Shamisen master Hidetaro Honjoh offers a traditional-style concert featuring works from the hauta repertoire, the quintessential “pop music” of its day. Let this virtuoso of Edo-period love songs gently serenade and transport you to the streets of pre-modern Tokyo. The program also includes tunes from the working class of various rural areas that radiate a tender, à la mode vibe. Awarded Japan’s highest honor for artists, the Medal with Purple Ribbon, Hidetaro restores gems from this fading genre of music from the end of the samurai era. Joined by Hidejiro Honjoh on shamisen and kokyu, and Yumi Kurosawa on koto.

A pre-performance lecture begins one hour prior to the start of the performance. Lecture led by Dr. K. Natasha Foreman, lecturer in music history and ethnomusicology at Wayne State University.

Visit www.japansociety.org for more info!