Message from Tsuruga Wakasanojo

(from the printed program, March 12, 2022, student recital)

The March 3 Doll Festival is behind us, and spring has finally arrived. Haven’t the coronavirus pandemic and the turmoil in the world been stressful!
Given the current difficult circumstances, I would like to thank all of you for coming to this event.
Every year, the Tsuruga Shinnai School holds two student recitals, a Yukata Kai in late summer, and an Ohiki’zome Concert near the beginning of the year. These performances are important opportunities for shinnai students to present the results of their daily practice to a live audience.
Many of the students who will perform today have been studying shinnai for a long time. Their continuing participation is valuable for the shinnai genre, especially because of the current overall decline of Japanese traditional music.
This year, for the first time in ten years, I am planning to hold a Natori Ceremony at which some students will receive shinnai stage names. I hope that these students will continue to be active promoters of the shinnai-bushi style of Edo joruri.