In this article, we are going to explore the topic of Gorō Yamaguchi in depth. From its historical roots to its relevance today, this topic is of utmost importance and deserves to be analyzed in detail. Throughout the next few lines, we will examine the different aspects that make up Gorō Yamaguchi, as well as its impact on various areas of society. Through research and critical analysis, we hope to shed light on this topic and provide our readers with a deeper and more complete understanding of Gorō Yamaguchi.
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Gorō Yamaguchi | |
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Background information | |
Born | Tokyo, Japan | February 26, 1933
Origin | Japan |
Died | January 3, 1999 | (aged 65)
Genres | Japanese classical |
Occupation(s) | Instrumentalist |
Instrument(s) | Shakuhachi |
Years active | 1960s-1990s |
Labels | Japan Victor, Nonesuch |
Gorō Yamaguchi (山口 五郎; February 26, 1933 – January 3, 1999) was a Japanese shakuhachi player who worked in both solo and ensemble performances. He was noted for his influential recordings of Traditional Japanese music and one of his pieces was selected by NASA to be included on the Voyager Golden Record and launched into space.
Yamaguchi headed the Chikumeisha shakuhachi guild and became a world-famous Japanese performer and teacher. In 1967–1968 he was appointed Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, United States, along with Yamada-school koto performers Namino Torii and Yamaguchi Hozomi, his wife.
While at Wesleyan, Yamaguchi recorded his LP, A Bell Ringing In The Empty Sky, which was released Nonesuch on its Explorer Series.[better source needed]
This was an influential first recording of shakuhachi in the United States, and in 1977 NASA selected a honkyoku from the LP, "Tsuru No Sugomori" ("Depicting the Cranes in their Nest"), to be included on the Voyager Golden Record, a gold-plated copper record that was sent into space on the Voyager space craft. The record contained sounds and images which had been chosen as examples of the diversity of life and culture on Earth.
In 1992, the Japanese government designated Yamaguchi a Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuhô).