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About Oregon Koto-Kai
Founded by Koto Master Mitsuki Dazai in 2012, Oregon Koto-Kai works to bring the ancient sound of Japanese Koto music to live audiences in the Pacific Northwest.
We have performed at the Camellia Festival in Newburg, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, and more. With an extensive repertoire of both traditional and contemporary music, Oregon Koto–Kai provides a powerful link to the unique sounds of ancient and modern Japan.
We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Here's a taste of what we sound like in concert.
Our Goal
The goal of our Indiegogo campaign is to bring an expert koto specialist from Japan to Oregon to professionally restring our kotos for next year's performance season.
What is koto?
The koto is a traditional Japanese instrument dating back to the ancient Nara Period some 1300 years ago.
Measuring over six feet from end to end, the koto derives its unique sound from the thirteen strings which stretch along its length. These strings, which are braced across thirteen independent, movable bridges, allows the koto to be tuned to a wide range of musical scales.
As with any stringed instrument, the strings of the koto wear out over
time, and must be replaced every three years to maintain their rich
tonal quality. However, unlike modern stringed instruments with tuning
pegs, traditional kotos must have their strings tension fitted by
professional craftsmen who have trained for years in the
art of building and maintaining kotos.
Koto Specialists
For more than a thousand years, koto players have taken their instruments to specialists to have them restrung. The process of restringing is very demanding, as too little tension, or too much, can result in undesirable or unusable sounds, and may even damage the instrument.
As there are none in the Americas, koto craftsmen are typically brought from Japan to restring kotos in the States.
Project Description
The condition of our instruments greatly affects our performance. In order to continue delivering high quality koto music to the people of our community, our kotos must be professionally restrung this year.
The long nylon strings of the koto stretch and wear over time. As their elasticity wanes, so too does their rich, bright, and clear tonal quality, resulting in dull sounds and muddy music. Furthermore, the longer the strings go without being replaced, the more likely they are to break — potentially marring a live performance.
As a professional koto group, it is imperative that we keep our instruments in the best possible condition. For this reason, we will bring a master craftsman 5,000 miles from Japan to restring our kotos.
The manual labor of koto restringing is very tedious, time-consuming, and costly. At Oregon Koto-Kai, we have 29 kotos that need restringing — work which will take a professional koto craftsman no less than three days to complete.
We will each pay for strings and labor on our own kotos. This campaign is to cover the cost of transportation for the master craftsman to and from the U.S., as well as food and lodging during his stay.
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Our Costs
This campaign will cover the following:
- Travel for the master craftsman
- Food for the master craftsman
- Lodging for the master craftsman
- Video production & English copywriting
- Campaign perks & Indiegogo fees
Total: $5500
The costs of strings and labor will be paid by the members of Koto-Kai. However, to bring the master craftsman to the U.S. from Japan — we need your support!
Because restringing our kotos is of vital importance to our ensemble, all funding received will go toward restringing our kotos as listed above. As a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, any additional funding will go to promote the 2015-2016 Oregon Koto-Kai performance season. Thank you for your generous support!
What You Get
By contributing to our campaign, you have the opportunity to show
your support for traditional Japanese culture and music, and to receive
various perks as listed on this page. There's everything from mugs and
t-shirts, to concert tickets, private performances, and more — so definitely check
it out.
And of course thank you so much, one and all, for contributing to our cause!
Other Ways You Can Help
Can't contribute? You can still help by sharing our campaign among your friends and on your social networks. And if the sound of koto speaks to you, please let others know about this wonderful ancient instrument.
Domo Arigatou!
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Mitsuki Dazai and Oregon Koto-Kai
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