BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//PYVOBJECT//NONSGML Version 1//EN BEGIN:VEVENT UID:events.uid.4589@www.discovernikkei.org DTSTART:20140405T000000Z DTEND:20140405T000000Z DESCRIPTION:<em>Premiere Promotional Screening&nbsp\;</em>\n\nFor over twen ty years\, executive producer Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto\, a teacher and perf ormer of the 13-stringed Japanese zither known as the&nbsp\;<em>koto</em>\ , has researched the history of Japanese traditional performing arts as pr acticed in the camps. She tracked down\, located\, and interviewed both te achers and students from most of the ten main prison camps. Her fascinatio n with the subject began after discovering that her mother\, who taught he r the&nbsp\;<em>koto</em>\, first learned the instrument as a child in the Topaz and Tule Lake camps. The mystery of how anyone could get the 6-foot long instrument into the camps when internees were only allowed to bring what they could carry sparked her quest to find out how Japanese Americans managed to carry on their art traditions under the watchtowers of the cam ps.&nbsp\;\n\nThe cultural traditions that had always tied Japanese Americ an immigrants to their faraway homeland\, now came to serve as a solace du ring their wartime incarceration. In the vibrating strings of the&nbsp\;<e m>koto</em>&nbsp\;and&nbsp\;<em>shamisen</em>\, the graceful moves of&nbsp \;<em>buyo</em>&nbsp\;and&nbsp\;<em>obon</em>&nbsp\;dance\, the emotional release of&nbsp\;<em>shigin</em>&nbsp\;singing\, or the stylized dramatics of&nbsp\;<em>kabuki</em>&nbsp\;and&nbsp\;<em>gidayu</em>\, an escape from the bleak predicament of the camps became possible\, if only for a moment through these arts.&nbsp\;\n\n"I believe in this project because it does two great things\," states filmmaker Joshua Fong. "One\, it allows history to speak for itself from those who lived it\, the last of whom are passin g on\; two\, it tells the camp story from a fresh cultural perspective rat her than the traditional political one. A culture's spirit lives in its ar t\, and the flourishing of music\, theater and dance in the camps is the b est testament to how Japanese Americans\, shouldered the ordeals of intern ment."\n\nFor more up-to-date information about this event\, please vist t he Japanese American National Museums' events page here: <a href="http://w ww.janm.org/events/2014/04/#05" target="_blank">http://www.janm.org/events /2014/04/#05</a>\n\n* * * * *\n\nAll programs are free for Museum members and free with&nbsp\;<a href="http://www.janm.org/visit/" target="_blank">a dmission</a>&nbsp\;for non-members\, unless otherwise noted.&nbsp\;<em></e m><em>Events are subject to change.</em>\n\nAdvanced reservations are reco mmended for most programs as seating/space may be limited. Some programs m ay have separate reservation contacts. Please check program description. < strong>When making a reservation\, email <a href="mailto:rsvp@janm.org">rs vp@janm.org</a> or call 213.625.0414 at least 48 hours prior to the event. </strong> Include the name\, date\, and time of the program\, as well as y our name and the total in your party.\n\n<em>* * * * *</em> DTSTAMP:20241013T204714Z SUMMARY:Hidden Legacy: Japanese Traditional Arts in the World War II Intern ment Camps URL:/en/events/2014/04/05/hidden-legacy-japanese-traditional-arts-in-the-wo / END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR