by Misa Murohashi, The North American Post
Seattle Miyagi-kai will have its 60th anniversary concert on Saturday November 9th at 12:30 pm at Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple Auditorium (1427 S Main St). Seattle Miyagi-kai is a koto association led by koto master Kuniko Takamura since 1959. Koto is a stringed musical instrument, which has been played since ancient times in Japan. Kuniko directly learned koto from Michio Miyagi who is known as “the father of modern Japanese music” in Japan.
While Miyagi-kai performs at different local Japanese festivals such as Seattle Cherry Blossom and Japanese Cultural Festival, its anniversary concert each decade is the largest event for Miyagi-Kai.
At the concert, 12 Japanese classic and contemporary songs including “Seoto” composed by Miyagi will be performed. Shakuhachi – Japanese bamboo-flute – master Kofu Yamamoto will join in from Vancouver B.C. to play with Miyagi-kai. Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki of Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple will play sho, a Japanese traditional free reed instrument made with bamboo. The concert will be a great opportunity to experience the harmony of classic Japanese music. The concert is free and open to the public.
