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Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquility)
The Japanese American Cultural & Community Center presents an original performance by multifaceted performing and visual artist Hirokazu Kosaka celebrating the "harvest moon"—the title refers to the crater, Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of Tranquillity) where visitors from Earth first set foot upon the moon. The dual presence of the God of the Sun (Amaterasu) and the God of the Moon (Susanoo) is represented in festivals throughout Japan at the time of the harvest. A stage in the traditional style of classical Japanese Noh theatre, with two kagaribi (bonfires) lit on either side, will welcome the gods. The performance is divided into three movements: the purification, the festival, and resonance. Performers include Karen Han (er hu, Chinese stringed instrument), Kinnara Gagaku (traditional court music), Ka Pa Hula o Wahineali'i, Kumu Hula Clarice Wahineali'i Nuhi (Hawaiian chanting), Los Angeles Buddhist Church Federation (Buddhist chanting), Los Angeles Kyudo Kai (Zen archery), Takeo Takahashi (tsugaru shamisen, Japanese stringed instrument), Majikina Honryu (Okinawan classical dance), Masakazu Yoshizawa (nohkan, Japanese stringed instrument) and Keiko Takeshita (soprano).