Contents

The 27^th Chikumeisha France Shakuhachi Workshop

March 27, 28, and 29, 2026

Shinan: Gunnar Jinmei Linder

with

Christophe Kamei Gaston (shakuhachi)
Akari Sagara (koto, vocals)
Guillaume Fiat (shamisen, vocals)

Organized by Chikumeisha France Lesson Center        フランス竹盟社教場

Venue

MJC L'Oreille Cassée, 1 place du Père André Jarlan, 77380 Combs-la-Ville

Nearby hotels

Kyriad Combs la Ville Sénart, 4 Rue René Dumont, 77380 Combs-la-Ville (2.6 km from the venue)

Closest train station

RER D Combs-la-ville Quincy
Avenue de la Gare 77380 Combs-la-ville, 1.8km from the venue
Note: some of the locals will have cars. It will be possible to get help if walking from one point to the other is an issue.

Concert venue (Saturday evening):

Église Saint-Sulpice, Place Aristide Briand, 91480 Varennes-Jarcy

Fees and registration

For legal reasons, in order to take part in Chikumeisha France workshops, you must be a member of the association.

The standard fee is 30€. It helps support the association in its various activities and gives you access to preferential conditions related to association events and activities.

If this fee is too high, an alternative fee of 5€ is available, which allows you to register for the workshop only. Both options grant you a full membership, but with the 30€ option, in addition to supporting the association, you gain access to premium contents (currently still under development) that includes video lessons, recordings and sheet music.

To access the rooms at MJC L’Oreille Cassée, you also need to become a member of their association. This will cost 13 euros, which you will have to pay upon arrival to them. This amount has been deducted from the usual full registration fees to reduce the financial impact on participants.

The workshop fees listed below must be paid to Chikumeisha France. To register, please send an email to registration@chikumeisha.net, indicating the category (level) you choose as listed below (full, beginner, audit). If you are not up to date with your membership fee, please indicate the option you have chosen (standard fee or alternative fee).

All participants are free to audit all parts of the workshop and listen to the concerts. The level indication is an indication of teaching level. Intermediate-advanced means that the instruction will be based on the assumption that the participants are acquainted with basic and most of the more advanced techniques.

For beginner level, the assumption is that the participants can make a stable sound in at least the two basic registers, and are acquainted with basic techniques.

For updated information, please refer to www.chikumeisha.net.

If you have questions, please send an e-mail to contact@chikumeisha.net.

Pieces taught at this workshop Pieces

Honkyoku (kinko-ryū fundamental pieces)

• Intermediate/advanced: Sugagaki (2 hours)

Sugagaki is one of the so-called outer honkyoku in the Kinko repertoire and it has a strong melodic character, with the term sugagaki referring to a repetitive rhythmic pattern.

Gaikyoku (repertoire of sankyoku ensemble pieces, with strings and vocals)

• Intermediate/advanced: Kajimakura (4 hours)
• Beginners: Ōuchiyama (4 hours)
• Beginners: Kajimakura (2 hours)

Kajimakura is a piece composed for shamisen by Kikuoka Kengyō (1792–1847) with the koto part added by Yaezaki Kengyō (1776–1848).

Ōuchiyama was composed in 1892 by Takano Shigeru (1847–1929) to commemorate the silver wedding of Emperor Meiji.

Gendaikyoku (repertoire of contemporary pieces)

• Beginners: Suigenfu (parts 1 and 3) (2 hours)
• Intermediate/advanced: Suigenfu (5 hours)
• Intermediate/advanced: Kaze no Uta (4 hours)

Suigenfu was composed in 1989, by Yoshimatsu Takashi (b. 1953) for koto and shakuhachi. Yoshimatsu is a composer of mainly orchestral music.

Kaze no Uta was composed in 1970, by Sawai Tadao (1937–1997) for koto and shakuhachi. Sawai is one of the most important composers of contemporary music for Japanese instruments. He was working with his wife Kazue and his son Hikaru, who are both still active.

Program

Friday, March 27

Saturday, March 28

Sunday, March 29