated a Polynesian nose flute I showed him but using aged bamboo and Japanese urushi. 

How can someone order a Ranjo fue?
Contact me if you don't speak Japanese or contact him directly by phone or letter. He is a very friendly person. Also, his wife and daughter both speak a bit of English as well. 

What advice do you have for fue students?
Listen to and try to imitate as many different styles of fue playing you can, even if you don't know what's going on. Listen to the music of noh, gagaku, kabuki, minyo, nagauta, various festival and folk musics, and shakuhachi music. This all of course is if you don't have access to someone who knows about traditional fue playing. Don't worry as much with the music of contemporary taiko groups in my opinion. It's difficult to make the shinobue sound like a Japanese instrument, as opposed to a vaguely "Asian" sounding instrument - so I strongly encourage people to study and listen to the traditional music (if that's what they're trying to do).

Kaoru Watanabe

How can people learn more about Ranjo san?
Just like studying Japanese music in general, nothing can compare to going to the source. To visit his workspace is to see first hand what it means to strive for pure perfection. To see him make fue and ask him questions about the process is always incredibly inspirational to me. I've had lessons and worked with many of the great fue players around but I've learned from him as much as any of them. His generosity and support of my career cannot be overstated. I have vowed to continue to strive to improve my playing with the same fervor that he strives to improve his fue. 

Kaoru's website

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2010 visit to Ranjo workshop

2013 visit to Ranjo workshop, with Shoji, Maz, Yasuo