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￥7,000
(including Dinner & Sake)
As it was expected, last Sake Tasting dinner was among the most talked about event at the Kobe Club, once again with the courtesy of Sakura Masamune, the legendary Sake Brewery founded in 1625 by the Yamamura family in Kobe, we are grateful to have the opportunity to enjoy fine Japanese Sake and exquisite dishes prepared by Kamiki-san and the staff for an evening that will never be forgotten.
This year to start this special evening we have the rare opportunity to enjoy Noh-flute and Chikuzen Biwa performance by two well-known artists. Nonaka Kumiko and Kyokuho Kawamura have kindly accepted to a short performance for our members before the dinner. Flutes have been believed by Japanese to bring Gods down to the human world and Sake that has been a sacred offering to the gods for thousand years, will not only have your appetite fulfilled but also purify your inner soul, therefore why not start 2010 with a lot of Sake and wonderful cuisine here at the Kobe Club. There is only limited seating available and since the ingredients will be of the finest quality to go with the varieties Sake being arranged, we advise members and their friends to make urgent reservations before missing the special opportunity.
MenuAssorted Hors d’Oeuvre SHIRAKO topped with Sautéed Japanese Radish KYOTO Potato, Lobster and Raw Ham Pinchos Lentil Beans Salad stuffed in Fruit Tomato Sea Urchin in Lily Bulb Marinated Duck with Vegetable Purée Sauce SUSHI ✶✶ Steamed Turnip and Sea Bream with Japanese Thick Sauce, Ginger Flavor ✶✶ Beef Steak with Sesame, Red Wine and Garlic Sauce ✶✶ Braised Vegetables, Japanese Style ✶✶ Green Tea Tiramisu with AZUKI Beans, Cream and Black Seed Honey ✶✶ Bread and Butter ✶✶ Coffee or Tea Please make reservations for Sake tasting at the Kobe Club office. Call (078)-241-2588 or send e-mail to kobeclub@office.email.ne.jp
Profile
NONAKA, Kumiko (Noh-flute player)
Born in Kyoto, Japan. 1986, BA (Liberal arts) at International Christian University, Tokyo. Learned piano and violin for enjoyment since childhood, and the interest in Japanese traditional music came to increase along with growing, and started studying Noh-kan (a bamboo flute in Noh theatre) with Hiroyuki Matsuda (a member of National Treasure Noh theatre).
Started public performance in 1994, played traditional Noh music pieces arranged for Noh-flute solo, and experienced in collaboration with various performers (players of western and eastern musical instruments, dancers of traditional and contemporary dances). Invited to many memorial events at shrines and temples.
Since 1998, started an annual concert at Daitokuji temple (one of the most famous zen-temples) in Kyoto and have performed creative stages with guest performers.
Flutes have been believed by Japanese to obtain the special power in order to get contact with invisible existence. Noh-flute is sometimes called “Kami-oroshi no fue” (meaning a flute which calls gods down to the visible human world). It can be said that Noh-flute in noh performance plays the roll which builds a bridge toward the world of gods and sprits, and invites them to human world during even a limited short period. Noh-flute is also played to let must-be-invisible beings come back to their own world.
Nonaka plays noh-flute with having awareness of such the unconscious Japanese value, which handed over since ancient age, and she believes that noh-flute conveys resonance to the audience, not only to the physical, but also to the spiritual aspect.
Note: 能 (= Noh) : A stage performance (one of world cultural heritage) with more than 600 year history, which is combined with dances, songs, and instrumental music. Noh is sometimes explained as an opera in Japan. Most of the repertoires use masks. The stories come from legends, folk tales, historical events, Buddhism narratives, and China and India beside Japan.
Kyokuho Kawamura, Chikuzen biwa (1) player
Started practicing the biwa at the age of eight at the recommendation of her mother under Kyokudo Shibata the second, the great master of Chikuzen biwa of Nihon-asahi-kai (2).
Plays as the leader of “Otogi”, which is a professional unit of four young players of Japanese instruments who perform original and modern compositions. “Otogi” performs mainly in the Kansai area Japan (including Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe).
Has been a member of the Japanese instrument orchestra “KANAE” (3) since 1998. Plays the Satsuma biwa (4) for contemporary works, as well as the Chikuzen biwa.
Often invited as a guest player for other orchestras and ensemble groups.
Started performing with the nohkan (5) player Kumiko Nonaka as the duo “Kyara” (6) in 2002.
Kyokuho’s performing activity spreads into various fields. As a biwa story-teller she recites traditional pieces and historical tales accompanied with biwa music.
As a young and vibrant player, she collaborates with performers of other genres, including players of Japanese instruments, Western and worldwide folk musicians, storytellers, and dancers.
Frequently composes new biwa pieces to accompany original verse written by Motoko Kawamura, Kyokuho’s mother.
In addition to her stage performances, she gives biwa and vocal lessons to several of her followers.
Performance abroad
In 2003, joined as a guest player on the international tour of the Amagasaki City Chorus, and performed an original cantata, “A General in Hades,” newly composed by Satoshi Nakanishi with the verse written by Jun Suganuma, based on the life of Taira no Tomomori (1152-1185), who was a famous military commander. She played in the following locations:
4th May, Madremark Church in Stavanger, Norway
8th May, Odense City Hall, Denmark
CD Album Discography “Kyokuho Kawamura: Reflections on Chikuzen Biwa” in July 2004
“Otogibako” (7), the first album recorded by “Otogi” in May 2007
Note: (1) Chikuzen biwa is the name for one style of the Japanese lutes. (2) Nihon-asahi-kai is one of the Chikuzen biwa music schools. (3) “KANAE” is a three-legged bronze kettle. (4) Satsuma biwa is another style of the Japanese lutes. Chikuzen and Satsuma come from the names of local areas where each lute developed. (5) A bamboo flute mainly used for Noh theatres. (6) “Kyara” is fine incense highly valued in Asia since ancient times. (7) “Otogibako”; Oto means sounds and music, Gi means fun, and Bako means box. Together this means “a box of entertaining music”.
Kyokuho Kawamura’s Web site: http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~s-suinet/kyokuho.htm
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