Friends and family of NEA Heritage Award recipient June Kuramoto, along with a group of senior koto players called “Team Kotomoto,” have organized a slate of events for 2024 that will commemorate her life and career.
With funding from Keiro, the Eastside Arts Initiative, The George and Sakaye Aratani CARE Award and UCLA’s Asian American Studies Center, and with support of the Japanese American National Museum and Visual Communications, the group will host a reunion and workshop for koto players as well as other events throughout the year.
To kick off the celebrations, a reunion of kotoists and a koto workshop for interested new players will take place at Nishi Hongwanji Buddhist Temple’s Kaikan, 815 E. First St. in Little Tokyo, on Saturday, July 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We hope to reunite the hundreds of koto players in Southern California,” says Cindy Oda of Team Kotomoto. “This not only includes former students of Kazue Kudo, but all those teachers and their natori who served the community by teaching students from post-World War II to today.”
Kuramoto, who will preside over the event, states, “I am looking forward to seeing all of you who learned koto over the years. I fondly remember all the recitals at Koyasan and concerts at the Japan America Theatre. I’ve seen Team Kotomoto experience health benefits from playing and I encourage you to come to meet up with old friends, bring your koto, have a free bento, and play those many pieces we learned years ago.”
The event is free, but registration is required. For more information or to register, email teamkotomoto@ gmail.com or visit Team Kotomoto’s Facebook page.