Japanese concert in Nuku'alofa [1]
Thursday, November 4, 2010 - 13:37. Updated on Saturday, May 10, 2014 - 15:09.
THREE professional Japanese musicians showcased Japanese music using string instruments, koto and shamisen on Tuesday night in a free concert at the Queen Salote Memorial Hall in Nuku'alofa.
The trio came to Tonga on a two-day cultural promotion.
The Japanese Embassy in Nuku'alofa said the three women musicians included Koto Master player Ms Satsuki Odamura and Ms Hitomi Kurosawa both based in Australia, and Ms Tomomi Kageyama from Japan.
Koto is a thirteen stringed traditional Japanese instrument stretched along a soundboard nearly two meters long with the attributes of the western harp, dulcimer and lute. The shamisen is a Japanese guitar-like instrument.
40th Anniversary
The concert commemorates the 40th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan made possible by the Japan Foundation in its aim to promote cultural exchange between Japan and the world.
In March earlier this year, the first concert by Japanese musicians hosted by the Japanese Embassy in Nuku'alofa featured two Japanese musicians Mr Toshinori Sakamoto and Ms Noriko Tadano, who performed traditional Japanese folk music on the shamisen.