Japan Society Presents KWAIDAN

As part of Japan Society's 2019-2020 Performing Arts Season, the Society proudly presents a dynamic performance of Japan's scariest ghost stories from Kwaidan, a collection of Japanese folktales by writer Lafcadio Hearn. In this one night only event, acclaimed actor Shiro Sano brings selections from Hearn's tales to life, accompanied by visuals as well powerful live music by distinguished guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto, sharing with audiences a glimpse of Hearn's open-minded view of Japan and the world. Commencing the live performance, folklorist Bon Koizumi, Hearn's great-grandson and Director of the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum in Matsue, Japan, will give a short lecture on the writer's relevance today. Kwaidan-Call of Salvation Heard from the Depths of Fear takes place Thursday, October 24 at 7:30pm at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street).

In his lifetime, Hearn took on the role of storyteller, popularizing and committing to print some of Japan's most beloved folktales that had been handed down for generations. His well-known print collection Kwaidan represents this tradition and a thrust of his work. This live performance by actor Shiro Sano, brings to the stage a range of haunting tales from Hearn's collection Kwaidan, as well as eerie stories from some of Hearn's lesser-known works. The featured pieces, selected and performed by Sano, include five stories that depict the awesome power of nature, the ghost of a beheaded criminal, an unlucky falconer and a noblewoman on her deathbed, culminating in a fearful lesson on karma and mortality. Each story embodies the inner world of Hearn, offering a glimpse of the subtlety of his sensitive mind, which has fascinated Japan for over a century.

Writer Lafcadio Hearn, also known by the Japanese name Yakumo Koizumi (b. 1850), was a Greek-Irish writer who immigrated alone to New York City from Ireland in 1869, making this year the milestone 150th anniversary of his arrival in the United States. He worked as a journalist and folklorist, first in Cincinnati and then New Orleans. He published writings and travelogues on his experiences with Creole culture in Louisiana and Martinique. It was with this open-minded world-view that Hearn became interested in Japan at the World Exposition in New Orleans in 1884. Also at that time, he read Kojiki, Japan's oldest extant chronicle that recounts myths connecting the Japanese gods to the first emperor, which further motivated him to travel to the country. In 1890, he visited Japan with a commission from the newspaper he worked for at the time. He remained in Japan as a teacher, first in Matsue, where he met and married Setsu Koizumi, the daughter of a local samurai family, eventually becoming a naturalized Japanese citizen. Though the couple eventually left Matsue, the city continues to memorialize Hearn through several sites, including the Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum. Hearn was deeply inspired by Japanese folktales rooted in Shintoism, and wrote extensively on the culture. Kwaidan, his most influential work, preserved traditional folk stories that remain the inspiration for Japanese horror films, children's shows, performing art productions, and more, that may have otherwise been lost to the modern world.

This is program is the second in Japan Society Performing Arts' fall 2019 thematic season titled Emperor Series. In celebration of Japanese Emperor Naruhito's ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the fall 2019 lineup is filled with programs around the theme of the emperor.

Shiro Sano is an actor from Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. In 1975, he participated in the establishment of the theatre company, Shakespeare Theatre. In 1980, he moved to the experimental theatre group Jokyo Gekijo, which was led by Juro Kara. After leaving the group, he made his film debut in a leading role in To Sleep So As To Dream (1986), directed by Kaizo Hayashi. In 1992, he played the role of Fuyuhiko, a character who is a "mother's boy," in the television drama Zutto Anata ga Suki datta (TBS). This role became a social phenomenon. In 1999, he made his debut as a director with the movie Karaoke. In 2006, he directed Tsuyu no Hito-shizuku, a work featuring a montage of Shoji Ueda's photographs (DVD, 2006, Toei Animation). He has also appeared in films overseas, including The Sun, directed by Alexander Sokurov, and My Way, directed by Kang Je-gyu. He is listed as a producer for Yuki Onna, a story by Hearn, which was directed by the Czech director Jiri Barta. Sano and Kyoji Yamamoto were classmates at Matsue Minami High School.

Kyoji Yamamoto is a musician from Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. He started playing guitar when he was 15, and entered the Yamaha/Nemu Music Academy. At that time, he was hailed as a genius guitarist, and while still a student, was selected as the lead guitarist and lead vocalist of BOW WOW. Soon after its debut, BOW WOW attracted much attention when it opened for Aerosmith and KISS as those bands toured Japan. Yamamoto has constantly led the Japanese rock scene with his dynamic and powerful sound and guitar technique. He later formed the band VOW WOW, which was based in London and was active in Europe and the USA for around four years. The band was highly rated overseas, and had a chart entry in the UK. It also had a large influence on famous British rock musicians like John Wetton of King Crimson and Neil Murray. In addition to activities with the band, Yamamoto has released a guitar instrumental album, held sessions with jazz fusion musicians, and sung and played acoustically. In recent years, he has been in charge of the music for the reading performance with Shiro Sano, and has produced other artists. With his wide-ranging musical experience, he plays an active role in the global music scene.

Japan Society's Performing Arts Program As announced, Japan Society's 2019-2020 Performing Arts Season features works by visionary artists in dance, music and theater. The current season launches with the traditional concert Reigakusha: Gagaku & Bugaku by the distinguished ensemble Reigakusha (September 21). Following this performance of Kwaidan-Call of Salvation Heard from the Depth of Fear, the season continues with Composing for the Sun: A Conversation with Philip Glass in conjunction with the Metropolitan Opera's presentation of a new production of Akhnaten (November 6); a modern noh play Taiten, accompanied by Kagyu, one of the most popular pieces from the traditional kyogen repertoire (November 14 - 16); a one-man dance theater piece The Unknown Dancer in the Neighborhood by Suguru Yamamoto (January 10 - 14); Fruits borne out of rust, a solo dance performance directed by visual artist Tabaimo and choreographed by Maki Morishita, including the artist's own drawings and set to live music (March 6 - 7); the annual Play Reading Series: Contemporary Japanese Plays in English Translation, this year delivering Cooking Up by Shoko Matsumura, directed by Co-Director of the OBIE Award-winning performance venue JACK in Brooklyn, Jordana De La Cruz (March 30); the contemporary theater presentation Control Officers and the world premiere of a new companion piece by Oriza Hirata and his company Seinendan (May 8 - 10); and a contemporary dance residency by Min Tanaka throughout the month of June, culminating in a world premiere on the Society's stage at the end of that month.

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