[First] Led by Former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs and Living National Treasure Shrine maidens conduct Japan-U.S. cultural exchange at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York and other locations

Kana Igahata, a miko (shrine maiden) of the Association for the Transmission of Japanese Culture (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Seiichi Kondo), performed a miko dance at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York as part of the Japan-US Cultural Exchange held from June 3 to 5, 2024 in New York.

Group photo at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York

Outline of the event

Date: June 3-5, 2024

Location：Consulate General of Japan in New York (Ambassador's Residence), Asuka II, museums, galleries, etc.

Description: This event, organized by TAKUMI-Art du Japon (hereinafter referred to as "TAKUMI"), will be held as part of the "Why TAKUMI, Now?

　　　Under the theme of "Why TAKUMI, Now?", former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs, Living National Treasure, and miko (shrine maiden) will visit New York City.

　　　The event, organized by Takumi, will be held under the theme of "Why TAKUMI, Now?

　　　The symposium and performance of miko dance will convey the appeal of Japanese culture to the local people and explore the future of Japanese traditional crafts and traditional crafts in Japan.

　　　The purpose of this project is to explore the future of Japanese traditional crafts and traditional craftsmanship.

Project Details

Under the auspices of Seiichi Kondo (former Commissioner for Cultural Affairs), Takumi's Representative Director, Seiichi Kondo, Kazumi Murose (living national treasure maki-e), and Genjiro Okura (living national treasure kotsuzumi) visited New York to hold a symposium on the cruise ship Asuka II and to exchange opinions at museums and galleries. The Association for the Transmission of Japanese Culture also provided administrative support for the project, and as part of this support, miko (shrine maidens) from the Association performed a miko dance at the official residence of the Ambassador of Japan at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York.

In addition, as a means of spreading awareness of the project, we launched a crowdfunding campaign as a supporting organization of Takumi, which has raised support from 184 people to the tune of approximately 3.3 million yen.

https://camp-fire.jp/projects/view/749318

Performing miko dance at the Consulate-General of Japan in New York (Ambassador's Residence)

Kazumi Murose and Genjiro Okura speaking on Asuka II

■Future Prospects

As a supporting organization of TAKUMI, the Japan Cultural Traditions Association will continue to support projects implemented by TAKUMI, explore new possibilities to convey traditional Japanese culture overseas and adapt it to the modern world, and contribute to international cultural exchange.

＜What is TAKUMI-Art du Japon? > TAKUMI-Art du Japon

The skills and spirit of Japan's proud "Takumi" are not merely expressed in outstanding cultural assets and products. They are the source of the cutting-edge technology that underpins not only the bullet train but also modern industry, contributing greatly to Japan's competitiveness. Furthermore, the delicacy of the "Takumi" spirit, the spirit of valuing even the unseen, and the background of awe, respect, and love for nature are the axis of the Japanese way of life, which is still admired by the world today.

The wave of global competition, which places the highest priority on efficiency, is putting the survival of this spirit in jeopardy. The number of people who can succeed the master craftsmen, who can make the sophisticated tools that are essential to their skills, and who can produce high-quality raw materials is rapidly declining. It is no exaggeration to say that if we do not do something to stem this tide now, "Takumi" will become a thing of the past.

We are a group of like-minded individuals, initiated by Seiichi Kondo, former Commissioner of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and committed to taking various actions one by one to restore the "Takumi" spirit to the center of society. (Excerpt from Takumi website)

https://www.takumi-artdujapon.jp/

Kana Igohata

Kana Isohata, miko miko dance dedicatee

Born in Saitama, Japan in 1993. Deeply inspired by the nature and harmony-oriented spirituality of shrines, she began working as a miko (shrine maiden) and publicist at a shrine in Tokyo in 2018. Currently, she serves as a miko and public relations officer at Kurumayama Shrine and Dokusha Shrine, both located in Nagano Prefecture. She is a regular contributor to "WAGO," a magazine dedicated to shrines, where she writes a series of Yaoei Miko dialogues with celebrities. She is also a miko miko dance instructor and holds miko dance classes at shrines, as well as planning and organizing various events that bring people into contact with traditional Japanese culture.

With the mission of preserving Japanese traditions and culture and handing them down to the future, the association operates projects to promote the transmission of traditional culture, with shrines, which can be said to be the keystone of Japanese culture, as its main axis.

Our main activities are centered on two pillars.

The first is the Shrine Revitalization Project.

The first is the Shrine Revitalization Project.

It is said that there are currently about 80,000 shrines in Japan, but the number is decreasing due to a lack of manpower and management difficulties.

Therefore, we are helping to revitalize not only shrines but also local communities through the planning and operation of festivals and events at shrines.

One of the two shrines we support is Kurumayama Shrine, located at the top of 1925-meter-high Kurumayama Mountain in Chino City, Nagano Prefecture, and the "Single Vehicle Shrine," which is dedicated to the traffic safety of motorcyclists.

Educational Programs

The second pillar of our activities is to promote interest in Japanese culture.

As one of these activities, we are promoting two projects: "Half-day Miko (shrine maiden) Experience Course" and "Miko Dance Class".

For more details, please visit

https://www.mikoken.jp/experience/ja