Calgary Omatsuri 2013 Interview with Martial Simard

The third annual Calgary Japanese Festival - the Calgary Omatsuri - took place on Saturday, August 17, 2013. I had the pleasure of interviewing my classmate from the Calgary Japanese Language School, Martial Simard. Martial Simard plays the shakuhachi, a Japanese bamboo flute. Here is a snippet of Martial-san's performance at the Calgary Omatsuri:

It is sometimes called a "Japanese Zen flute". Chinese immigrants introduced the shakuhachi to Japan in the eighth century. This is a photo of what shakuhachi music looks like:

This musical instrument gets its name from the following kanji: "shaku" (尺) which is an ancient measurement (equivalent to 30.3 cm) and "hachi" ((八) which means "eight". In this case, it refers to another measurement, "sun". "Shakuhachi" thus translates into English as "eight hachi" or eight tenths of a shaku. Come to think of it, my iaito is measured by shaku and sun as well.

Here is my interview with Martial-san. Prior to our chat, Martial-san informed me that the shakuhachi must be kept in the shade, so please don't mind the shadows of the dancing tree branches. Or the taiko drum in the background. It was impossible to find a quiet spot. At least my microphone picked up Martial-san's soft timbre:

If you would like to learn more about the shakuhachi, or if you'd like to learn how to play the shakuhachi, please visit the International Shakuhachi Society website.

Martial Simard was the first performer at the 2013 Calgary Japanese Festival. The Calgary Omatsuri took place at the Bridgeland Community Centre on Saturday, August 17, 2013.

Related materials:

Beginner's Guide to the Shakuhachi - website

Blowing Zen: Finding an Authentic Life, Revised updated edition - book on Amazon

Blowing Zen: Finding an Authentic Life - book on Alibris

Japanese Music Institute of America - website

Japan: Traditional Vocal & Instrumental Music - Shakuhachi, Biwa, Koto, Shamisen - CD

Shakuhachi Music on Amazon

Highlights from the 2013 Calgary Omatsuri

The 2013 Calgary Japanese Festival - the Calgary Omatsuri - has come and gone. It was a splendid event, with a wide range of programming, entertainment and demonstrations to give attendees of a taste of Japanese culture, history and traditions. We could not have asked for a better day. It was sunny (most of the time) and it was hot on August 17, 2013.

As I mentioned in my last post, Omatsuri Entertainment Director, Kathleen "Irulanne" Boucher asked me to document the Japanese Festival and to interview as many performers as I could. It made for a long day, but I had a blast! たのしかった です。

I did a bit of an experiment with the recording. My gear for the day comprised of my GoPro Hero2 camera, my keitai (used as a wi-fi remote/viewing screen) and my Zoom H2 portable recorder (used as an external microphone). The fish eye effect was rather neat with the GoPro. I even managed to film while dancing the Tanko Bushi, although I got motion sickness from just watching the clip when I started moving the camera as a shovel. Not to worry, I didn't include that part in my vlog.

The interviews were great. I managed to interview Martial Simard (shakuhachi), Dave Rathnow, Roku-Dan Iaido practitioner and instructor at Shin Ken Kai Nobara, Midnight Taiko Kai, Mizue Asai-Kaufmann and Kaori Akiyama (koto players), Anything Goes, the Kotobuki Senior Group, two musicians from the Jpop and Anime Talent Show and finally, the Minyo Dancers from Lethbridge, They will form the next few posts.

I was quite sad to hear that the the sword making demonstration was cancelled. In hindsight, it would have been very difficult for me to cover that session AND all the programming outside.

The children's games, such as this one pictured below, sold out quickly:

Inside, there were several booths, showcasing Japanese handcrafts, tea, snacks and the Calgary Japanese Community Association's history project: Okage Sama De ("I Am Because of You"). Some of the events that took place inside included an ikebana demonstration as well as a green tea presentation.

Making its debut at the Calgary Omatsuri was the Shogun Grill Food Truck, run by the family that owns Foster's Bakery. The takoyaki was so flavourful and tender:

Gomen! I forgot to take a food porn shot of my okonomiyaki and my mochi balls.

All right, without further ado, here's my first vlog of Calgary Omatsuri highlights on my new otaku/geek awesomeness channel on YouTube, ChibiSamuraiTV:

World Music Exploration 2010/11 Week 20 - Traditional Japanese Music

It's definitely cold and flu season. This last bout of colds means that it's time to beef up on those vitamins and regularly clean off the piano keys!Our musical exploration resumes with Japan, a country I hope to visit someday. Some traditional Japanese musical instruments include the taiko drums, the koto (stringed instrument), the shakuhachi (flute) and the shamisen.

This week's clip features the shamisen, which is a long necked banjo-like instrument with three strings. The two musicians display their virtuosity and showmanship in this clip, which reminds me of fight scenes from the PS2 game "Samurai Warriors".

Here's a clip from "Samurai Warriors" that includes the shamisen:

(c) 2011 by Musespeak(TM), Calgary, AB, Canada. All rights reserved.