Echoes: Ainu Sounds – Indigenous Music from Japan

By Nobuhiko ‘Sanpe’ Chiba

March 10, 2017

Touching on the culture and values of Japan’s indigenous Ainu people, this event offers a privileged glimpse into Ainu musical traditions. Performer and researcher Nobuhiko Chiba (Ainu name: Sanpe) will illuminate Ainu culture’s intriguing approach to music and song, followed by live demonstrations of Ainu instruments: the tonkori and mukkuri.

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENTS

The tonkori is a traditional five-stringed harp unique to northern Japan’s indigenous Ainu culture. The repetition of simple melodies on the harp is said to evoke a variety of different landscapes. In addition to the tonkori, Ainu music often features a small instrument called a mukkuri, which is a type of mouth harp (similar to a Jew’s harp) made from bamboo. Unlike the didgeridoo, where noises and vocalisations are produced by the player and resonated through the instrument, the mukkuri works by creating sound which is then resonated in the player’s mouth.

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