Schedule

Wednesday, April 23, 2025
7:30 p.m. Concert

Get ready for an unforgettable evening at Asia Society Texas with a sublime concert showcasing music from Japan! Experience the legendary Hōzan Nomura, a  National Living Treasure, and other master musicians as they showcase the shakuhachi, a traditional bamboo flute developed in 16th-century Japan.

From the deeply moving solo honkyoku (traditional pieces from the Fuke Buddhist sect) to the rich, dynamic sounds of sankyoku (a 19th-century chamber music trio of shakuhachi, koto, and shamisen) and iconic contemporary works, this concert will take you on a journey through the centuries-long versatility of this mesmerizing instrument.

This concert at Asia Society Texas is an outreach event affiliated with the World Shakuhachi Festival taking place at Texas A&M University. 

About the Musicians

Hōzan Nomura was born in 1957 and currently National Living Treasure. He studied shakuhachi under the late National Living Treasure, Hozan Yamamoto. In 1975, when still at high school, he won the gold medal at the first National Tozan Ryū Honkyoku Competition and after graduating from the 22nd ‘NHK Training Program in Japanese Traditional Music,’ he decided to become a shakuhachi performer. Nomura has performed in countless shakuhachi concerts as part of the Sound of Bamboo series organized by the Hozan-kai and in performances with orchestras including November Steps by Toru Takemitsu and the Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi. He has recorded a number of CDs including his Compositions by Nomura Hozan series. In 1994, he won the National Arts Festival Award from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and in 2014 he received the ‘Award for Excellence’ in the Category for Recorded Music for his record Nomura Hozan Shakuhachi Solo Recital. Nomura has attained the rank of ‘Tozan Ryū Shakuhachi Chikurinken Daishihan.’ He was an external lecturer teaching shakuhachi at the Department of Japanese Traditional Music at Tokyo University of Performing Arts between 2016 and 2017 and is presently an external lecturer at Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music

Keisuke Zenyōji was  was initiated into komusō shakuhachi at the age of six. He graduated from Tokyo University of Fine Arts from the Department of Japanese Traditional Music. He also graduated from the Masters course at the same university. While studying at the university, Zenyōji studied under ‘Living National Treasure’ Goro Yamaguchi. He performed his first solo recital in 1999, and has reached the 13th solo recital today. Zenyōji won the prestigious Grand Excellence Award of the Arts Festival of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2017 and published a shakuhachi practice book Shakuhachi for the First Time (published by Ongaku no Tomo Sha). In May 2002, Zenyōji received The Award of the Japan Traditional Culture Foundation and in October 2002, he was invited to perform at the International Religious Conference organized by the World Bank at Canterbury Cathedral in the UK. In 2018, he received an Award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for Arts. In addition to his performance activities with focus on traditional music, Zenyōji is also active as a shakuhachi teacher across the Kanto region.

Akiko Fujimoto is a Kyushu-style jiuta koto music performer. From a young age she received training in koto and shamisen playing from her grandmother Keiko Abe and her mother Kunie Fujii (who is a designated Living National Treasure). In 1988, Fujimoto was selected at the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) audition. She has held recitals since 1995, and since 2001, Fujimoto is keeping the tradition of Jiuta Live concerts alive. In 2006,  the Fujii Akiko Jiuta Sōkyoku Concert was held in London, where she also held workshops at University of London. In 2008 she performed in the Netherlands and Belgium, 2012 in Austria, Hungary, and 2017 in Switzerland. She has received the Japan Traditional Culture Foundation (JTCF) Award, The New Face award of the National Arts Festival Awards by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, The Encouragement Award of the Pola Awards by the Pola Foundation for The Promotion of Traditional Japanese Culture, The New Face Award of Ministry of Education Awards for Arts by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. She is currently serving as the director for Ikuta School Association, (NPO) Japan Sankyoku Association, and Female Koto Players Association. Fujimoto also serves as the Vice Chairperson of Seiha Music School and Ginmei Kai. Apart from performing in concerts and television broadcasts, she is also an educator and teacher of the next generation of jiuta sōkyoku performers.

Yōko Hihara studied under Kyūshū-kei jiuta koto master Iwata Jūka. She studied modern Japanese music and 25-stringed koto under Nosaka Sōju II, graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Traditional Japanese Music, and received her master's degree from the Graduate School of Music, Tokyo University of the Arts. While a student, she received the Acanthus Music Award and the Dōseikai Newcomer Award. She has performed at the Imperial Palace's Momoka Gakudō Hall, and with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. She presented a 25-stringed koto solo performance at the opening ceremony of the Folk Music Festival of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, performed with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa at the “Echos of Japan and the West” at Ishikawa Music Hall, and appeared on NHK's “Hōgaku no Hitotoki,” “Hōgaku Hyakuban,” and “Geinō Kiwami-dō”; Gifu Broadcasting System “Bi no Seika”; and many other radio and TV programs. She won the second prize at the 18th Kenjun Memorial National Koto Music Competition. HIHARA was awarded the Excellence Prize at the Tone Eiho Memorial Japanese Music Competition (Classical), the Newcomer's Prize at the 2022 Cultural Ministry Arts Festival, and the Gifu Prefecture Arts and Culture Encouragement Prize in 2023. She is a member of the Morinokai and the Sankyoku Society of Japan. Member of Ensemble Muromachi, a group that performs on ancient and traditional Japanese instruments. Representative of Fuyō-kai.

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, The Brown Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment Inc. Generous funding also provided by The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Wortham Foundation. Additional support is provided by The Clayton Fund, and the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Performing Arts and Culture Program Sponsors

Japan Series Sponsor

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.