KITARO Kojiki And The Universe 2017 creation of the Heavens and Earth

Michael Hepworth

HOLLYWOOD (Perfect Music Today) 10/30/17/–Kojiki And The Universe is the joint project of Kitaro, one of the iconic originators of the New Age Music genre, and Professor Kazunari Shibata, Director of the Kwasan and Hida Observatories at Kyoto University. It is an experiment in merging music with movies of the universe.
The Kojiki myth in Japan, is a story of the creation of the Heavens and Earth (the Universe), gods, and all things. Part of this myth is interpreted as a description of an ancient total solar eclipse. Kitaro’s Kojiki is his own interpretation of this myth through his signature sounds and melodies

Professor Shibata created a movie of compiled video footage and still images taken from ground based telescopes (the big ones), the Hubble and other space based telescopes, satellites and measurement devices. The stunning footage was selected with Kitaro’s Kojiki in mind. The film, entitled Kojiki And The Universe exists now in DVD form and includes some written word descriptions on screen, as well as a brief chronology of space exploration history and future visions for human endeavors in space.

It has no spoken words. Kitaro has always had a deep connection and interest in astronomy and has created a unique mix from a live symphonic performance of Kojiki in Fukuoka, Japan from 2015. Kitaro has removed his musical section using the multitrack recordings and will perform live with keyboards and vintage synthesizers along with the film’s soundtrack. He will be accompanied by his wife Keiko as well as two taiko drummers. The show we are proposing will have two sections without intermission.

Section 1 (Approx 45 minutes) will have Kitaro and Keiko and the drummers perform selections of historic Kitaro songs under a painted screen of the Mask of Noh. This music and screen will be the accompaniment and backdrop for a single Japanese Butoh dancer.

Briefly, Buto is an avant-garde dance form that is purely Japanese, and one that allows the body to “speak” for itself, through unconscious improvised movement. It rose out of post-war Japan as a sharp counterpoint to the western-derived contemporary dance movement that initially sprouted in post- war Japan prior to the mid-1960’s. The mask of Noh screen painting is approx 15’ tall and 5’ wide and would hang in front of a black backdrop.

The Butoh dancer will perform in front of this, flanked by Kitaro on one side and Keiko on the other, with the Taiko drummers joining for one of the songs. The set would be largely dark with the exception of the Mask of Noh and the dancer, to provide maximum contrast for the white- painted dancer and mask. Musical performers will be very dimly lit.
Section 2 (Approx 45 minutes) Upon the ending of the dance, Mask and black backdrop will fly out to reveal the screen for the film Kojiki and The Universe, which would start immediately. The film should be projected onto the largest possible screen for venue capability.

Kitaro Tickets Box Office

https://www.domomusicgroup.com/kitaro/