e-ShortNews

During the months of January and February, we, of the Meguro UNESCO Association, collected as usual miswritten postcards from primary schools, middle schools, community activity centers, and administration offices in Meguro city. The postcards thus collected from each UNESCO Association go to the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, which exchanges them into cash to donate to the World Terakoya Movement Fund for the developing countries. A miswritten postcard is worth 45 Yen. When exchanged into foreign currencies, 45 Yen could buy a lot more school supplies than one may think. In Japan a high-quality pencil may cost 100 Yen, but in some countries the same amount of money can buy almost a dozen pencils. There are countries where it is not easy for children to get even a piece of pencil or a sheet of paper. A collected miswritten card may be a small thing, but as a symbol of goodwill it is big. The UNESCO activities are meant for promoting education, science, culture and peace. These beautiful aims, however, are meant for nothing, if we pay no attention to people who actually need help at this moment. The “Disaster Relief Concert for Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami” will be held on April 25, under the joint sponsorship of the Meguro International Friendship Association and the Meguro UNESCO Association. The Meguro Foundation of Art and Culture also will cooperate with us. The concert is nicknamed “The Passionate Sounds of Saxophone and Piano,” and various business and non-business organizations, groups, and individuals will be helping the concert. It is my sincere hope that goodwill will spread among all residents of the Meguro city and that the concert will turn out to be a success.

Yukio Okusawa, Vice-President of the Meguro UNESCO Association

50th Anniversary of Meguro UNESCO Association
17th Meguro City International Exchange Forum -Introduction to Japanese Culture

Feb. 12, 2005 (Sat.) Doors opened at 12:30 / Show started at 13:30
The 14th Kita Roppeita Kinen Nohgakudo
Sponsored by Meguro Education Board / Presented by Meguro UNESCO Association
In cooperation with 14th Roppeita Memorial Foundation, Kita School Shokubun Noh Actors Association

+ + + + + Program + + + + +
Introduction to Noh costume (female figure in Noh world)
by Kiichiro KANEKO (Interpreter: Mark OSHIMA)
Dressers: Ryoichi KANOH, Shinya INOUE Model: Tamon SASAKI
Noh Dance: “Funabenkei” Performed by Akio SHIOTSU
JIUTAI (Chorus): Mitsuo AWAYA, Hiroyuki AWAYA, Shigenobu UCHIDA, Teruhisa OHSHIMA

Noh: “Kiyotsune” by Zeami (1363 - 1443)
CAST: SHITE (Main character): Takehito TOMOEDA
SHITE (Main character) Tsure: Keisuke SHIOTSU
WAKI (Supporting character): Hiroshi OBINATA
FUE (Noh flute): Satoshi TSUKITAKU
KOTSUZUMI (Shoulder drum): Yuji MORISAWA
OHTSUZUMI (Side drum): Hirokazu KAKIHARA
KOUKEN (Assistants): Akio SHIOTSU, Mitsuo AWAYA
JIUTAI (Chorus): Hiroyasu SATO, Hiroyuki AWAYA,
Teruhisa OHSHIMA,Keiichiro KANEKO,
Tamon SASAKI, Ryoichi KANOH,
Shinya INOUE, Shigenobu UCHIDA

Three years have passed since Meguro City International Exchange Forum-Introduction to Japanese Culture-was held at the 14th Kita Roppeita Kinen Nohgakudo. With the co-operation of Mr. Akio Shiotsu, Bearer of Important Intangible Cultural Property, the Kita School Shokubun Noh Actors Association and many other people, the show was a great success. Even though “Kiyotsune” has a relatively quiet tone and is a long story, plus there were many foreigners in the audience who had never watched Noh before, the spirited performance captured everyone’s attention. In particular “Funabenkei”, performed by Mr. Akio Shiotsu, was absolutely superb. The following are some examples of the many comments from the audience.
[From Japanese spectators]
・This opportunity made me proud to be
Japanese. I cannot find any other word
but “excellent!” I am really looking
forward to seeing it again.
・This was the first time for me to watch
Noh. I was very impressed by the moves
of SHITE and the gorgeous harmony of
JIUTAI. Interpretation, including an ex-
planation of the difference between Kanze
School and Kita School, was also wonderful.
・Some foreigners in the audience raised questions that the Japanese spectators had not thought of. I found that this was surely the merit of an international exchange forum.
・I have watched Noh several times, but today I enjoyed listening to the explanation of Noh costume. It was the first time we could benefit from a question and answer session after watching Noh.

I think that this project, which opened for a foreign audience as well, was wonderful. I was very impressed by the interpretation, which was very clear and perfect. I wonder if front seats could be reserved for foreigners.
・Most fortunately I had an opportunity to ask what I had wanted to know for a long time. In particular, I did not know
that OMO-KOUKEN (Chief assistant) was a stage-director and a key person on the stage. Foreigners in the audience also appeared to be surprised to know the important role of someone who had only been sitting motionless on the stage.
I myself did not know until now, that OMO-KOUKEN was an understudy for SHITE.
[From non-Japanese spectators]
・Very nice. We would like to see more traditional Japanese theater, including Kabuki, Bunraku and so on.
・I enjoyed very much the Noh Performance organised by Meguro UNESCO Association. The subject of Noh perfor-
mance is universally relevant since it touches the issues of life and death of life.
・I thought that the commentaries & demonstration of the costumes before the performance were very helpful. I especially liked the 2nd performance with the full costume & masks. The drum beating and wailing sound of the two musicians were effective in creating a scary mood. …All in all, it was a good introduction to Noh. I can now tell how different Kabuki and Noh are.

The first General Assembly after Meguro UNESCO started afresh as an NPO will be held at Moriya Education Hall on May 14th, Sat. (14:00-). The term of the current directors expire on that day. The previous board meeting decided to set up a nomination committee and to recruit candidates. You can become a candidate yourself or recommend somebody else.

Please mail an enclosed paper with a candidate‘s name on it to the nomination committee, Meguro UNESCO Association.
Address: 2-24-3 Gohongi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo Zip code: 153-0053
Deadline: Application must be postmarked not later than April 25th

“Road to the Future”, a book of poems written by children from many parts of the world, was published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Meguro UNESCO Association. The book, which contains 139 poems selected from 1,020 pieces contributed by children from 22 countries, is filled with their dreams, hopes, love and prayers for peace. It was well received and was reviewed in the newsletter ‘UNESCO’ (January 2005 issue) of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan as well as in one of the national papers ‘the Daily Yomiuri’. We have been told that the poems are read aloud to children at an elementary school. They are also used for ‘reading psychotherapy’ at a mental health clinic. If you would like to get a copy, please contact the below. (Cost: ?1,260 & postage)
Aiikusha [Tel] 03-3291-8600 [Fax] 03-3291-8607 [E-mail] http://www.aiikusha.co.jp

2,909 postcards have been collected as of March 5th through the campaign run in cooperation with elementary, junior high schools, Meguro City Office, its employees and other organizations in Meguro City. On February 25th, a ceremony was held to donate postcards that were collected through the combined efforts of Meguro City Office, its employees, and other people. We would like to express appreciation for their usual cooperation.
The number of postcards collected is getting smaller and smaller year after year with the sharp increase in the number of organizations that have recently started the same campaign and the drop in the sales of new year greeting cards and so on. We look forward to your advice and cooperation to improve the situation.

(#) The editorial meeting for this issue was called off due to a heavy snow. To be honest, I was relieved to hear the news from the chief editor, when he called me in the morning to let me know. There were only a few events in February that needed any editorial discussion. And so I happily allowed myself to relax, hoping that all would be done before I knew it. But of course, things didn’t turn out to be so easy: I was asked to write the editor’s notes.

(#) The UNESCO Noh Theater was a great success, I hear. The performance bright- ened up the eventless month with excite- ment, more than enough to let the whole audience forget about the cold winter outside. I’d like to express my respect and gratitude to all people concerned.

(#) There is a Japanese saying that “February flees away and March marches off (Nigatsu wa nigeru, sangatsu wa saru).” True. Meteorologically speak- ing, we are already more than a week in spring, but as for me, the lingering snow and the cold air keep me from going out. I imagine that spring is even farther away in the northern part of the country, where they are still buried deep in the snow. Spring, spring, please come soon!! May spring come soon to the northern regions, too, and a peaceful spring to all other regions of the world.

(Y. Shimizu)