Yamatogaku USA performs at the Bridge USA Summer Festival (Photo courtesy of Yamatogaku USA)
"Summer! Festival! Bridge!" The Largest Japanese Festival in South Bay, "Bridge U.S.A. Summer Festival," Held with Great Success
On Sunday, June 8, 2025, the "Bridge U.S.A. Summer Festival," the largest Japanese celebration in South Bay, was held with great enthusiasm at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, welcoming many participants.
The event kicked off with energetic performances by Yamatogaku U.S.A. on the outdoor stage. The performance began with popular pieces such as "Edo Matsuri (Edo Festival)" and "Musume Mikoshi (Girls Carrying Portable Shrine)" filling the venue with the lively energy of eager early-morning spectators.
Promoting Traditional Japanese Arts with Fuji Japanese Music
The festival was energized by "Fuji Japanese Music," led by Mariko Watabe. This group preserves and promotes traditional Japanese performing arts, including Nagauta, Shamisen, singing, hayashi (traditional percussion), and dance. Since 1974, Mariko Watabe has been actively teaching and performing across the United States.
She began by teaching only dance in Chicago, then expanded to teaching all four genres starting in New York, and later moved to California to further spread the heritage of Kabuki music. Today, she continues to teach and perform in New York and Texas as well. Mariko Watabe is known by four stage names—Kineya Kichitoji, Yamato Kyōsho, Katata Kimisen, and Bando Marifuji—and is active across multiple domains of traditional arts.
Advancing the Tradition and Innovation of Yamatogaku U.S.A.
On November 2nd this year, a special concert to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Yamatogaku U.S.A. will be held at the Norris Theater in Palos Verdes. The concert will feature five renowned musicians from Japan and approximately 50 local performers, performing over 22 varied pieces of Yamatogaku across nearly five hours.
Since last year, the group has been performing jointly at events such as the Orange County Japan Fair and Torrance Cultural Festival, collaborating with other Yamatogaku instructors—including Yamato Matsutoyo and Yamato Soyo.
Yamatogaku, founded in 1933 by Baron Kishichiro Okura, famous for establishing Tokyo's Hotel Okura (Japan's first Western-style hotel incorporating Japanese elements and now one of Japan's most representative hotels), is a groundbreaking musical genre rooted in Kabuki shamisen music, blending traditional Japanese elements with Western musical techniques such as humming, harmony, and round singing.
Contact
Yamato Kyō
Email: fujijapanesemusic@gmail.com
Official Website: fujijapanesemusic.org
