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Dateline: 9/6/2007

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY NEWS RELEASE
Dale Goodwin, Director
Peter Tormey, Associate Director

Traditional Japanese Performance Artists Sept. 12

Kazuhito Miki will perform at Gonzaga on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Kazuhito Miki performs this traditional Japanese art.
Gonzaga University will host a performance of the 400-year-old Japanese performing art called Higo Chonkake Goma, to be staged by Kazuhito Miki with musical accompaniment by wife Harumi Miki at 1 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 12 in the Cataldo Hall, Globe Room. The event, sponsored by Gonzaga’s Japanese studies program, is free and open to the public.

The performance is made possible through collaboration with the Japanese Cultural Center at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute. The Japanese husband-and-wife performing team also will perform once on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at Mukogawa.

The Higo Chonkake Goma as performed by Kazuhito Miki.
Kazuhito Miki performs the Higo Chonkake Goma.
The Higo Chonkake Goma is designated an intangible folk cultural asset by Kumamoto City. It is a top (koma) performance begun in the Higo region (present day Kumamoto) of Japan. The art is believed to have originated in Indonesia. The 30-minute performance incorporates a colorful top approximately 12 centimeters in diameter. A single cord spins the top; the top’s weight and the friction of the cord accelerate its rotational speed, while a variety of complex mid-air tricks are performed. The performance includes some 20 tricks, such as making the top climb the length of the cord. Harumi Miki will play the shamisen, a traditional Japanese musical instrument, accompanying the performance.

Kazuhito Miki learned the art of Higo Chonkake Goma from a famed performer while working in Kumamoto City. After being reassigned to Itami City, he experienced the damage and suffering from the Great Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in 1995. After the earthquake, Miki visited nursery and elementary schools and performed for children impacted by the earthquake to console them. To date, he has visited approximately 200 schools for that purpose. Since retiring in 2001, Miki has continued to give his top performance as a volunteer.

For more information, contact Seiko Katsushima, director of Gonzaga’s Japanese studies program, via e-mail or at (509) 323-3951.