BIG IN JAPAN
Katada Kikuyu
 In the world of traditional Japanese music, one often begins lessons as a
child. For Katada Kikuyu, studying drums came late. As a child growing up in Hongakuji
Temple in Kamakura, she had already studied dance, shamisen and singing, but it wasn'
until her first year at Waseda where she had gone to study art that she first began
drums. This is an ironic twist for someone who over time became Japan's premier female taiko
player (taiko is a small stick drum used in nagauta, or traditional Japanese,
music, not to be confused with the large wadaiko.)
The story of how such legends are created is rarely straightforward. As Kikuyu tells it,
"I was deceived." Through a friend of a friend, she was dragged to a drum lesson
as a fill-in. She didn't even choose the taiko, it was just assigned to her. It ended up a
perfect match, due to Kikuyu's dance background. Playing the taiko requires elaborately
timed arm movements and positions, and has an effect of both power and softness. Kikuyu
took to it quickly, but did not take it seriously for two reasons. At that time, just
after the war, society was poor and spending money on music was at an ebb. Live music was
rare. Even rarer were female drummers; the only women playing drums were geisha. Kikuyu
had never seen the music and had no idea she could even pursue drums.
That changed after she witnessed her first recital. Inspired, she continued her study and
appeared onstage with one other woman in a sea of men, causing a sensation. Her bold
example caused a rise in women studying drums. Today, women drummers in nagauta society
are plentiful, often surpassing men in numbers. Of Kikuyu's current twenty students,
nineteen are women.
Despite the larger numbers of women, it is not an easy road due to lingering
discrimination. Women are still not allowed to play at the Kabukiza, and professional
dancers - a big employer of these musicians - -tend to opt for men. Even amateurs choosing
professionals to play with them at their recitals choose male musicians over female. With
such few opportunities to perform, a female musician must struggle financially, making
most of her income through teaching.
Although she is the best female taiko player in Japan, Kikuyu has recently encountered a
new obstacle in finding performing opportunities: ageism. Because she is an older
musician, and therefore comes with a higher price tag, she is often overlooked in favor of
younger, "cheaper" female drummers, of which there is a current glut, ironically
thanks to her.
"The competition is good for nagauta, though," Kikuyu concedes. She believes
that young people can be lured into traditional music through inspiring teachers and less
expensive concerts, and might be inspired by the sight of live musicians, as she was.
Kikuyu's career has been one of serendipity, but she has no regrets at all. "If I
didn't play drums, I'd be just another obasan," she laughs. The foremother
of women nagauta drummers is aware of her uniqueness, and so is her audience.
Janet Pocorobba with Makoto Nishimura
|
BIG IN JAPAN: