First BCA Gagaku Workshop Held at Senshin Buddhist Temple in August

FYI 

To see the video recording of “Etenraku,” go to: bit.ly/4hXDm84

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Gagaku groups from three BCA temples in Seattle, Berkeley and Los Angeles and two temples in Canada met and performed for the first time in a historic gagaku workshop and performance on Aug. 23-24.

The two-day event was made possible by the support of the BCA Music Committee and organized by the dedicated members of Kinnara Gagaku/Bugaku and the Senshin Buddhist Temple in Los Angeles.

Gagaku, an ancient orchestral music, came to Japan in the eighth century after traveling along the Silk Road through China, Mongolia, Korea and from the Southeast in the ancient kingdom of Champa (modern day Hue, Vietnam). While it is rarely played in the West, in Japan it is still used as the ceremonial court music of the Emperor and often played at Buddhist ceremonies, festivals and Shinto shrines throughout Japan.

“In Japan, gagaku music was made part of the Nishi Hongwanji liturgy during the 1550s,” said BCA Minister Emeritus Rev. Masao Kodani, retired minister of the Senshin Buddhist Temple. “In the United States, the earliest record I have of gagaku being played at a temple is in 1911. It started at the Los Angeles Betsuin in the 1930s. It was played by laypeople taught by ministers or lay specialists. It came to a sudden end with the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Instruments, music books, and anything connected with ‘the Emperor’s’ music were destroyed or buried to avoid being arrested by the FBI.”

Recalling how he reintroduced gagaku to the BCA after World War II,, Rev. Kodani said, “In 1969, I was given a gagaku taiko and a sho by the LA Betsuin when they were moving to their new temple in Little Tokyo. Rimban Rev. Ryuei Masuoka gave them to me and made me promise to try to form a gagaku group. By sheer coincidence, Professor Suenobu Togi, of the Imperial Household Music Department, was teaching gagaku at UCLA and agreed to teach us. That’s how Kinnara Gagaku was formed.”

While Kinnara Gagaku has been in existence since its founding more than 50 years ago in 1969, both the Seattle and Berkeley groups are relatively new. The Northern California Gagaku Group was founded at the Berkeley Buddhist Temple in 2009, and the Seattle Betsuin Gagaku Group was founded in 2017.

The workshop and program began with an opening service officiated by Senshin Resident Minister Rev. Ryuta Furumoto and dedicated to the memory of three gagaku musicians, Ronnie Matsuda and Sharon Koga from Senshin (Sharon later joined the Seattle group), and Asian American musician Mark Izu, who helped the Berkeley group get started. 

From the moment the musicians first gathered in the social hall and began playing, the ethereal sounds of the sho, hichiriki, ryuteki, percussion and string instruments filled the hall. 

“Playing among the sho and ryuteki players gave me chills. The sound was incredible,” Esther Sugai said.

On Saturday, the first day of workshops was divided into multiple sessions allowing each instrumental group to meet, rehearse and share their knowledge.

“Having the chance to perform and rehearse with the ministers and the many experienced musicians who have played gagaku for decades was a rare learning opportunity,” Sugai said.

The final day’s performance with the entire orchestra consisted of 26 musicians in formal gagaku dress. 

The concert began with “Etenraku,” a traditional piece often used as a processional to formal Buddhist and Shinto ceremonies and culminated in an epic 20-minute performance of “Bairo,” a piece originating in the ancient kingdom of Rinyu (present day Hue in Vietnam) and performed in eighth century Japan. In Japanese folklore, the playing of “Bairo” seven times in a row was said to unleash a magical power capable of defeating armies. After a brief intermission, the orchestra concluded with “Goshoraku,” another traditional gagaku piece.

“I was grateful to be able to participate and to thank Rev. Mas Kodani in person for his leadership in bringing gagaku back to the BCA after the war,” said Kemi Nakabayashi, Chair of the BCA Music Committee. “In addition, with Nobuko Miyamoto in attendance, I was able to acknowledge them both for their creative effort in creating new Bon Odori songs and dances over many decades, including ‘Kangie,’ the first Bon Odori song and dance commissioned by the BCA Music Committee. Also, I thanked them for the mentorship they provided along with PJ Hirabayashi to the Bonbu Stories group to create ‘Lantern Song.’”

Thanks to the efforts of Seattle Betsuin Rimban Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki and Tacoma Buddhist Temple Resident Minister Rev. Tadao Koyama, ministerial advisers of the BCA Music Committee, Rev. Ryosuke Fukami from Osaka and the two ministers from Canada, Rev. Naoki Hirano from British Columbia and Rev. Hikaru Sugiura from Toronto, were able to join the group. 

“Being able to play with an entire group from different districts and temples was incredibly nostalgic and meaningful to me. I anxiously await the next gagaku group meeting and to play with everyone again,” Rev. Koyama said. “I also would like to thank the Senshin Buddhist Temple and Rev. Furumoto for hosting, Rev. Mas Kodani for pioneering gagaku in the United States, and Rev. Kusunoki for helping to organize this grand gathering.” 

“It was one of my dreams that all three BCA gagaku groups — Kinnara, Berkeley and Seattle — get together and perform gagaku,” said Rimban Rev. Kusunoki. “It was such a precious opportunity for new gagaku players, such as the Seattle gagaku group, to play with senior gagaku players. I hope gagaku is performed more often at BCA temples for their special occasions."

Although this was the first gagaku workshop bringing the three temples together, all of the participants hoped that the groups could continue to communicate, share information, and meet again in the future.

To see the video recording of “Etenraku,” go to: bit.ly/4hXDm84