Continuing from the previous article, we interviewed Kohei Kobayashi, the fourth generation of Edo-kiriko Kobayashi. In the first part, we asked about the history of Edo-kiriko Kobayashi and how he decided to take over the business after his experience in America.

- So did you tell your father that you were going to succeed him when you came back from the U.S.?

​I told him casually, without any particular formality, and I came to join his workshop.  My father rarely taught me any tricks, and I practiced the patterns on my own, but as a result, I learned more skills on my own, which I use and connect to various things.
I had to be able to make one of the vessels by the time I graduated from the university, so I set various goals for myself and kept practicing. Particularly in my third year of university, I went into the studio in between classes and used the time that others were working hard for job hunting.

- I really like the amber color of the pieces you have lined up here. I hadn't seen much of it before, but it's a wonderful color.

Amber is a color that has become increasingly popular in the last few years. There seems to be a time when it was just as popular as it was decades ago. It looks like a new design, but it's actually been around for a long time. The designs are weeded out according to the popularity of the time, and the best-selling ones naturally remain. It is possible that new designs will be created in the future to meet the needs of the times.

On the contrary, transparent ones are the standard. Edo-kiriko is basically transparent, but Satsuma-kiriko, on the other hand, uses thicker colored glass, which results in a gradation in the cut area.  Colored Edo-kiriko is characterized by the contrast between the color of the colored glass and the transparent base color when it is cut into small pieces.

- Are there any new customers who have recently started to purchase your products?

​We used to have a lot of older customers, but recently, as the recognition of kiriko has increased, younger people in their 30s and 40s have started to buy our products. In the past, the demand was mainly for gifts, but now I feel that more and more young people are buying for themselves.

- What do you think is the reason for the increase in recognition among younger people?

I think one of the main reasons is that the downtown area has been highlighted and Edo-kiriko has attracted attention as a craft, thanks to social media and the Tokyo Sky Tree, which has given people more opportunities to learn about Edo-kiriko. It seems that kiriko is becoming a part of people's daily lives, as it is introduced in the media, used as a fixture in hotels, and increasingly sold in department stores. I would like to convey the value of faceted glass along with the story of each piece, which is created with great care.

- Recently, you have also been working on accessories.

​I have been searching for a way to enjoy Edo-kiriko other than glasses and other tableware, and started making accessories around 2014. In order to make the younger generation more aware of the appeal of glass, I launched a brand and am constantly searching for ways to make better products.
While I am fundamentally determined to make what I think is good, I am also very interested in exploring the possibilities of glass, such as interior objects, in addition to accessories, so that the younger generation and people from various fields will be interested.

I am always thinking about what I can do with glass. I am also interested in collaborating with other genres, and I challenged myself to create a joint work with a friend who takes art photographs using the classic technique of wet plate photography. The photo of Sakamoto Ryoma, which you all know, was taken using the same technique, but in wet plate photography, the entire glass plate acts as a film, so the kiriko cutting can be applied on the photo. We spent a lot of time together outside of work to create these works and exhibited them at the gallery. I would be happy if they reach people who would like them as works of art.

Interview: Kaoru
​Translation: Kaoru

At the foot of the Skytree, in a town with a downtown atmosphere, I met a young Edo-kiriko craftsman who continues to take on new challenges.
Kohei Kobayashi, the fourth generation of Edo-kiriko Kobayashi, has been creating products that capture the hearts of young women through the creation of accessory brands and the use of SNS. In this interview, we asked him about his experiences overseas that led him to realize the appeal of Kiriko cutting glass, and the future possibilities of Edo-kiriko.

Interviewee Profile
1987 Born in Koto-ku, Tokyo
2010 Graduated from Meiji University, studied Edo-kiriko under his father
2012 Selected, 5th KOGANEZAKI Vessel Shape and Contemporary Glass Exhibition
         Excellent Prize, The 8th Tokyo Traditional Craft Challenge Grand Prix
2013 Selected, 25th Edo-kiriko New Works Exhibition (Awarded Prize '15, '16)
         Edo-kiriko Young Craftsmen Exhibition at Itochu Aoyama Art Square, Tokyo (2002-2006)
         Kohei Kobayashi Glass Exhibition at Mitsukoshi Art Salon, Nihonbashi, Tokyo (2002, 2003)
2014 Selected, 54th East Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition, 
         The 61st Japan Traditional Craft Exhibition, Honorable Mention
2015: Selected, The 25th Traditional Craft Exhibition, Japan
         Established own brand "tokoba". Started selling jewelry.
2016 Exhibition "condense" at Gallery QUIET NOISE with photographer Satoru Koyama, wet plate photography and Edo-kiriko.
2017 The 9th Snow Design Award, Encouragement Award

It is said that Edo faceting began in 1834, when Kyubei Kagaya engraved the surface of glass using Kongo sand. In 1881, Emanuel Houptman, who was invited from England, instructed more than a dozen Japanese in cutting techniques, and one of them was Tokumatsu Ohashi (grandfather of Kyosen Ohashi).​ In 1908, Kikuichiro Kobayashi, who was 12 years old at the time, became an apprentice of Tokumatsu Ohashi. After that, Hideo, Toshiro, and Kohei inherited the technique, and it has continued to this day.

- It's been a while since I've been to Sumiyoshi, but it's a wonderful town with an old-fashioned Tokyo feel. Have you lived in this area for a long time?

Yes. I have been living in the Sumiyoshi area of Koto-ku for 30 years since I was a child. I sometimes ride my bicycle to Kinshicho and other nearby places.
Recently, the area has become more crowded due to the construction rush, but it is also a place where I feel at home because it is surrounded by greenery with parks nearby.

- What kind of childhood did you have?

​I was a child who loved to play outside. When video games became popular, I spent my time at home with my friends, playing games and getting bad eyesight, just like the other kids around me. If anything, I preferred to move my body in sports such as ball games rather than create something.

- You are the fourth generation of Edo-kiriko Kobayashi, how did you inherit the business?

​My great-grandfather was the first generation. My great-grandfather's teacher was Mr. Tokumatsu Ohashi, the grandfather of Kyosen Ohashi. Tokumatsu Ohashi was one of several people who received instruction in cut glass from an Englishman named Houptman, who was invited by the Japanese government, and his techniques developed into Edo-kiriko. The technique of cut glass originally came from Europe, and until then, the term "Edo-kiriko" did not even exist.

This is a picture of the factory in the days of my grandfather, the second generation. From left to right: my father, my grandfather in the middle, and the apprentice on the right. There are tools hanging in the back. In the old days, the belt you can see in the foreground was connected to a single motor to turn several machines. It's analog, isn't it?

This is a photo of my father. In the old days, glass was shaved by pouring sand called Kongo sand (emery) on the glass. The detailed process was different from today, and it took more time and effort than today. Nowadays, it is possible to use a diamond wheel, so I can learn the technique much faster than before.

- Did you naturally want to take over the business after watching your father's work?

​I grew up watching him work, but at the time I didn't particularly want to do it myself. It was a normal sight to see my grandfather and father working in the workshop, and I had little interest in it as a child.
 
I wasn't the type of person who was interested in looking at or touching the glass up close, and I don't think I ever tried to cut it myself. I don't think I ever tried to cut glass myself, but I do remember that my apprentices at the time took good care of me. I have had two apprentices since I can remember, they made our house very lively.

- Did your father tell you that you should be his successor?

My father had been helping my grandfather since I was in elementary school, but he told me that I should get a stable job. At the time, the company that subcontracted cut glass as its main business pulled out when I was in high school, so we had to sell products on my own, and my father could not encourage me to take this job.

- What was the reason why you still decided to go into the field of Edo-kiriko?

​It was after I entered university that I gradually began to develop an interest in Edo-kiriko. I majored in political science and economics at university, and I planned to work for a general company after graduation. However, a two-week homestay in the U.S. during the spring break of my sophomore year was a big trigger for me, and I decided to enter the field of Edo-kiriko. 
When I went to the U.S., my father had given me an Edo-kiriko drinking cup as a souvenir. It was just something I was familiar with from home, but when I gave it to my host mother, she was very happy. It was just a sunny day in the garden, and it was the first time I had seen kiriko glass in the sunlight, and I was moved by how beautiful it was. The cut glass itself is found all over the world, but I was impressed that she liked the fine cutting unique to Japanese kiriko. Watching my grandfather and father, I knew that it was hard work, but I still had a strong desire to do it, and to let more people know about the appeal of kiriko, which led me to be ready to follow in my father's footsteps.

(... In the second half of this interview, he talks about his various challenges in exploring new possibilities of glass)

Interview: Kaoru
​Translation: Kaoru

A little after noon on a drizzling Saturday, I visited lacquer artist Tomoya Murose at his home and studio, feeling the pleasant sound of rain drops dripping on the leaves of the trees. Tomoya Murose, whose father is Kazumi Murose, a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (maki-e), has been involved in Urushi lacquer art since he was a child. "The next ten years or so will be a time to create my own works, not to meet people or talk about various things," he said, as he pushed himself to work on his Urushi laquer art.

Interviewee Profile
1982: Born in Tokyo, Japan
2006: Graduated with a degree in Political Science, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University
2008: Graduated from Wajima Lacquer Craft Training Institute, special course. Apprenticed to Kunie Komori and learned Urushi lacquering techniques.
2010 ~: Participated in "Urushi, Bowls and Utsuwa by Artists" every year
2013: Exhibition "Urushi by Tokanokai" in Helsinki, Finland
2017: The 34th Japan Traditional Lacquer Art Exhibition, Newcomer Prize. The 64th Japan Traditional Lacquer Art Exhibition, Newcomer Prize
Currently a member of Mejiro Urushi Gakusha (Institute of Urushi Lacquer and Cultural Properties)

A craft technique using the sap (lacquer) from the poison oak tree. When it hardens, lacquer forms a coating that is resistant to moisture, acids, and alkalis, so it has been used in Japan since the Jomon period (approx. 16000 years ago) to make wooden products waterproof. Various decorative techniques have been handed down to the present day, such as "maki-e," in which pictures are drawn with lacquer and sprinkled with gold powder, and "raden," in which shells are attached to decorate the surface.

- How does your day look like?

I work as a workshop, repairing cultural assets, and I also create my own works at the same time. There is work that I have to take over from my father in the not-too-distant future, but I also want to make sure that I have time for my own work, so I try to fit my work into my private time as much as possible, but I can't always say that, so it's a constant struggle.

- I heard that you started your career after graduating from university, but did you know from an early age that you wanted to work in this field?

​I didn't think of it as a job, but maybe I was a little aware of it.
I think the first time I became aware of my family's work was when I explained my parents' work at school. I think 90% of my friends probably thought that Murose's family was a potter (laughs). I felt that my friends did not understand my parents' work at all, but at the same time, I wanted them to know.

- Did you have a sense that your family house was different from others?

I think so.
For example, during the summer vacation in elementary school, we were given a homework assignment to make a fist out of clay.  I was told by my parents that it was important to understand the details such as how to capture the shape and how to make it crisp. I feel as if I was being taught the basics of art without even realizing it.
However, I usually enjoyed playing with my childhood friends every day by playing NES, climbing trees, and playing soccer.​

- When did you start to think clearly that this could be your job?

From an early age, I listened to my parents' conversations from an artist's point of view, and I think my desire to know more naturally emerged. For example, my parents often used the term "sketching ability," but I had no idea what that meant. But my parents were living in a world that I didn't understand, and they seemed to be enjoying it. It might be fine to live without knowing, but I still felt that I wanted to know what it was all about.

- Did you try to learn about your parents' work when you were in school?

​No, not really. I majored in political science at university and was involved in various club activities, so I wasn't really interested in art. To tell you the truth, I was a bit of a klutz who often dropped things. I don't think I, or anyone around me, ever thought I would be doing this kind of work. However, I was interested in my father's work, and I thought that I could use this environment to play a role in connecting the world with my parents' work.

- How did you become interested in spreading the word out there?

​When I was in the fifth grade, I went to the United States for the first time on my parents' business, and it left a very good impression on me. My father seemed to enjoy it, and I was very excited to know that there was so much more to the world than I knew. I felt that it was very important for me to tell the world out there and to be able to pass it on.

- So your experience at that time influenced you to go into the field of Urushi?

Yes, it did. When I was in my third year of college, I told my father that I wanted to pursue a career in Urushi lacquer ware. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to do a noble and enjoyable job that could not be replaced by creating one out of nothing.

- I heard that you went to Wajima for training after graduating from university.

In the first year at the training center in Wajima, you learn the basics, and in the second year, you create your own designs. I remember thinking, "Oh, I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life". I was troubled by the fact that a neatly made work was not necessarily a good one. I was often disappointed when I couldn't give shape to the world view I had in mind.

- What kind of worldview did you want to create at that time?

​It is still relevant today, but I think I wanted to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. When I was working on it, I was desperate, but when the work was finished and I was able to look at it from a slightly different perspective, it was not at all what I had expected, and I was disappointed. I think that was a good experience for me now. I felt that I had to try to look at things with objectivity while making them.
Now that I think about it, maybe I didn't have enough depth. At the time, my self-assertion and desire for self-expression were at the forefront, but that didn't allow me to create the atmosphere and worldview that I wanted. As I continued to create works over and over again, my desire to create good works of art while asserting myself in order to survive became stronger.

- What is the "depth" that you are talking about?
​
It is something that appeals to you, something that moves you. In order to create something like that, you have to keep questioning the world you can see and keep updating it. A work that only asserts itself will not easily resonate with the heart.

- Has there been any change in your worldview recently?

​The past few years have been a very troubling time for me. What is the point of creating more new things in a world that is full of all kinds of things? What on earth do I want to achieve by using my energy to make art? It's not enough to just make beautiful things, I thought, and I was stuck.
After such a period of time, I now have an image of where I want to go and what I want to achieve in my lifetime, and I am able to create works of art with a positive attitude. I would like to continue to improve my skills, focusing on creating works for traditional craft exhibitions.

- Something you want to achieve in your life time ?
​
I think I would like to be able to express my own view of the world in response to questions such as what it means to live and what life is.
I am interested in thinking about the meaning of my existence and the fact that I am here now, making art, through the history of people who have gone through various periods of time. I would like to express such a theme through motifs such as plants, using what I have thought about and seen as the essence of my work. For example, there are many different kinds of academics in the world, but I think the goal is the same. Everything is a way to express the meaning of one's existence here in this world, and I believe that art is the same. Perhaps "living" itself can be described as an artistic activity. I believe that this is a human activity that has not changed. Through Urushi, I would like to continue to challenge this question for the rest of my life.

In the part 1, Ms Okudaira told us about virtues that have shaped her. In this part 2, we asked her about her passion after she decided to pursue her career in Ikebana.

- I heard you are performing outside of Japan as well. When did you get interested in abroad?

My father's job influenced me to grasp interests in arts when I was little. My father's family inherits antiquarian books store in Kanda, my uncle sells Japanese books and my father sells foreign books as the 7th generation. My father always used to call western countries and attend auctions abroad even before internet. I had a lot of opportunities to travel with him. My parents educated me to be able to do things by myself, so I always tried to memorize how to speak 1-10 and basic greetings in local languages. 

- What did you find interesting living outside of Japan?

There are a lot of museums you can enter for free. I noticed that it has wide age groups and even permanent exhibitions are crowded, which we rarely see in Japan. I was very surprised that schools kids are sitting on the floor and sketching arts. I had an impression that museums are for adults because of the etiquette in Japanese museums. It was eye-opening that stances towards art and the relationship between art and lifestyle are different from that of Japan.

- How those experiences influence you now?
​
I was very lucky that I spent time in Okura where people and art are next to each other. Culture and art are supposed to be in our everyday life to enrich and encourage us, not to be behind glass cases. Art pieces are like mirrors that make us engage in conversations with ourselves, and how we feel and obtain change based on our ages and conditions. 
 
Recently, there are news highlighting certain exhibitions are popular and people are lining up for hours. It might be fun to go to museums after lining up long time but I would suggest to enjoy more casually. Art pieces in Okura are not in glass cases, they are as they are. I want to continue to create art that gently live in the same space with us. There way of thinking might be influenced by my memories from foreign museums in my childhood.

- Do you want to promote Ikebana abroad? What are required to do so?

It is typical to Japanese that we do not recognize values until told by outsiders. I want to avoid the situations where Japanese people are asked questions about Japanese culture from foreigners at Olympics and reply "I do not know because I have never experienced" or "I have no idea". Now is the last timing we can pass down memories right after the war. I believe it is the last chance Japanese learn about Japan and redefine Japanese values. 
In Ikebana, there are technical terms such that are difficult to understand even for Japanese kept unexplained and being black box. They have to be put into simple words and stories in context that can be understood by kids, and then to be translated in appropriate English.  

- What kind of opportunities should we offer people around the world who are interested in / studying Japanese?
 
It is wonderful that there are people who choose Japanese culture among a lot of choices. I especially feel there are more people like that recently. The point if how to communicate with them from our end. 
I think it is such a shame to let people experience culture that is just formality and without a context. We are in the world where everything is transitioning. Nevertheless, we cannot learn Japanese traditional culture in the same way as it was in the past. Therefore, it is the role for our generation, who are facing the huge transition, to reconstruct it. Fueki-Ryuko means that there is something that does not change in the end becomes bones and cores to be passed down after everything else has changed. I have to confront with myself and others just like I do with flowers in order to figure out what to be changed and what to remain the same. 

any a- What can we do to introduce Japanese culture to people who are not yet interested in? 

Recently I am challenging collaborating with completely different genres. For example, co-performing with violins and contrabasses, that never happened before, with a motto that it is important to make it happen first. 

My mother co-created a stage with the general art directer at the National Center of Contemporary Dance in France and performed in Europe in 2012 right before my mother took over the headmaster of Sekiso school of Ikebana. The general art director got interested in Japanese culture while pursuing creativity, and reached to Ikebana in the end. 
They went back and forth in Paris and Tokyo for about half a year and constructed the piece. Of course it was such a unique collaboration to begin with, they paid a lot of attention in arranging flowers as well. My mother and I were studying under Kozo Okada who established they core method of Ikenobo school (the oldest school of Ikebana), so we decided to show "Hanashomo" which showcases all the process of arranging flowers in the prestigious classical way from Muromachi period. Utensils and actions are very different from those of now. 
With support from Hermes foundation, we started from Paris art festival, performance at Versailles, and performance in Spain. There are many Japanese people came to see us for the special occasion and audiences from any area acclaimed us that they have never seen such Ikebana before.  We had such an amazing experience. 

Furthermore, my twisted career pays a lot when collaborating with various genres. Some may think cultural sensibilities and knowledges are connected with talents that they are born with. However, creativity is necessary in any type of job, any stage of your life, and they emerge naturally. Originally, Ikebana was used by top leaders of warriors as a training method. It was useful to prototype team building and winning styles with the right person in the right place. Today, in the business context, people from various industries are enjoying interactive learning in order to reconsider the creation of innovation that is unique to Japanese. 

- What is your most important value?

I want to keep my belief in the power of affirmation.
Receiving a word "thank you" and having someone back you up are pleasure and encouragement. Having you interviewing me today is a way of encouraging me and is a gift. Affirming myself as well as others is a power to find more strength and turn weaknesses into uniquenesses.
 
It does not have to be strong interests. I think feelings like "I might be able to do it", "I guess I will try it" originate in the self affirmation.  
Ikebana is to face flowers that are very different from each other, finding uniquenesses, think ahead of time, and combine them to go even beyond customer's satisfaction. Continuing this process and cultivating emotional richness to coexist with nature that are special to Japanese might cause even more positive influence for people than merely feeling good to interact with culture. I wish to contribute to realizing that through the career in Ikebana.

- What does your typical day look like?
​
The main activity is to arrange flowers in the entire Hotel Okura building. There is no concrete schedule for the day, but we change the flowers seasonally and monthly, and care for the flowers that change over time. Also, I am involved in the planning stage of other hotels such as Aman Tokyo as a member of the design committee and think about what kind of flowers and vessels would look best in the space. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to go beyond the field of flower arrangement and step into the area of architecture and hospitality, and search for the best solutions together.

In addition, I support the current headmaster's lessons. Sekiso style does not have a pyramid structure that goes up in the order disciple-master-headmaster(家元). Therefore, even the youngest 10-year-old girl is learning in the same way as an adult. You can get injured if you do not know how to use proper tools, so we let her use scissors made by a swordsmith and Bizen or White porcelain pots just like other students. 

I also make use of  my experience in business careers that I had gained before entering the world of Ikebana. I get opportunities to talk about innovation at some companies.

- How do you work in relation with Hotel Okura?

​Hotel Okura Tokyo is described as a gateway to Japan to welcome clients from over the world. Seido Iwata, the first headmaster of Sekiso school, was one of the design committee when it was built. Since then, Sekiso school takes care of the decoration of the hotel with flowers.

Seido Iwata founded Sekiso school when she was 60 over and continued to be active until the age of 98 in order to express the combination of static and dynamic, the contrast of yin and yang, and the harmony of nature. It is inspired by her experience of being healed by the lush grass in the blue stone valley when she evacuated to Nagatoro of Chichibu when she was little.

We have been given the opportunity to arrange flowers for Okura that match each season. Our client is Okura, but the end user is the customer who stays in Okura. There are people of all ages, nationalities, and lengths of stay in Okura, so we try to anticipate the growth of flowers and trees and plant them to enjoy the changes.

When the performers from Blue Note, a historic jazz club affiliated with Okura, stay here, they often watch me arrange flowers and said, "It's the same as our music." In jazz, I think there are rhythms and melodies that come out only on the spot at that time, but so is Ikebana. If the type and condition of the flowers differ depending on the season and climate, I arrange them in anticipation of growth and changes.
Both music and Ikebana continue to change with time and environment, and are the art of process creating with others. 

- When was your first encounter with Ikebana?

​My mother and grandmother both learned flower arrangement, tea ceremony, and chanting of poems as woman's education, so those culture were always part of my daily life. So not because I was told to do it, but because I wanted to do the same thing that my mother was crazy about.

My earliest memory is the day I helped water flowers in Okura when I was four years old. I walked with a watering can, and I remember being told to put a towel on the pouring mouth to prevent from spilling on the floor. I also remember that I was happy many guests talked to me and nervous entering into the usual world kids do not encounter on a daily basis. 

- Did you know you would be working in the Ikebana world since you were little?

​Actually, I did not decide to join the Ikebana world until I finished high school. I thought that flower arrangement was something that my mother and other “wives” would do.
However, looking at my mother who continues to work hard at Okura, I wanted to know if I could preserve Ikebana from a business perspective and think about how to combine supply and demand well. What is necessary for Ikebana is to be a part of "function" of the society as it used be. In university, I studied social marketing and relationship marketing in order to understand those perspectives. It was after I graduated from university that I joined Sekiso school, and it was much later than that I started to make a living on Ikebana.

- What are your various do you have in common in your career?

I think I was trying to make the personal black box of work and skill visible, easy to use, patterned, and shared as open source for everyone.

The trajectory of improvement is not linear, and there should be a timing when you can overcome the wall by continuing desperately, but it is very important to recognize again what is actually happening at that time. I think that there is often no reproducibility because I have not been able to accumulate my own experience and knowledge up to that point because of the joy of overcoming the wall.
I think it's similar to sports, but by visualizing and patterning the process of success and failure, you can do your job well, you can proceed with the project smoothly as a team, and the quality of what you make itself improves.

All the experience I gained through my career is connected to the present. It is often said that Ikebana has a lot to do with your natural taste, and it is often thought that it cannot be easily imitated, but I do not think so. Even in Ikebana, I made a lot of mistakes and regrets, and while hitting a wall where I couldn't get out of my hands or legs, I made many patterns such as "I think I should do this in this case" and "This is the one to match this kind". We will create and build our own know-how while learning from past cases. In fact, it is inevitable from the way flower arrangement is formed that there is a commonality between the pattern formation in the creation of Ikebana and the way of doing and winning in business.

Interviewers: Yuki Kitamura, Kaoru

A quiet place where you can forget about the hustle and bustle of the city, along a deep alley about 5 minutes on foot from the intersection of Omotesando. The building where the candy entangles in the milky white wall that appears in such a place is "MY SENCHA SALON" where a lesson of sencha (tea ceremony using leaf Sencha tea rather than powdered Matcha tea) is performed on the table. We interviewed Michiho IGA san, who is the organizer of the “MY SENCHA SALON”. Her father is the master (Iemoto) of Sencha. In our interview, we reveal what is the secret of Iga san who attracts women in their 20s to 40s in the world of Sencha, which young people tend to feel difficult to approach. 

Interviewee Profile
Michiho IGA / MY SENCHA SALON
As a daughter of Senyu SHIMAMURA, the third generation of Sankitei Baisa School of Sencha Tea Ceremony Foundation, she has been familiar with Sencha-do (The art of Sencha ceremony) from an early age. She graduated from The Women's Christian University in 2007.
Currently, she is active mainly in Tokyo and Hiroshima as a PR of Sankitei Baisa School. In the spring of 2016, she opened “MY SENCHA SALON OMOTESANDO”  to introduce Sencha ceremony in more casual way. She collaborates with Japanese sweets and kimono salons to introduce lessons, produces original tea-wares “MY CHAKI”, and provides Japanese sweets and Sencha catering service “Catering Sencha by Sanki”.
She promotes the "culture of hospitality" with the Sankitei Baisa school's motto “Sencha ceremony that anyone can do anytime, anywhere".

Around 1890 a young man started on a trip throughout the country to become the man of letters. At the end of is long journey finally he found the words of Baisa-O by chance, and sympathized with "The words of Baisa-O". I wonder he knew or not that Baisa-O also had hard-traveled in his young days. It is said a man might understand the world through his own experience. Since then he improved the way of Sencha tea ceremony that he had followed the example of his father, and started to spread it as Baisa-Ryu.As the truth that he gained by his efforts－for his first step following his father's and grand father's.
For 100 years, there are so many helps －various tea ceremony parties or enthusiastic flower exhibitions－ of people who sympathized his idea until we were authorized as a foundation. Because of their cooperation we shared joy and pleasure, respected ,and all united. "After completion, Sench tea ceremony would be organizes as a form of arts. But the most important thing is not the system as result but our life－whether we can live our lives truly by making use of Sencha tea ceremony or not. I think the process to try it is important."
This is the speech when I succeeded to the Master and I have advocated since then. For 20 years the head and branch offices have kept studying to reach for the spirit of Sencha tea ceremony by constant and steady practices. There must be some difficulties, but we are contented with joy and believe that dreams come true.

 - What do you usually do at MY SENCHA SALON?

I provide private Sencha lessons everyday. The students are mainly women in their 20s and 40s, most of whom got to know my salon through my SNS. Recently, there are increasing numbers of collaboration events such as JICA training programs. Each lesson is mainly about space decoration, such as how to decorate Japanese sweets, bowls and flowers according to the season, students' preferences and the aura of each student. This salon is the main venue but sometimes I visit some other places as well. Our school keeps it in mind that the Sencha practice is incorporated into everyday life, not as a bride training or manner. The most important thing is to enjoy the space itself, so it is essential to  work on decorations that vary depending on the person and the situation.

(JICA's training program)

 - What are students' takeaways?

I found that most people who want to try Tea ceremony but find it a bit difficult to approach are attracted to the concept of enjoying Sencha on table (Traditionally Sencha ceremony is held on the floor). There seems to be many people who think that the tea ceremony on the tatami mat requires a lot of effort to try out. I opened this salon to let people try Sencha more casually, so I am glad to know that people are feeling comfortable here.


 - Being born in the family of Iemoto (master), how did you start Sencha? 
​
I learned Sencha practice from my maternal grandmother, instead of my father. Many of the tools I have now have been inherited from her. I think I was in the elementary school  that I helped teachers at the New Year's tea party. I really wish I could have continued, but my grandmother was very strict. So at that time, I couldn't feel much fun in Sencha. I was born in Hiroshima, but I entered a boarding school in Fukuoka, so I stopped taking lessons. My grandmother was not happy that I always used to forget many things every time I returned to my parents' home. 

 - Did you know you would pursue the career in the field of tea?

In fact, Sencha-do was not an option in the first place. My father is the master of the school, but he did not think that it is me and my brother's obligation to inherit it. My mother is a jewellery designer and my parents are open-minded, so I wanted to find a job at a general company after I graduating from university. I always wanted to go overseas so my parents let me go to study abroad when I was junior high school and high school student, and I majored in Languages ​​and Cultures to learn about the mechanisms of English and Japanese languages ​​and their relationship with society at university. Actually, when I was a student, I was reluctant to tell that the family business was a school of Sencha. Isn't it complicated to explain the concept to friends? I thought it would be difficult for them to understand even if I tell them that my father is the master of the school. At that time, I did not want to be different from everyone, I did not like things that seem unique, or I did not want to get that much attention.
For that reason, when I was in college, I would spend most of my spare time for part-time job. Although I was still a student,  I absolutely enjoyed working as a dental assistant, a sales person at a private tutors agent companies, and a back office staff at a telecommunication company. 

 - How did you return to the Sencha world after graduating from university?
 
At first, I joined a major cosmetics company and worked as a lecturer for about two and a half years to teach sales staff whenever new products came out. After that, I moved to a government-related company and worked for about four and a half years. My turning point was when the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred. My parents contacted me to come back to Hiroshima. It was when my father's secretary quit, so he wanted me to support the school's business. It was a right timing for me, so I decided to quit the company and returned to Hiroshima, and went back to the Sencha world. There may be fewer now, but I think there are still many people who have a negative image toward changing jobs. However, because I was able to experience various jobs, I found myself enjoying having an ownership in work.

 - Then you started to help your father's work? 

That's correct. At first it was clerical work, but my experience in financial work, such as accounting and interaction with external institutions, was helpful. After that, I supported the master and prepared for a tea parties.


 - After that, you moved to Tokyo and opened your own salon. How did that happen?

When I was in Hiroshima, I researched a lot about Sencha-do. Then I realised that no matter where I looked, information about Sencha-do was not publicised much. Then I thought, if no one was doing it I should do it. And more and more people appeared to help me out. I also became proactive myself, since then I came to be blessed with good timing and relationships and connections with various people. One time, a friend of mine who worked for a PR company at that time invited me to organise a Sencha lesson at a kids' event. I decided to try it out with my brother and teachers of the Kanto (area around Tokyo) branch. Kids enjoyed the tea ceremony innocently and the parents who watched it were happy too. The event triggered me to get voices from various places. It's a lot of fun to convey the charm of Sencha from various viewpoints in a way that no one has yet done.

 - What are your challenges in the future in order to share the charm of Sencha to various people including women in their 20s and 40s who are attending “MY SENCHA SALON”?
 
I think that hobby will not end with just hobby in the future. Even if it was not someone's job, I will need to open up opportunities where they can be in the centre, such as tea parties or events where students lead. I would like to create more places for such lessons of Sencha.

Interviewer: Yuki Kitamura, Kaoru Kuribayashi Stanislaus
Place: MY SENCHA SALON OMOTESANDO
      https://www.my-sencha-salon.com/

“I'm going to Takachiho in Miyazaki from tomorrow. It's a place that is said to have the origins of Japanese music.” says Ryochu Miyako. He was born as the son of Itchu Miyako, 12th generation of Itchu-bushi (Shamisen: three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument), he is now on various stages both in Japan and abroad as a Joruri-kata (a narrative singer of the traditional Japanese puppet theatre).
In this interview, we asked Ryochu about new challenges that he would like to pursue in the future and what he thinks what the “essence” is.

Interviewee Profile
Ryochu MIYAKO / Itchu-bushi, Joruri
Since the early days of his life, he began to practice Japanese traditional music, Itchu-bushi, from his father, and his predecessor, both Itchu MIYAKO. He regularly organises his own concert “Miyako Ryochu no kai”. He served as a Joruri-kata for concerts and dance performances, and appeared in many performances overseas (Berlin, New York, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, etc.). In addition to performance activities, he is also lecturer, guest at radio station, and Joruri instructor, etc. He also participated as a singer in the image album (CD) of the Studio Ghibli film “Spirited Away”

Itchu bushi is known as particularly elaborate and elegant music among shamisen music, and has been handed down for over 300 years since the Edo period. The number of notes are few, and the tones and knots and shamisen are soft and gentle, so that it may seem plain when you listen to them for the first time. However, each sound has its depth, and the fineness and quietness between each note is its unique attraction. During the Edo period, it was so popular that everyone listened and practiced, and it was loved and enjoyed by the upper class of trademan and craftsman.

 - How do you manage your time?
 
I'm mainly spending time on three things now - Getting on the stage, Practicing, and Teaching.
 
Some of schedules such as lessons with students are fixed, but others are quite flexible. It is very difficult to secure time for my own lessons. Sometimes I spend a whole day practicing, and another time I only have 2 to 3 hours.


 - Is there anything you have to keep in mind when managing your three tasks?

First of all, I will aim for the closest stage, but to be honest, I always feel like i is always unfinished when I am on the stage. Of course I am doing everything I can, but there is always something that is not still perfect. It may be the case in any field, but I don't think it will ever be completed no matter how much I do.
Therefore, I need to try something new all the time. It is necessary to learn music pieces that I will not be playing at the next stage. The accumulation of new things fills the remaining few percents toward the completion. Although, it is very challenging to keep doing new things that are not directly related to the stage in front of me.

 - I heard that it has been about 30 years since you started Itchu bushi. but how did you start?
 
My father has always been the Shamisen player ever since I was born, I had been practicing since the age of three. It had already been the daily routine before I realised.
When I was a kid, I loved singing anime, and I always used to sing on my way home from school or when I am riding a bicycle. I remember singing all the songs that each character sings, such as “Dragon Ball” or “Ranma 1/2”.
When I was a child, Itchu bushi was an extension of my favourite singing activity.

I still remember that it was frustrating that Itchu bushi was so difficult that I could not do it as well as I can do in anime song.
 
 
 - I don't think there were many people studying Joruri around you, but what did you think of it when you were a student?
 
My father always used to tell me, “Do as you like.” “If you have a favourite job, you can choose that.” "If you don't like it, it's rather rude to Itchu bushi."
It was when I was a high school student that I actually decided which way to pursue. I started to learn about the contents and details of the song, and I realised it is somethign that I would enjoy the rest of my life.
Although I was still young when I made this decision, I was 17 years old when I was given the name “Ryochu MIYAKO” and began to appear on stage as a professional “Itchu bushi Joruri kata”.
 

 - Making a decision when you were a high school student was a big thing, but what was the reason you were determined that you want to do it for the rest of your life?
 
Around the same time, I had a chance to travel to the United States with my father. It was my father's vacation trip, but a Japanese friend invited us to their home to organise a small music concert like a salon party. I remember that there were about 30 local Americans and Japanese people. After interpreting the commentary in English, my father played and sang, and I was just listening by his side.

After the performance, all the guests seemed very moved and came up to my father. Some people expressed their excitement and asked for a handshake. I was watching the whole scenes and felt very happy that the music I am practicing every day could make people so happy. During the trip, I went to see musicals and orchestra concerts and I was very moved by those. However at the same time, I felt proud that Itchu bushi is equally amazing. Those experiences gave me a great opportunity to think that I want to do my best.

​
 - My image of your father Itchu is playing the shamisen, but the image of you are narrating.

I could choose to be the Shamisen player, but I chose the Joruri kata pathway. I always enjoyed to use my voice, so it was a natural flow for me. Basically, it will be either full-time narrator or Shamisen player. Although, I also learned the Shamisen in order to narrate Joruri, and I play Shamisen when I teach my students or play at a very small concert,  I focus on the narrating when I am on the stage.
 
Some people do both, but that is quite unusual. First of all, it is hard to keep the balance and keep up the level at the same time. 

 - Why do you think you could continue Itchu bushi since your childhood?
 
There are two reasons that I am continuing - that are “Frustration” and “happiness”. The more I get older, the more I get those feelings.
 

 - When do you feel the frustration?
 
There are so many things that I cannot do. Even if you can imagine, there are a lot that I cannot reach no matter how I try. But that is why I keep on trying to get closer to the completion.
Although I am able to do something I could not do in the past, my ideal level goes higher. The goals and ideals are always above me. It never gets closer at all. That's why I want to do more. I want to pursue it.
 

 - So when do you feel “joy”?
 
Thankfully there are people who say "Please perform in my local area" and there are people who say "I listen to the CD every day''. I always feel afraid that they do not have to listen to mine everyday and they should listen to something else too, but I feel so thankful.

Shamisen music form varies, and Itchu bushi is a very quiet and there are a lot of silence between notes. It must be difficult to get the idea that it appreciates the quietness, but people listen to it patiently. I am very happy when people tell me "It was a kind of music that I had never heard before" or "Please tell me when you have a chance to perform again". This is one of the reasons that I continue Itchu bushi.

 - How is the reaction overseas?
 
Until now, I have had the opportunity to appear in performances in various places such as New York, Boston, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Cologne, Berlin, etc., most of which is accompanied by my father.
Of course it is not the same reaction everywhere I go, but amongst all what impressed me was in Berlin in 2014.

It was held at the German-Japanese Centre in Berlin so I suppose there were many people who were interested in Japanese culture. But what amazed me that not only standing ovation, comments such as "very comfortable" and "the unique silence was wonderful", but also "the work was beautiful" and "I want to imitate the appearance", which relates to the concept of Japanese culture as a whole.

I often hear people around me perform overseas, and I hope it will increase as 2020 approaches.


 - What are the things that you want to tell to people?
 
I want to deliver the performances that I do every day without faking it.
Recently, I hear a lot of new projects such as collaborating with something outside of Japan, or arranging the original song into another. It is very important to keep trying new things, and there are situations where it's necessary.

However, I would like to show what I am doing on a daily basis to the overseas audience who listen to music for the first time. This is because I want them to feel the original charm and the essence of the pure Itchu bushi. It is a challenge to continue to refine myself so that there are important elements in the connection of our predecessors over a long period of time.

For example, I don't want to change the song itself, even if I make an elaboration in the space, such as the location and lighting. It is fine even if it would be boring to the audience. The kindness for people to be understood is necessary, but there is also a risk that important parts will not be transmitted if you care too much about others.

Still, it will be difficult even for Japanese people today listening to Itchu bushi and understanding it without any prior explanation. Especially there is a language barrier to overseas audiences.
What I learned so far through my experiences is that it is quite useful to show the meaning of the music and what lyrics mean alongside the performance real time. Also audiences could naturally enter into the world of music and were pleased when I told the background story and the history of the content before I started playing.
 

 - What do you think is the “essence” of the Itchu-bushi?
 
For example, when audiences could feel the spring air through the Joruri clause and the sound of the shamisen when I am narrating about the spring. Or when audiences could feel if the characters in the stories are happy or sad through Joruri and Shamisen. I think it is the essence of Itchu bushi that I can share the scenery and emotions with audiences via Joruri and Shamisen.
I would be happy if people could experience the beauty of Japanese sensibilities.

I am convinced that the essence can be told regardless of country, since I was in high school when I decided that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life. It is a theme that we must continue to think about, "How to create better performances and ways to convey while continuing to pursue the value of itself," and "what will change and what will not change."

Interviewer: Yuki Kitamura, Kaoru Kuribayashi Stanislaus
Photo: Atsushi Sakamoto
Place: National Noh Theater

Recently, I try to connect with various people. I want to know more about the outside world. When I meet and talk, they tell me that they want to know more about it as I do not know anything about it although they have a wonderful image about it. 
Those opinions are so fresh for us being inside of the certain world and appeal to me that the way of receiving the dancing is so different. 

Every time I talk to people, I always think that there is no single answer that it has to be told in certain way. Even if the way I communicate is different, the way people feel is different to each other. Otherwise, the world of dance will disappear.

Actually, it is very difficult for us to reach out to people who do not know anything about dancing and attract them to see the show. Then, why not approach to those who are familiar with art and performances. Even if someone likes or is interested in certain field, it requires a bit of effort to know the details. My mission before I become 30 is to communicate more with those who already have a potential to be interested in this world.

In fact, there are many dance and music pieces that I am sure people would love once they know them.
One good example is "Dojoji". As a dancer, everyone wants to perform the piece. The story is based on the what is called the legend of Dojoji. Very simply speaking, there are a monk and a woman. She loves him so much but he does not. He tries to run away from her and escapes into the temple called Dojoji. But she still enters pretending as if she is a dancer. Eventually, the monk escaped into the temple bell, and the woman turned into a snake, wrapped around the bells, burned the bell and killed the monk.
Isn't this content that is quite a movie or drama now? What's more, in this performance, Dojoji is performed in various versions such as Kirishidan Dojoji. 

Every dance performance has its own meaning, and it is related to various things. There are many ways to enjoy it, and I want it to be something that you see and do in everyday life, not in a world with a high threshold. Of course it's not just about dancing. I think this is true for the entire Japanese culture.

You can think it's boring, if you think so. Don't try to be too serious. If you find the explanation interesting I would love you to watch the show, but it is ok if you do not find it appealing. I do not think this is something that you have to try hard to be interested in. If you think it's interesting or find it enjoyable, please let me talk to you. I would love to talk to many people from different worlds and create and spread new dances.

[Nakamura-style Japanese dance] 

A style originated in the third generation Shikan NAKAMURA, a kabuki actor who was famous during the Bunka and Bunsei periods.
The feature is that the actors of Kabuki's Narikomaya have inherited the original family from generation to generation, and the emphasis is placed on the mainstream of Kabuki performances. Since 2012, the second daughter of the first generation, Umeya NAKAMURA, has succeeded the family. Fukusuke NAKAMURA, the 9th generation, as the head of the school and Hashinosuke NAKAMURA, the 3rd generation (Shikan NAKAMURA, the 8th generation as of October 2016), as an advisor.

http://www.nakamuraryu.jp/

“Aiming to create a new dance world on a new path different from that of my mother.” Ume-san's goal was a little surprising.
Although it is still the first time, we will continue to interview various people in their 20s and 30s who will inherit the wave of tradition and lead the next generation of Japan. It was a story I felt strongly that I would like to create a Japanese culture that will continue into the future by working together in the interviews.

Interview: Kuribayashi Stanis Roth, Kitamura Yuki
Photo: Tsuchiya Fumino
Place: Nakamura Ryu
Okoba (Kagurazaka) Sweets: Umekatei (Kagurazaka)