Black Gospel Music in Japan ...and the questions that come with it

Greetings from a guest blogger. 

I (Jeff Timmer) am here for six weeks this summer working as an intern with Paul Nethercott and fulfilling requirements for my grad degree in ethnomusicology. I’m also here to do some research on gospel choirs in Japan. I became interested in this topic two summers ago while on a short-term trip working with a church in Osaka. After two years of grad classes as framework and preparation, I’m back to spend some more time looking in to the topic. Paul has asked me to share a few thoughts via blog posts while I’m here.

I’ve been here only a week, so I’m still a little cautious when it comes to writing any new and interesting discoveries, happenings or insights. Instead I think it’s best to begin by sharing some of the questions I’m addressing as a researcher, visitor and ethnomusicology student. (For those who don’t know, I should probably mention that “ethnomusicology” is essentially the study of music in/as culture; the anthropology of music; the study of the music of the world; etc.)

To the questions:

•  Now that black gospel music has been popular in Japan for around 15 years, has the genre established itself as a fully Japanese activity and not something that has been imported? How is this defined or characterized? What is uniquely and distinctively Japanese about the way black gospel music plays itself out here?
• What is drawing the Japanese to participate in these choirs?
• What are the goals, methods and vision of gospel choir leaders and directors?
• How are choirs established and how are they supported?
• As Jonathan Herring notes in another post on this blog, most of the participants are not Christians. For the number of choir members who have become Christians through participation in the choirs, what are the elements, methods or people God is using in this conversion?
• What lessons can be drawn from these gospel choirs that can help the local Japanese churches and their ministry to the community?
• Some work is being done to experiment with fusing black gospel music with wadaiko as well as hip-hop dance. What effects will this have on the genre, if any? How will the relationships between leadership and participants develop and spread?
• What’s next for black gospel music in Japan?

The purpose in sharing these is partly to preface any later posts on the subject, but also to help challenge your own thinking and take a moment to put on the hat of an ethnomusicologist/artist by taking a step back and asking similar questions. Sometimes when you take things that have become normal or routine and look at them with some outside eyes, new insights or epiphanies can emerge that will ultimately help refine your work or goals.

I’m looking forward to digging a little deeper with these questions and others over the next few weeks. More thoughts later!

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Note from Paul Nethecott: 

It is really good to have a quality person like Jeff here for a few weeks working with me on an important project. His research is tied in with a film project we are producing under Studio Re:

The first part of this production is a mini-documentary that will explore the popularity of both Black Gospel and a genre indigenous to Japan called Wadaiko (Japanese style percussion troupe). 

The second part is a Wadaiko/Black Gospel Music Video (WBG Music Video) that we will shoot on June 20, 2009 at a large hall in Tokyo.  This will feature a large Japanese Black Gospel choir under the direction of Ken Taylor and 12 Wadaiko percussionists from a group called Matsuriza. As far as we know, this will be the first performance of Black Gospel and Wadaiko fusion.  It could be the start of a new style of music.  And, it could attract a lot of attention. 

Why is Studio Re: producing a Music Video?  This will be a visual demonstration of the fact that the Gospel is for Japan.  It will show that the gospel does indeed "connect" with Japanese and with their culture.  In a nation where virtually everyone views Christianity as a foreign religion, this is a radical idea.  But, we aren't going to just talk about the fact that the gospel relates to Japanese culture, we are going to create a visual demonstration.  Will it work? 

The first time our Japanese bookkeeper saw the WBG teaser inserted below, she cried.  

She couldn't even say exactly why she cried but it touched her on the emotional level.  I took it as a very good sign.   She did say something like "I had never thought about how Japanese culture could be part of my faith." 

Related Posts: 

Japanese Black Gospel Choir & Taiko Troupe in a Music Video?

Missions & Filmmaking Converge in Tokyo

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan

"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:

View Mujo No Kaze Online Here

(Potential) Spiritual Bridges in Anime - Eden of the East

Wow, long-time-no-post. Sorry for those of you who have given me so much encouragement over the Spiritual Bridges series. I don't actually plan when to write about an anime, manga, or video game; I just write about something when I discover it. And it's been a long time since I've discovered an anime with spiritual bridges--last Fall's season wasn't very good in that regard. This Spring, however, is different.

For those that read this series, I want to draw your attention to an anime that's currently airing on Fuji Television called Higashi no Eden (東のエデン), or Eden of the East. It is 11 episodes long (episode 8 just aired this week), to be followed by a theatrical movie later this year. I don't know, as of now, whether the movie will be a concise re-telling or the conclusion to the series. Time will tell.

The first thing to draw attention to is the staff behind this anime. It was animated by Production I.G., famous for their work on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex series and the Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit series, and many key staff members from those previous projects are involved in this one too. Anyone who has seen either of the previous series will tell you that that's a good thing.

The second thing to draw attention to is the premise of the story. At first, it seems like an animated version of the Bourne trilogy of movies, but it quickly throws in some other elements that differentiate it. For example, unlike Jason Bourne, Takizawa Akira (the lead male, also with amnesia) wasn't an assasin; he was a messiah (small "m"). He discovers that he is one of 12 messiahs in the country of Japan. Each person has been hand-picked and given a simple mission: change/save Japan by any means necessary. In order to do this, they've been given a phone charged with 10,000,000,000 Yen and access to a mysterious woman known as "Juiz" (Portuguese for "judge"), who, for the right price, can even influence the Japanese prime minister.

I'll leave the rest of the story for you to discover should you decide to check this series out, but I wanted to bring it to your attention. Why? Because it's one of the most respected animation companies, comprised of staff members that have their own following, that is brainstorming ideas of possible ways to save the Japanese culture. I doubt they'll come up with any viable solutions, but it illustrates many things that people are thinking about right now. Already, we've seen one messiah who uses his money to create a haven for abandoned elderly people in need of medical treatment and another who thinks that if he can support enough people in becoming NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), he can force business tycoons to start changing their practices. It's interesting, and it's food for thought. So, if you like this kind of story, check it out. I'm sure it'll be a good way to start conversations, if nothing else.

Follow-up: As the series goes on, we are introduced to many NEETs and even a Hikikomori. Both groups are portrayed in an extremely positive light that highlights not what they are, but what they could become if they were just allowed to use their gifts. After watching the finale, I will unhesitatingly pronounce it the best anime of this season, and recommend it to anyone. We'll see about a Spiritual Bridges post, but as the end of the season is not the end of the story, I'm not sure I can write that post yet.

Bach Leads Japanese to Faith in Jesus Christ

The Asia Pacific Times has a wonderful report on the popularity of Bach in Japan.

Ms. Shikata, a Japanese woman we know well travels to Germany frequently, sings with a semi-professional choir that only sings Bach pieces, and, well, is just nuts about the guy.

Click on the following title to read the article: Where Bach was jailed, Asians Pay Homage

Wadaiko/Black Gospel Fusion in Tokyo

Hey Everyone, I (Jonathan Herring) have been working with Paul and 'Studio Re:' for a little over two months. I have had a great time! I am excited to tell you about a project we have been working on that involves God, drums, and a Japanese choir.

Studio Re: has been advancing a project that will be filmed on June 20 in Tokyo. We will shoot an entire concert of Black Gospel Choir music but our main purpose is to create a music video of one specific song during the concert. That song will be a fusion of two distinct Japanese styles of music. One is Wadaiko (also known as Taiko), which is an intense, elaborate, Japanese drumming performance. It has deep roots in ancient Japanese culture, going further back than even Buddhism's arrival in Japan. Wadaiko is full of energy and incredibly engaging to watch. The bride to this groom may surprise you; Black Gospel Choir. But this couple isn't too diametric as Gospel Choir music has some of the same rhythmic and energetic qualities as Wadaiko. Gospel Choir is also quite popular in Japan. Since the movie 'Sister Act' The Japanese people have grown a love and fascination for Gospel music and it has become a mainstream art.

As far as we know, a fusion of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has never been done in Japan (or any where else for that matter). But having seen a good bit of both, I think the fruit they produce will be extraordinary. By filming this concert, and by making a short documentary to go along with it, we hope to achieve a number of important things:

1. The developing of relationships with the members of the Wadaiko group, none of whom are believers. We want to show them God's love and through this film promote and bless their group. The same goes for those in the gospel choir; there will be about 600 choir members involved in the entire concert, perhaps 100 of them are Christians. Yes that's right, 500 people will be singing praise to God, 500 people who don't yet know God, but nevertheless find themselves glorifying Him.

2. As Christians we can make a huge impact on the culture by being at the forefront of art and music. Since a collaboration of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has not been done before, we believe with its success, many windows will be opened to permeate the Japanese culture with art that overflows with the heart of Christ.

3. The leaders and directors of the concert and film are believers. Though the participants might not know it, they will be glorifying God and through film we will be able to show that to the world.

We see a lot of potential in this project, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of making it happen. Here is teaser of what a Wadaiko and Gospel Choir fusion might look like, so please take a look and tell us what you think.