This past Sunday we attended a mini-Sakura Matsuri that was hosted by the Japan Foundation held at Brand Park in the Los Angeles Suburb of Glendale. To our suprise, Brand Park is home to the Shoseian (Whispering Pine) Japanese Tea House & Friendship Garden. According to the City of Glendale's website, this beautiful tea house was built in 1974 through the combined efforts of the sister cities of Glendale and Higashi-Osaka. The name Whispering Pine Tea House was given by the Fifteenth Grand Tea Master of the Urasenke School of Tea in Japan.
We can't emphasize how beautiful this place is but we can guarantee this will not be our only visit. We could only imagine how special it would be to attend an actual Tea Ceremony would be in such a setting.
The Shoseian Tea House has been designated as a historical landmark and in our humble opinion a hidden gem of Japanese Culture nestled at the foot of the Verdugo Mountains to enjoy.
If you would like to learn more of this unique Japanese Tea House, please visit their website at shoseianteahouse.com
How fortunate to see a rare Kabuki performance outside of Japan! This last weekend was no exception as we were treated by the Japan Foundation to a free screening of Kagamijishi - The Lion Dance on high definition print at Little Tokyo's Aratani Theater. This was filmed in such high quality in 2009, it was as if seeing it in 3D with surround sound. Normally we would say nothing beats a live performance but this screening of the Lion Dance that was recorded at the Kabuki-Za Theater in Tokyo was absolutely phenomenal as it is rare to witness! This was performed by Japan's National Treasure & Master Kabuki Actor Kanzaburo who plays both Yayoi (the reluctant lady in waiting) and the spirit of the Shishi (Lion) in the most physically demanding role in one of Kabuki's most powerful and challenging plays. Dating back to the early Meiji Period, the Lion Dance is as popular as it was when it first premiered in 1893. Set in the mid 19th Century, a young maiden Yayoi is living within the confines of Edo Castle. Hidden from the temptations of the world outside, she yearns to express her dreams of liberation of the world outside the castle walls. But as fate would have it she is summoned by the Shogun to perform a dance before a rice altar and stone lion heads by which one lion head quickly possesses her. In the madness that consumes her, the spirits of the butterflies appear played by two child actors who deliver a mesmerizing performance before the appearance of the raging Shishi Lion who swings his long mane reaching out to the universe of pure emotion. We do not know if this will be performed live in the United States anytime in the future but if the opportunity to screen this performance comes around, we highly recommend this visual cultural feast of sensations captured in digital media that will leave you breathless and wanting for more.
Noh Theater is as unique an art form as it is a cultural treasure of Japan known the world over. This musical drama best known for it's exquisite beauty, rich costumes, and array of masks are steeped in symbolism that conjures an era long past to the 13th Century predating Kabuki. We at American Mishima have been fortunate enough to have seen a few Noh Theater performances here in the City of Los Angeles, but these opportunities are rare. It was by chance that we were fortunate enough to attend the Japan Foundation's recent lecture on Noh this last March 13th at their Wilshire Blvd location. The lecture would be for the most part conducted in Japanese by famed Noh Performer Tatsushige Udaka and translated by his wife & Noh Performer Haruna Tanaka. In his lecture, Mr. Udaka shared his vast knowledge of Noh's place in Japanese history and its cultural significance. In this lecture attendee's were given a rare opportunity to pass around sample swatches of the material that is most widely used in Noh Costumes as well as closeup views to the elaborate costumes that span over 100 years in age.
Mr. Udaka talked at length as to the usage of the famous Noh Masks which later made for an entertaining question and answer session in which we had to ask about the actors personal association with their characters. Most particular of interest was that of the famed "Oni" (Demon) mask made famous by the 1964 film Onibaba in which a jealous mother poses as a demon to scare her wayward daughter into submission.
What struck us was his explanation that unlike here in the West, the demon mask represents the state of the heart and not an actual demon. This is not to discount actual belief in such entities but rather to further exemplify the expression of pure jealousy. Traditionally, the demon mask represents the jealous rage of a beautiful woman whose heart reveals her ugliness. When asked about tales of possession, Mr. Udaka recalled one famous story of a Noh Performer who once became so entranced by the demon mask that he cut his own face off to better fit the undersized mask. Such tales are the rare exception but for us it was an opportunity to get the actor's perspective on the lore of the fearsome mask.
While it wasn't our intention to scare anyone with our provocative questions, we did walk away with a better grasp of how Noh Performers embody such expression through musical chants and rhythmic movements. This is accomplished through their dance as such demonstrated by Mr. Udaka who demonstrated four sample play pieces including the famous "Death of a Samurai" all without masks and with him doing the accompanying chants normally reserved for the musicians that provide the music during a Noh Performance. He danced with such precise single Zen like focus achieving the conveyed implications of the drama which dramatically unfolded like the gilded folding fans used for props, one could see the intensity of the play's lasting impressions of this ancient theater that where only the dancer is on stage. As best explained by Mr. Udaka: "The best I can compare Noh to is that of the modern day experience many people have had searching for the television remote. You will focus on nothing else until you find that remote. That is what it is like to be a Noh Performer."
We at American Mishima would like thank Mr. Tatsushige Udaka and his wife Haruna Tanaka as well as the Japan Foundation for making this event possible.
To find out about future events sponsored by the Japan Foundation,
Thursday August 30th, the Japan Foundation of Los Angeles held it's first Open House at it's new Miracle Mile Location at 5700 Wilshire Blvd location across from the Screen Actors Guild & La Brea Tar Pits - Page Museum complex. For those not familiar with JFLA, they are a non-profit organization who is financed by endowment by the Japanese Government and private donations to help promote Japanese language and culture. We have attended many of their events before but this was the first time we attended an open house as the old Little Tokyo Location was not as convenient. Upon arrival on this hot August day, visitors were greeted by JFLA's director Misako Ito and the staff which welcomed scores of visitors and school children. Once inside, visitors were cooled to some nice air conditioning and treated to a small Shamisen concert & tea and a variety of Japanese snacks provided in their screening room where visitors could watch both documentaries and small features from Japan.
The interior featured beautiful kimono displays on loan from the Kimono Agency of North Hollywood. There were also wicker displays as well as Ikibana. In the back there was a class room where school children tried their hands and Japanese Calligraphy with ink & brush while a few feet over was a large gallery that featured photographs taken by American Students in Japan. The Japan Foundation has a vast library of books, dvds, and learning materials to help foster the study of both Japanese language and cultural understanding. For anyone who is looking to learn about Japan or learn Japanese this is the best place in LA you can go to do that. The staff is very helpful and much like a public library, you can apply for a small $2.00 fee for a JFLA book card that will allow you to borrow books and instructional dvds you can take home to study with. JFLA offers special events everything from Shamisen shows like the recent Abeya concert, to Kabuki, Taiko, and lectures as well as conversation series where any person can meet and speak Japanese Language regardless of level. Leaving the old Little Tokyo location, new location is very spacious and easy to get to. You'll also find that the staff is both very helpful and friendly.
They do have a large children's section and children's events which
makes a great place to teach a child Japanese or introduce Japanese
culture. They do have a large Manga section and Animae DVD that can be
screened there.
If you are looking to pursue JLPT studies or simply take
the exam, this is the place to go. You can use their computers,
research material, or simply utilize the library to enhance your
studies. American Mishima highly recommends the JFLA and wishes them continued success!
In commemoration of the Japan-US Cherry Blossom Centennial, the Japan Foundation has been proud to sponsor Japan's acclaimed folk music ensemble Abeya on their 2012 Tsugaru-Shamisen US Tour. American Mishima was present for their second and more informal night which was more of a workshop at UCLA than the previous night's formal performance at the Colburn School's Zipper Hall. By doing so, we were able to get right up close to the group to see their mastery of the Tsugaru-Shamisen at work.
Abeya's founder and patriarch Hidesaburo Abe jokingly likes to refer his group as five weird guys and one beautiful girl.This includes his two sons Kinzaburo Abe & Ginzaburo Abe who both have won the All Japan Shamisen competition. Together with Ryu Gotika, Tatsumasa Ando, and the beautiful Maya Nemoto they comprise one of the most successful Japanese folk music ensembles.
As seen here Kinzaburo & Ginzaburo Abe posing for our camera.
By doing this workshop the audience was given more of an opportunity to learn the history of Tsugaru Shamisen and what goes into making both Shamisen and the music that spans from the Southern most island of Okinawa to Hokkaido. This included a breakdown of the way a Shamisen is transported and the meanings behind many of the traditional songs once sung during long hard days at work which have since become ingrained into the culture. Having been to a few Yoshida Brother's concerts, I thought I knew more about Shamisen but as they say in many Japanese dictionary's that the more you know the more you realize how little you actually know. To further this point, their American translator invited a 12 year old American boy who they met in Japan that had been studying Shamisen to play. This kid held up his own and could have been a member of Abeya. They later invited members of the audience to join in and do traditional folk dance. あいけない! Had I known, I wouldn't have worn a business suit to the event!
After the workshop members of the audience were treated to an informal meet & greet with the group and some free sushi. They were fun to talk to and very nice people who we wish them continued success. We at American Mishima enjoyed our evening with Abeya. They will be playing in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, and then in Honolulu before returning to Japan. If you would like more information for Abeya's US Six City Tour please visit the Japan Foundation website.
“American Mishima” is the work of Louis Rosas, the son of Mexican Immigrants, whose father served in Vietnam for the US Army and who grew up on glamorized war films and military aviation in the sleepy seaside plains of Oxnard, Calif. With an early fascination of the Second World War embedded in his young mind during the post-Vietnam era, it was his exposure to Akira Kurosawa's samurai epic Ran (Toho, 1985) that changed his views of war while creating a lasting impression of Japanese culture and history. Further inspired by the works of Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, Rosas would go on to study Japanese language and swordsmanship, which led him to the practice of Shingon Buddhism and Shinto. Rosas is also a former student of Shinkendo, the ideal and practice of the samurai code of Bushido in the modern world, which helped shape the creative force that is “American Mishima.”
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