Chieko Kojima
Acting
Biography
Chieko Kojima first encountered Japanese folk dancing when she moved to Sado Island in 1976 to join Sado no Kuni Ondekoza. She went on to become one of Kodo’s founding members in 1981. In addition to her work with Kodo, she also has an active solo career that includes projects such as “Yukiai,” where she seeks out new encounters and collaborations with artists and taiko groups within Japan and throughout the world. Kojima is known for her original dancing style during Kodo’s taiko-based performances, which is best exemplified by her vivid portrayal of the goddess Ameno-uzume in the first season of “Amaterasu” in 2006. She became a Kodo Distinguished Member in 2012. In that same year, she traveled to Europe as a Japan Cultural Envoy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Kojima was the director of the annual concert series “Kodo Special Performances on Sado Island” for four years, starting from its inaugural season in 2012. She continues to ambitiously broaden her expressive outlets, as demonstrated by her productions based on the “Tales of Dojoji.” This story became the inspiration for her first photo book, ” Kasane no Kiyohime Monogatari: The Myriad Layers of Kiyohime,” a unique work created with photographer Maiko Miyagawa and released in 2015. In recent years, Kojima has been traveling the world to perform, collaborate, and lead workshops, sharing her extensive experience in dances that are deeply rooted in Japanese culture and powerful, feminine taiko drumming. She actively teaches her signature piece, Hana Hachijo, to taiko enthusiasts around the world, which combines dance and taiko into one graceful, powerful, uniquely feminine performance. In 2019, Kojima’s performance career 40th anniversary was commemorated with “Kodo Sen no Mai,” a spectacular concert where she took to the stage with the Kodo ensemble and special guest Shunsuke Kimura. This work was captured on DVD. In 2021, Kojima directed Kodo 40th Anniversary Special Event “Toki no Yui Ne.”
Known For
Live action documentary footage of a concert by the Kodo drummers of Japan at the Acropolis, Greece, in 1995, with commentary by members of the drum group concerning the concert and the drum troupe
Kodō: Live at the Acropolis
Kodo's first original video performance, recorded at Ryotsu Shimin Kaikan on Sado Island, Japan. Tracklist 1. Zoku 2. Lion 3. Yamauta / O-Daiko 4. Irodori
Kodō
KODO has been exploring the limitless possiblities of the traditional Japanese drum, "Taiko" for over 30 years. In their pursuit of striving to take their theatrical art further, KODO has actively been seeking new collaborations with other musicians and mentors. One result of this can be seen in "One Earth Tour Special", a performance that has Tamasaburo Bando, one of Kabuki's most renowned performers, serving as artistic director. Under Tamasaburo's keen direction, KODO's aim is to reincarnate their performance, not just a mere improvement in quality, but to reinvent their performance with power and grace. It will show KODO's journey back to the basics of drumming to capture the beauty of simple movement. With sold our tours and over 500,000 units sold in the US, KODO will continue to captivate American audiences with the "One Earth Tour Special" release.
Kodō - One Earth Tour Special
In the midst of a frozen Minnesota winter, a Japanese drum master and Korean adoptee from North Dakota join forces to assemble the world's best Taiko drummers in a bold effort to claim a cultural spotlight that has historically been reserved only for men. Their rhythm revolution includes rock stars from the world of Taiko: Tiffany Tamaribuchi, Kaoly Asano, Chieko Kojima, Megan Chao-Smith, and Jennifer Weir. Through grueling rehearsals, Jennifer weaves together their disparate voices and styles. Vulnerability, pain, and joys are shared-and we quickly see the bonds of friendship form as these talented women navigate their way through differences in culture, age, language, and performing styles. As the clock ticks toward their first performance, it becomes clear that their story has become much larger than Taiko.
Finding Her Beat
This live Video is a recording of the powerful stage finale of "Kodo 30th Anniversary One Earth Tour 2011," held at Tokyo's Aoyama Theatre in December 2011 after an extensive nationwide tour throughout Japan.