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June 01, 2004
Welcome (1st Entry)
I am fortunate and humbled to be the only American shakuhachi maker supported by both the Japanese and American government.
In 2002, I was the first American to receive a Japan-US Friendship Grant to specifically study shakuhachi making in Japan. The moneys for this grant comes from the National Endowment for the Arts and the International House of Japan. Their aim is to foster a better understanding between the two countries. They have been sponsoring bridge building artists for over 30 years. While in Japan, I studied the Kinko style with Christopher Blasdel, Jin Nyodo styled Kinko with Kiesuki Zenyogi, and contemporary techniques with Akikazu Nakamura. But my main Sensei for both shakuhachi making and playing was the DOKYOKU style Zen Honkyoku with Kinya Sogawa. Sometimes when Kinya was on tour, I would take lessons with Laurie Sogawa. I also did workshops with Kifu Mitsuhashi. To many shakuhachi people, this is a lot of teachers. But, I needed to get a clear picture on what shakuhachi is in Japan without being clouded by dogma.
As part of this grant, I realized a dream by studying and working with Butoh dance legends, Kazuo and Yoshito Ohno. We created a performance called Umi Yo Umi Yo. This was a collaboration with Kinya and Laurie and my wife Maura Donohue, who is a Modern Dance choreoprapher..
-Perry Yung
Posted by Perry Yung at June 1, 2004 08:29 PM
Comments
Yay Perry!
Posted by: Patrick Donohue at June 1, 2004 08:32 PM
You make lovely instruments and give good advice. What more can one ask? Talking to you inspires me to delve more deeply into the shaku...which is another way of saying it puts me more in touch with what it is inside me that draws me to a difficult musical instrument, far more complex in its possibilities than any I've played before. Thank you!
Posted by: kenwolman at February 14, 2006 01:14 PM