Mushashimaru in Town, Oct 1 & 2
Topic: Sumo
This weekend, don't miss the chance to meet Yokozuna MUSASHIMARU in person at these events:

SUMO PRACTICE COACHED BY MUSASHIMARU
Saturday, October 1, 12:00 noon -- 1:30 PM
Jun Chong Martial Arts Center, 11870 Santa Monica Blvd, West LA

SUMO DEMO WITH MUSASHIMARU AT JAPANESE FESTIVAL
Sunday, October 2, 1:00 PM -- 4:00 PM
Camarillo Community Center, 1605 East Burnley Street
Camarillo, CA

In addition to meeting Musashimaru, you can get excellent seats for GRAND SUMO LAS VEGAS from us. We still have a few awesome seats left, including FLOOR SEATS in the FOURTH, THIRD, and even SECOND rows! You can pick those up this weekend at the events, or call to order!

GRAND SUMO LAS VEGAS
October 7, 8, and 9, Mandalay Bay
At GRAND SUMO LAS VEGAS, please visit the US SUMO OPEN booth inside the arena.

www.usasumo.com
310-288-3641 recording
310-617-9641 ticket orders

Tsugaru Shamisen ensemble, Oct 9
Topic: Tsugaru Shamisen
Tsugaru shamisen ensemble “Waon” from Yokkaichi, Mie prefecture will be performing on Sunday Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the Secret Rose Theatre 11246 Magnolia Blvd. in the NoHo Theatre and Arts District of North Hollywood.
NOW FREE ADMISSION
To make a reservation, call (818) 766-3691 ext. 2.

Tsugaru shamisen ensemble “Waon” was organized by Toshihiko Minamihashi (photo)in Yokkaichi in 2003, now having fifty students enrolled. Waon’s mission is to help promote the spirit and culture of Japan though music.

For the Waon’s debut concert in the U.S., Minamihashi will be accompanied with his apprentice Kagura (photo at bottom)from Orland, Florida.

Program (Subject to change):

1.TSUGARU JYONKARA-BUSHI (SHIN-BUSHI)
Most famous Tsugaru shamisen number.
And it is easy to see the personality of player for you. Because player make ad lib for this number, it will be played with a different every time.The art of playing is beat the body of Shamisen consecutively and also making delicate melody.

?Shin-bushi? meaning is the number had made in the Showa period after world war.

2.TSUGARU AIYA-BUSHI
One of best five songs of Tsugaru Shamisen.
The origin this number came to Tsugaru from Kagoshima of Kyushu, Japanese south area.
This tune is in triple time, in rare type of Japanese folk song.

3.TSUGARU ONDO
This song sounds sentimental.
IT is difficult to play with an elaborate art.

4.YASABURO-BUSHI
The theme of this is?pick on the daughter-in-law of the Yasaburo family?.
The song without accompaniment is like a lullaby.

5.ROKU-DAN
The basic number of Tsugaru Syamisen.
It is made from six short songs (sometimes seven) and good for ensemble regardless of school.
However it is something different by every situation keep the basic melody.

6.TOSA NO SUNAYAMA
Tosa was one of big port of Japan at the northwest part in Aomori pre.
But it had become in ruins by Tsunami in 1340.
It was happen in a moment and then Tosa port had changed to sand dune by degrees.
Plaintive the old port that once flourished?..this tune represent.

7.TSUGARU JYONKARA-BUSHI (KYU-BUSHI)
Tsugaru Jyonkara-bushi had changed by era.
?Kyu-bushi? means it had made at Meiji era that had a rapid progress from under the Shogun to a modern state.

Each Jyonkara-bushi has representation of Japanese trend.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of playing shamisen is that, unlike other Japanese traditional arts which are know for precision and control, the shamisen is played improvisationally similar to free style jazz allowing each player to be expressive.

As a shamisen player’s skill grows, they often develop original and unique melodies. Because of this, the shamisen has seen a rise in popularity and appreciation amongst a new generation of Japanese musicians and their audiences.

This concert will benefit the non-profit organization Fire Rose Productions and to assist them in raising funds to contribute to this years Aids Walk.

Kaoru Watanabe and Shoji Kameda at Little Tokyo, Oct. 6
Topic: Taiko
October 6, 2005
Japanese American National Museum
369 East First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Cost: Free, Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Tel: 213-625-0414
www.janm.org

Kaoru Watanabe Biography:

Born in St. Louis, MO in 1975. Grew up in a musical household- father a violinist and mother a harpist in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. Began playing flute at 13 and studied with St. Louis Symphony flutist Jan Smith.

Graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan where he gained orchestral and jazz group experience. Moved to New York to study at the Manhattan School of Music as a jazz flute/ saxophone major and performed and recorded with, among others, Blue Note recording artists Stefon Harris and Jason Moran.

Also joined New York based Japanese drumming (taiko) group Soh Daiko and became heavily interested in Japanese music. After graduating, moved to Japan and studied Noh Kan and Edo Matsuri Bayashi styles of fue (bamboo flute) in Tokyo.

Entered the two years apprenticeship program for the internationally touring taiko group Kodo and became a performing member in the year 1999. Since joining Kodo, Kaoru has performed and recorded with Kodo in 16 different countries, performing with such luminaries as Zakir Hussein, Aierto Moreira, Giovanni Hildago and Carlos Nunez.

He specializes in the various fue, composing and acting as artistic director of Kodo's annual world music festival, Earth Celebration.

Shoji Kameda Biography:

Shoji Kameda is one of North America’s brightest young taiko performers.

Shoji's introduction to the Japanese drum came at the age of 8 with Shasta Taiko, one of the first children's groups to form in the US.

Since then he has studied, performed and recorded with renowned masters of traditional and contemporary music in the United States and Japan. In 2002 he founded the On Ensemble with Masato Baba, Kristofer Bergstrom and Michelle Fujii.

Now living in Los Angeles he maintains an active schedule performing and recording with On Ensemble and pioneering jazz fusion band, Hiroshima. Recently he has started composing taiko music for film and is currently scoring his first documentary.

TAIKOPROJECT Biographies
Topic: Taiko
The TAIKOPROJECT founded in 2000, is an ensemble of America's premiere, emerging taiko drummers dedicated to preserving and disseminating American taiko drumming through educational activities and public performances.

The ensemble's work balances the traditions and rich history of American taiko with a contemporary edge exploring new dimensions in taiko.

TAIKOPROJECT: (re)generation, their latest creative effort, was a refreshing, new expression of taiko artistry, effortlessly blending taiko with storytelling, spoken word, music, hip hop choreography, video multi-media, and dance.

The production made its world premiere tour Fall, 2003 - Spring, 2004 to Gammage Auditorium at Arizona State University Public Events, Meany Hall at the University of Washington World Series, the Japan America Theatre at the JACCC, the Mondavi Center at UC Davis, and the Kenneth Ford Theater at the College of the Siskiyous.

Following this, the TAIKOPROJECT developed collaborations with a diverse group of prestigious artists, including klezmer clarinetist Leo Chelyapov, Vietnamese pop singer Bao Han, Chicano rock band Quetzal, internationally-acclaimed European DJ Tiesto, and Vancouver's Chibi Taiko.

In Spring, 2005, the TAIKOPROJECT performed in Mitsubishi Motors of North America's innovative National Ad Campaign "Taiko Drums," featuring women from the group in a breathtaking 60-second commercial spot that was one of the highest-rated commercials of 2005 when it aired.

The TAIKOPROJECT then performed for the most prestigious taiko concert in North America-- "Taiko Jam '05," as part of the 2005 North America Taiko Conference.

The group was also invited to perform for the Hollywood Bowl's prestigious "Summer Sounds" program, working with the L.A. Philharmonic Education Division.

TAIKOPROJECT has been recognized with grant awards from the Durfee Foundation, the City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department, and has been involved in projects funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and the Western States Arts Foundation.

TAIKOPROJECT
505 East 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: (213) 268-4011
Fax: (213) 626-6050
info@TAIKOPROJECT.com
www.TAIKOPROJECT.com

A Benefit Concert to Send the TAIKOPROJECT to Japan, Oct. 8
Topic: Taiko
Los Angeles, CA - The TAIKOPROJECT presents the "IKUZO: A Benefit Concert to Send TAIKOPROJECT to Japan." on Saturday, October 8 at 8 pm. The concert takes place at the Senshin Buddhist Temple, located at 1341 W. 37th St. in Los Angeles, California. Ticket packages begin at $25. To purchase tickets or to make a donation, call (626)288-7498. Convenient parking is located in the adjacent parking lot.

In August, 2005, the TAIKOPROJECT was selected as one of 12 finalists out of over 60 applicants to participate in the 5th Annual Tokyo International Taiko Contest, the largest and most prestigious taiko competition in the world. In addition, the TAIKOPROJECT has the distinction of being the first American taiko group to participate in the contest, making this year's contest especially historical.

The 5th Annual Tokyo International Taiko Contest takes place on October 15 - 16, 2005, at the Olympic Youth Center in the Shibuya District of Tokyo, Japan. The TAIKOPROJECT cast departs a few days earlier to prepare for their performance, rehearsing at taiko studios throughout Tokyo, while connecting with local taiko groups and visiting various taiko leaders in Japan.

Their performance takes place on October 16, following the "Youth Group" category performances and the "O-daiko" solo category performances. They are in the "Adult Performing Group" category. For the "Adult Performing Group" category, participating groups play a compulsory song, "Beat/Essence II," by acclaimed composer Maki Ishii (composer of Kodo's classic "Monochrome"), as well as an original song. The TAIKOPROJECT has chosen to play "Omiyage," with an "Expanding" intro.

With the hopes of representing American taiko at this prestigious gathering, but faced with the task of self-producing the trip, the TAIKOPROJECT performs in this special one-night-only benefit concert to fund their first-ever tour to Japan.

This marks the first time American taiko will be shared with the Japanese taiko community at this gathering. American taiko groups rarely have opportunities to perform in Japan, so the TAIKOPROJECT members are adding extra rehearsals to be fully prepared for the contest.

Join us for an evening of TAIKOPROJECT favorites and the debut of "Beat/Essence II." The 30-minute performance will be followed by a post-show reception with the artists. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to cover the expenses of traveling to Japan to participate in the contest.

Performance - Bamboo and Silk, Sept. 30 (Fri)
Topic: Shakuhachi
Friday, September 30
The Armory Center for the Arts
145 North Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91103
Cost: $10 general admission; $5 seniors and students; Armory members free
Tel: (626) 792-5101 x117, www.armoryarts.org
Time: 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Traditional Music from China and Japan. The Armory Center for the Arts and the Pacific Asia Museum together present Bamboo and Silk, an evening of traditional music from China and Japan.

For this performance, Bill Shozan Schultz plays the centuries old music of meditating Zen monks, Honkyoku, on the shakuhachi, a Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. Performing on the sheng, an instrument with a 2,000-year history that consists of numerous bamboo pipes, Qi-Chao Liu also plays the silk stringed violin-like erhu that is bowed while held in an upright position.

Because of the richness of our Los Angeles environs, both in architecture and in culture, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the unusual setting for this ancient music from China and Japan is an architecturally significant building in old town Pasadena whose inner walls are the usual home for cutting edge modern art.

Gagaku, Saturday. October 1
Topic: Gagaku
October 1, 2005

Performance - Gagaku: Music and Dance of Ancient Asia
Senshin Temple Courtyard
1311 W. 37th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Cost: Suggested Donation $5, Outdoor Event
Tel: (323) 731-4617, Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM

The Great Teacher K’ung Fu-Tzu [Confucius] said that, “the only really essential department of government is the Department of Music and Rites.”

In Far Eastern tradition, the purpose of art is to educate and uplift in a moral and religious way.

Music and ritual are looked upon as essential to life and not simply as another extra-curricular activity.

This ancient music survives today in Japan as Gagaku and has been preserved virtually unchanged since the 8th century.

Still performed in temples, shrines, and the Japanese Imperial Court, Gagaku is the oldest orchestral tradition in the world, evoking an atmosphere and attitude of ancient Asia.

Senshin Temple is affiliated with the Jodoshinshu school of Buddhism that has used Gagaku liturgically and as “dharma entertainment” since the 17th century.

Kinnara Gagaku was formed in 1970 at Senshin Buddhist Temple under Professor Suenobu Togi of the Japanese Imperial Household Department of Music and the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology.

Grand Sumo in Las Vegas, Oct 7, 8, 9
Topic: Sumo
Grand Sumo Championship will take place at Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on Oct. 7, 8, and 9.

For the first time in 20 years, Grand Sumo from Japan is holding a sanctioned tournament in the United States.

Produced by Dan Yoshida, who produced the previous event in New York in 1985, Grand Sumo Las Vegas is a very rare chance to see the best sumo wrestlers in the world.

About 120 members of the Nihon Sumo Kyokai (pro sumo), including the top 40 or so rikishi (sumo wrestlers) are coming from Japan.

All 40 sumo stars will compete on each of the three days, so each day is a complete event by itself. A champion will be determined daily, and the three champions will have a final playoff at the end of Sunday's competition.

The events start at 8:00 PM (Friday), 8:00 PM (Saturday), and 2:00 PM (Sunday).

All aspects of authentic professional sumo will be featured, including a specially constructed “dohyo” (packed clay sumo stage), enormous “yakata” (ceremonial shrine that hangs above the ring) shipped from Japan, complete ceremonies before each match by “yobidashi” (ring announcers) and “gyoji” (referees), and much more. There will be taiko drumming as entertainment.

Two Hawaiians who achieved legendary status in pro sumo, Konishiki and Musashimaru, will be on-hand as announcers and spokespeople for the events.

California Sumo Association (CSA) staff members are also an integral part of the Grand Sumo Las Vegas production, and CSA is proud to offer the best seat locations at the lowest prices.

Ticket prices are $75, $125, and $175.
Visit www.usasumo.com for more details, or call 310-288-3641.
For last-minute ticket orders, call 310-617-9641.

Tsukuba-Yaki Ceremics and Local Artists Exhibit, Sept 10 - Oct 1
Topic: Ceramic
Tsukuba-Yaki Ceremics of a Sister City Artist and Spirit of Japan Exhibition at Irvine Fine Arts Center

14321 Yale Ave (in Heritage Park)
Irvine, CA 92604
(949)724-6880
www.IrvineFineArts.org

(Photo: Mayor Beth Krom and Tsukuba-Yaki artist Toshio Tsuga)

Japan America Kite Festival to return to Seal Beach, Sept. 25
Topic: Festival
The annual Japan America Kite Festival will take place from 10:00 a.m.–Sundown on Sunday, Sept. 25 on an area spanning three acres on the beach next to the Seal Beach Pier in Seal Beach.

The purpose of the festival is to bring Japanese and American families together at an event focused on promoting and highlighting the rich art and history of Japanese kites. Initiated in 2000, the festival attracts over 5,000 people of all ages.

The Japan America Kite Festival has become California’s second largest kite festival. Only the 25-year-old Berkeley Kite Festival is larger.

Joining this year’s Japan America Kite Festival is world renowned Japanese Kite Master, Mikio Toki. Toki will conduct workshops and display and demonstrate his hand-made, traditional Edo-Kaku-Dako (Tokyo style kites). He has been making and teaching the art of Edo kites since 1973, and his kites are displayed in museums around the world.

Other highlights of the festival include Japanese and international kites of all sizes, shapes and colors. For children, there are free sode (kimono kite) workshops. In addition, there will be Japanese food booths, huge 50’ x 100’ kites, taiko drum performances, a raffle drawing, kite “candy drops,” and stunt and synchronized “ballet” kite flying demonstrations.

The Japan America Kite Festival is presented by the Japan America Society and Up Up & Away Kites in Seal Beach. The festival is free and open to the public. The festival is supported by Hitachi, Bridge USA, New Otani Hotel and Garden, Drachen Foundation, Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the festival, call the Japan America Society at (213) 627-6217, ext. 202, or visit www.jas-socal.org.


(Photo Caption) Madame & Consul General Yoshio Nomoto were flying a unique, commemorative, 150-meter long, single line kite that includes 150 alternating US and Japanese flag kites, each separated one meter apart. This spectacular kite was made by Japanese Kite Master, Mikio Toki, and was flown throughout the day during the 2004 festival to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the US-Japan Relationship.

Hokusai's Great Wave will be recreated, Sept. 17
Topic: Art
Mysteries of woodblock printing will debut in multi-city demonstration by an artisan from Tokyo.

Eighteenth Century Japanese master impressionist Katsushika Hokusai’s exquisite woodcarving – The Great Wave Off Kanagawa – recently found in the vault of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, will be recreated in a seven-city demonstration and lecture series in September, co-sponsored by The Japan Foundation.

The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints in Tokyo, whose skilled artisans were selected by the Boston Museum to make new prints from Hokusai’s original woodcut, will provide a personal appearance by Lecturer Mr. Isamu Adachi, head director of the institute, and Ms. Chiharu Enomoto, woodblock printer.

Together, they will provide an in-depth view of traditional Japanese printmaking, recreating the Great Wave image in full. They will show the many steps involved in the printing process, finally revealing the image’s original, vibrant colors.

Lecturers: Mr. Isamu Adachi, Head Director of the Adachi Institute, appearing in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara; Ms. Meguri Nakayama appearing in San Diego and San Francisco

Printer: Ms. Chiharu Enomoto appearing in all cities


Demonstration Location in California:
Los Angeles, Sat, Sept. 17, 1:00 p.m., Japanese American Cultural & Community Center, 244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, Ca 90012, Contact, Mr. Hirokazu Kosaka at (213) 628-2725 ext. 127

Santa Barbara, Sun, Sept. 18, 2:00 p.m., Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara, Ca 93101, Contact, Ms. Susan Tai at (805) 884-6408

San Diego, Wed, Sept. 21, 10:30am and 7:00 p.m., Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, Ca 92101, Contact, Mr. Rob Sidner at (619) 239-0003

San Francisco, Sun, Sept. 25, 2:00 p.m., Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, Ca 94102, Contact, Ms. Deborah Clearwaters at (415) 581-3500.

Japanese Outlaw Masters
Topic: Film
September 9 - 11 at the Egyptian Theatre
September 16 at the Aero Theatre

HOLLYWOOD - The American Cinematheque presents Japanese Outlaw Masters at the Egyptian Theatre (September 9 - 11) and at the Aero Theatre (September 16). After taking a one-year hiatus from our "Japanese Outlaw Masters Series," it is back again with a steel-edged vengeance!

One of the most gratifying results of this series, first started in 1997, is that many of the films we've unearthed have since gone on to be released theatrically and on DVD in the US, and directors such as Kinji Fukasaku, Hideo Gosha, Kihachi Okamoto and others have finally received their long-overdue recognition as true masters of Japanese cinema.

This series coincides with the publication of series founder and Cinematheque programmer Chris D.'s companion volume Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film (2005, Palgrave-Macmillan) (available for sale at all of the screenings), which features profiles and interviews with many of these classic directors, as well as modern masters such as Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Takashi Miike, and genre icons Sonny Chiba and Meiko Kaji.

This year, the film series goes back to the basics -- samurai, yakuza and action classics from the 1960's and early 1970's –
including Hideo Gosha's swordplay gems GOYOKIN and THE WOLVES;
Kihachi Okamoto's tongue-in-cheek masterpieces, KILL! and AGE OF ASSASSINS;
Kinji Fukasaku's ferocious crime film WOLVES, PIGS AND PEOPLE;
and last, but not least, Seijun Suzuki's mind-altering BRANDED TO KILL.

Plus, two impossibly rare and glorious chanbara treasures:
Hideo Gosha's THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI and Masahiro Shinoda's ASSASSINATION, both long-unavailable in 35 mm. and screening here for the first time in decades!

Screenings are at the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the historic 1922 Egyptian (6712 Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Las Palmas) in Hollywood and at the Max Palevsky Theatre at the Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Ave) in Santa Monica.


Friday, September 9, 2005: Egyptian Theatre
The Friday, September 9th program begins at 7:30 PM with a Double Feature.
First up is a new 35 mm. print of THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI (SANBIKI NO SAMURAI), (1964, Janus Films, 95 min.). Director Hideo Gosha's first feature film is not only one of the most-assured directorial debuts ever, it is also something of a holy-grail for samurai movie aficionados, as it's been notoriously hard-to-see outside of Japan since its initial release - until now.
Janus Films just made a glorious new 35 mm. print of this treasure, in time for our series!
Wandering samurai Tetsuro Tanba is swayed into helping those who can't fend for themselves, in this case starving farmers who have kidnapped a local lord's daughter in protest over unfair taxes. In the process, much blood is shed, and two other swords-for-hire (Mikijiro Hira, Isamu Nagato) become reluctant draftees into Tanba's band of rebels. Gosha's use of the B&W Cinemascope frame is astonishing, with a down-to-earth, hardboiled ambience rarely seen in early 1960s samurai pictures. Add to that Toshiaki Tsushima's atmospheric score and you have a certifiable classic.

Next on the same bill is GOYOKIN (aka OFFICIAL GOLD aka STEEL EDGE OF REVENGE), (1969, Toho, 121 min.). Director Hideo Gosha's samurai masterpiece is an unrelenting vision of snow and fire, ravens screeching and swords flashing in the darkness.
Tatsuya Nakadai stars as a conscience-stricken samurai tortured by his involvement in a past massacre and determined to prevent another. Gosha was forced to reshoot half the film when original co-star Toshiro Mifune walked out (apparently because of the fierce cold!) - and the cold in GOYOKIN is, in truth, all-consuming, freezing hands to swords. A bold, beautifully-shot film. With Tetsuro Tanba, Ruriko Asaoka.

Saturday, September 10, 2005: Egyptian Theatre
The Saturday, September 10th program begins at 5:00 PM with a new 35 mm print of KILL! (KIRU), (1968, Janus Films, 115 min.). The synchronicity of Italy's spaghetti westerns with Japan's samurai genre is nowhere more evident than in this superb, action-packed gem from Kihachi Okamoto (SWORD OF DOOM).
Masaru Sato's Morricone-inflected theme, the super-gritty sequences in a dust-blown ghost town and the sparring of friendly rivals - ex-samurai-turned-gambler Tatsuya Nakadai and wannabe swordsman Etsushi Takahashi - meld together in an exhilarating brew, comparable in pure movie-watching enjoyment to the best of Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. Nakadai's loose comic performance is 180 degrees from his demonic turn in SWORD OF DOOM and testament to his spectacular versatility as a performer.

Following at 7:30 PM is a Double Feature. First up is ASSASINATION (ANSATSU), (1964, Janus Films, 104 min.). Director Masahiro Shinoda's (PALE FLOWER) samurai masterwork is a desolate portrait of a respected swordsman (Tetsuro Tanba) fighting to restore the emperor to power amidst the turmoil of the 1860's. Suddenly he becomes aware of the absurdity of the struggle. Through a maze of flashbacks, we're left to wonder what has spurred his disillusionment, convincing him to slyly manipulate the opposing factions. Tanba's cynicism leads his new shogunate allies to distrust him, and a master swordsman is sent to take him by surprise.
Cinematographer Masao Kosugi and composer Toru Takemitsu (both veterans of PALE FLOWER) return to deliver their stark, atonal purity to the proceedings.

Next on the same bill is WOLVES, PIGS & PEOPLE (OKAMI TO BUTA TO NINGEN), (1964, Toei, 95 min.). One of director Kinji Fukasaku's (GRAVEYARD OF HONOR) first critically-acclaimed efforts is also one of the grittiest, angriest yakuza thrillers ever made.
Legendary tough guy Ken Takakura plays a lone-wolf hood who convinces his younger sibling (Kinya Kitaoji) to recruit his youth gang to help rob elder brother Rentaro Mikuni's mob. Events spiral out-of-control as filial ties crumble in noirishly downbeat fashion. Awe-inspiring, topped off with Isao Tomita's amazing hybrid score of lounge jazz, Coltrane-esque squawk and distorted surf guitar.

Sunday, September 11, 2005: Egyptian Theatre
The Sunday, September 11th program begins at 6:00 PM with a Double Feature. First up is AGE OF ASSASSINS (SATSUJIN KYOJIDAI), (1967, Toho, 99 min.).
Director Kihachi Okamoto's (KILL!) sharp-edged, action lampoon compares favorably with such other mod 1960s treasures as Elio Petri's THE 10TH VICTIM and Seijun Suzuki's BRANDED TO KILL.
Tatsuya Nakadai, a glasses-wearing nebbish who is magically transformed into a suave secret agent, is stuck with limited resources, including a smog-belching junkheap of an automobile, as he does battle with a maniacal asylum director (Eisei Amamoto) dispatching unhinged killers to bring Japan to its knees.

Next on the same bill is BRANDED TO KILL (KOROSHI NO RAKUIN), (1967, Janus Films, 91 min.). Director Seijun Suzuki's tour-de-force magnum opus is a jawdropping, Pop Art deconstruction of not only gangster films but, more specifically, Nikkatsu Studio's own hitman subgenre. Excessive violence as well as dreamlike surrealism envelops an assassin (Joe Shishido) known as Number Three Killer after he botches a job, and both his mercenary wife (Mariko Ogawa) and a stoic hitwoman (Annu Mari) start trying to kill him. When Number One Killer (Koji Nanbara) steps in, the mind games escalate to a terrifyingly absurd level.

Sunday, September 16, 2005: Aero Theatre
The Sunday, September 16th program begins at 7:30 PM with THE WOLVES (SHUSSO IWAI), (1971, Toho, 130 min.). Director Hideo Gosha's epic chronicle of two warring yakuza clans in 1920s Japan rivals Coppola's THE GODFATHER in its scope and density, and Peckinpah's THE WILD BUNCH in its astonishing savagery.
Ex-con Tatsuya Nakadai becomes progressively more disillusioned with his underworld brethren in a swirl of personal betrayals, doomed love affairs and bone-splintering violence.
A brilliant mixture of traditional themes and contemporary elements, including Masaru Sato's jazz-influenced score, enrich this amazing film. With Noboru Ando, Toshio Kurosawa, Tetsuro Tanba. Screening will be preceded by a booksigning by Cinematheque programmer and writer, Chris D., celebrating the release of his new book, Outlaw Masters Of Japanese Film (Palgrave-Macmillan, $19.98).

THREE OUTLAW SAMURAI (Japanese with English subtitles)
GOYOKIN (Japanese with English subtitles)
BRANDED TO KILL (Japanese with English subtitles)
THE WOLVES (Japanese with English subtitles)
ASSASSINATION (Japanese with NO English subtitles)
WOLVES, PIGS & PEOPLE (Japanese with NO English subtitles)
AGE OF ASSASSINS (Japanese with NO English subtitles)

A complete calendar/flyer listing of these films is available on our website: http://americancinematheque.com
General Admission is $9. Double Features are two films for one admission price.
There is generally a 7 - 10 minute intermission between films.
24-Hour information: 323.466.FILM

Nagauta and Shamisen music program, Sept. 11
Topic: Nagauta
Kineya Yasofuji and Kineya Yasofujiko (photo) present Nagauta and Shamisen music program ?Yukata Zarai? on Sunday, Sept. 11 from 12:30 ? 4:30 p.m. at Amada Hall in Amada Plaza, 7025 Firestone Blvd., Buena Park, Ca 90621.

Tickets are $15. Tickets are available at the door or at Eileen, (310) 326-0389.

The program features: Kiku zukushi, Kishi no yanagi, Matsu no midori, Miyakodori, Matsu take ume, Takarabune, Horai, Suehirogari, Ume no sakae, Musume dojoji. The music consists of Nagauta, Shamisen, Kotsuzumi, Otsuzumi, and Shime-daiko.

Mme. Yasofuji has been teaching Nagauta and Shamisen for over 25 years in Orange County and San Diego area. Mme. Yasofujiko is a disciple of Mme. Yasofuji, and has been teaching the traditional music for over 10 years in Orange County and South Bay area.

Mme. Yasofujiko?s classes take place at Anaheim Sakahara Bunka Center, 2730 West Ball Road, Anaheim, Ca 92804, on Fridays, 3:00 ? 8:00 p.m. and Sundays, 11:00 a.m. ? 3:00 p.m. For inquiry about Nagauta and Shamisen, call Mme. Yasofujiko at (760) 945-5717

Performance and Lecture by Jodaiko of UC Irvine, Sept. 11
Topic: Taiko
The Orange County Japanese American Association will present a taiko performance and seminar on Sunday, Sept. 11, starting at 2:00 p.m. at the Yamaha Music Center in Woodbridge Village Shopping Center, 4620 Barranca Parkway, Irvine. Admission is free but advance reservations are necessary. Call Kimiko Fujita at (949) 559- 8700.

The unique feature of the event is its educational component. The taiko performance is followed by discussions on the history of the music and use of various musical instruments along with taiko drums.

This special event is performed by the Jodaiko drumming ensemble based on the University of California, Irvine. The group has performed at numerous university assemblies and Japanese American community events in the past 12 years.

LACMA Exhibition Japan Goes to the World's Fairs: Japanese Art at the Great Expositions Through Oct. 10
Topic: Art
Japan Goes to the World's Fairs: Japanese Art at the Great Expositions in Europe and the United States, 1867-1904 includes approximately 145 works chronicling the remarkable influence of the fairs on the course of Japanese art during the Meiji period (1868-1912) when Japan was reforming itself under strong Western influence. During this time, Japan participated in 19 international events and organized five domestic fairs, an average of almost one major undertaking every year.

Representing the creative interests of the period, the show is particularly rich in the craft media of ceramics, lacquers, metalwork, and textiles.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

Cost: Adults $9; students 18+ with ID and senior citizens 62+ $5; children 17 and under are admitted free. Admission (except to specially ticketed exhibitions) is free the second Tuesday of every month, and evenings after 5 pm.

Museum Hours: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday noon-8 pm; Friday noon-9 pm; Saturday and Sunday 11 am-8 pm; closed Wednesday. Tel: (323) 857-6000, www.lacma.org

L A Short Film Festival at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, September 6-13
Topic: Film
“LA Shorts Fest” is the largest short film festival in the world, screening 600 films of every category from 28 different countries.
This year the Festival also includes Spotlight on LA Filmmaker Showcase, informative panel discussions, Wet & Wild Parties, High School Students Run Amuck Day and concluding with the precious Shorty Awards.

LA Shorts Fest is one of the few festivals accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

In past years, 20 participants have earned Academy Award nominations, with 6 filmmakers actually taking home the Oscar. Last year’s festival drew more than 10,000 moviegoers and filmmakers.

Along with creating a forum for young filmmakers just beginning their careers, we have also honored some of Hollywood’s legends of the past: Charles Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Robert Wise; along with actors Martin Landau, James Woods, Gary Oldman and directors Tim Burton and Bryan Singer. Don’t miss the Best of LA Shorts Fest award winning films screening September 14-16 only at the ArcLight.

For further information visit www.lashortsfest.com
(323) 851.9100

Oshogatsu (New Year's Day) Celebration in Little Tokyo
null

Kokohajime: Arrow shooting ceremony to kick off New Year's celebration, Jan. 7
null

Kotohajime: Arrow shooting ceremony to kick off New Year's celebration, Jan. 7
null