Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto is literally in the middle of three generations of a family of koto teachers. Rising through the ranks over the years, she was awarded her Dai Shihan master’s degree from the Chikushi Kai Koto School in Fukuoka, Japan in 2000, and was inducted into the Hokka Nichibei Kai Bunka (Japanese Culture) Hall […]
CONTINUING TRADITIONS: The evolution of koto artist Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
April 3, 2021 by Leave a Comment
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Classical music behind barbed wires
October 10, 2019 by Leave a Comment
(Editor’s Note: The following was co-written with Jonathan van Harmelen) In the tragic and difficult conditions faced by Japanese Americans confined in the War Relocation Authority camps during World War II, one imposing arena of achievement was in the arts. In recent years, a number of books and exhibits have highlighted not only the extraordinary […]
‘HIDDEN LEGACY’: Film showcases the preservation of Japanese arts in the wartime concentration camps
July 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
SAN JOSE — June 28 marked the premiere film screening of “Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Performing Arts in the World War II Internment Camps” at San Jose’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. The film explores the practice and preservation of Japanese cultural arts in the American concentration camps, and is the result of more […]
Shirley Muramoto’s ‘Hidden Legacy’ to explore arts in the wartime camps
April 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Each year, more and more stories from the World War II American concentration camps are shared, broadening the public’s awareness about the long-term effects mass incarceration has had on the Japanese American community. Stories about people like Fred Korematsu, the Heart Mountain draft resisters and the “No-Nos” are esteemed within the community for their strong […]
Japanese cultural classes
April 4, 2014 by 2 Comments
Taiko San Francisco GenRyu Arts Location: Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, 1840 Sutter St., S.F.’s Japantown Contact: (415) 420-3151, info@genryuarts.org, www.genryuarts.org Maikaze Daiko Location: Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th St., S.F. Contact: (415) 513-7798, info@maikazedaiko.org, www.maikazedaiko.org San Francisco Taiko Dojo Classes: 212 Ryan Way South San Francisco, CA 94080 Contact: (415) 928-2456, […]
S.F. jazz club transforms into one-day Japanese cultural center
October 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Yoshi’s Jazz Club and Japanese Restaurant opened its doors to the public on Oct. 1 to feature its fourth annual “The Flip Side of Yoshi’s,” a day of Japanese art and culture. Nearly 250 people packed the venue, located just outside of San Francisco’s Japantown, to experience the art and spirit of Japanese culture. The […]
Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto to celebrate 50 years playing koto March 20 in Oakland
March 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
OAKLAND — Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto will celebrate 50 years of playing koto music (Japanese 13-stringed zither) on Sunday, March 20 at 4 p.m. at the Lakeside Theater (in Kaiser Center, near Lake Merritt), 300 Lakeside Drive in Oakland, Calif. Among the artists who will join in the celebration are: Shigeo Tachibana, shakuhachi master from Chiba, Japan, […]
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