An enjoyable cultural experience

Islamabad

‘No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive,’ a wise man once said. So I guess with this thought in mind, the Embassy of Japan has been arranging cultural events in Pakistan on a regular basis. Continuing this practice, the ambassador of Japan, Takashi Kurai and his charming spouse hosted an evening of Japanese Traditional Music at their residence. The event was attended by Pakistanis from different walks of life, all of whom came to enjoy Japanese hospitality; music and interaction with the hosts.

“My aim is to promote Japanese culture,” said the host after wishing his guests, ‘Asalam-o-Alaikum’ ‘Good evening’ and saying ‘welcome’ in Urdu (Khushamdeed). “I find cultural events to be very important, as they not only help in developing and strengthening diplomatic links but also in building personal relations among the attendees.” He introduced the artiste, saying a few words about her accomplishments and concluding with a ‘Bahut Shukriya’ (thank you) while hoping everyone would enjoy the show.

Tall and graceful Sumie Kaneko is well-known for her unique style of Japanese music, which is a blend of traditional and contemporary. She is a koto and shamisen player and Jazz singer/songwriter. She presented four compositions — the titles were in Japanese so I cannot name them except for the last, which was ‘Like a bird’ — two on each instrument. She made it very interesting by explaining the get up of her instruments; the compositions and her own feelings about them and other tit bits of information that added to the knowledge of the listeners. After her performance on the shamisen she asked if it sounded similar to a Pakistani one and there were cries of ‘rubarb’ from several corners of the room. Needless to say it was an enjoyable experience and much appreciated by the invitees. Best of all it was heartening to hear Sumie declare that she ‘would love to come to Pakistan again,’ leaving us with a warm feeling in our hearts!

Sumie Kaneko has been recognised as a pioneer for her unique use of the instruments she plays. She studied Japanese traditional music at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, then studied Jazz vocal at Berkley College of Music in 2006. She has many performances at prestigious venues to her credit.  In 2014, her group was invited to the Washington DC Jazz Festival that is co-sponsored by the Embassy of Japan. In addition, she has collaborated with many of world instrumentalists such as Kenny Endo, Kaoru Watanabe, On Ensemble, Yumiko Tanaka and others. Her second album “Dead of the Night” was released in July, 2015.

The shamisen is a lute instrument with three strings. It has a very long neck and is about 30 inches long. Its body is made out of wood and covered with cat or dog skin. The body and neck can be taken apart, so the shamisen is easier to transport.

The koto is a large, wooden instrument with 13 strings. It's about 79 inches long and about 12 inches across. It has a curved face, and the pitch is adjusted with movable bridges placed under each string and played with artificial ‘nails’ fixed on the right hand. Sumie explained that the movable bridges and nails that were made of ivory produced the best sound, in her opinion, but other materials are also used because ivory is hard to obtain these days. The Koto is the national instrument of Japan.