Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Sanshin and vocals: Kossan


Kossan Playing


Kossan Playing


Interview with Kossan

Artist: Kossan
Medium: Sanshin and vocals
Location: Union Square on the mezzanine above the Q

His name is Kossan, he’s from Tokyo Japan, he’s a Zen Buddhist monk and he has come to the U.S. primarily to teach Buddhism to Americans. He doesn’t have a school, temple or monastery yet but he does have a small meditation group which meets once a week in New Jersey and he gives private lessons in his apartment in Manhattan.

Kossan’s story starts in a monastery, where his father is also a Zen monk. Although not initially interested in Zen, after studying for a few years Kossan developed a taste for the philosophy. During his eighth year of study, Kossan took a trip. Exhausted from schooling and fleeing the cold February weather of the northern islands, Kossan went to Okinawa. A fan of Okinawan music since he was young, Kossan bought a traditional Okinawan instrument and taught himself to play. Not long after, on the advice of his Zen teacher, Kossan came to New York to teach Buddhism.

Kossan plays the sanshin, an instrument which, long ago, made at least one joke on Frasier entirely over my head. Using the Sanshin, Kossan plays folk and traditional music from the Southern Japanese island of Okinawa. While famous in America as Mr. Miyagi’s home in the Karate Kid and one of the birth places of Japanese martial arts, Kossan describes the modern Okinawa as Japan’s Caribbean island – “nice weather, nice, uh, you know” *makes drinking motion* “kinds of drinks and laid back people. The food is good, the girls are pretty.”

Kossan sort of fell into subway performing. As a monk, he says he makes enough money to survive but it’s still difficult to get by in a place like New York. One day, though, he was practicing in Central Park on his Sanshin when “somebody put one dollar in front of me and” *snap* “maybe this is good idea!” After that flash of inspiration, Kossan started playing on streets and in the subway and, last year, auditioned for and acquired a space with MTA’s Music Under New York.

Kossan truly enjoys playing in the subway. Although grateful for the money, his true happiness is derived from playing for people of all different sorts and from all over the world. He is pleased to have the opportunity to share his culture and music with them while he practices a skill he loves. As such, Kossan loves New York for being a place which is so open to and respectful of other cultures and says that if he returned to Japan he would probably not play in public as Tokyo is “totally different.” Althoug he prefers busking, he also makes end’s meat by occasionally playing in clubs and bars.

Kossan has a simple message for the people of New York: “I wanna make you happy, please make me happy, let’s be happy together.”

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