Gorō Yamaguchi
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.
Also recorded as Goro Yamaguchi · Gorou Yamaguchi
Gorō Yamaguchi
- Name
- Gorō Yamaguchi
- Occupation
- Instrumentalist
- Born
- 26 February 1933
- Birthplace
- Tokyo, Japan
- Died
- 3 January 1999
- Nationality
- Japan · Empire of Japan
- Education
- Meiji University Setagaya Junior and Senior High School
- Honours
- Medal with Purple Ribbon
- Languages
- Japanese
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wikidata · Q3111407 · wikipedia · Gorō Yamaguchi
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Institutions cited
Bibliothèque nationale de France
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Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gorō Yamaguchi • Occupation — Instrumentalist • Born — 26 February 1933 • Birthplace — Tokyo, Japan • Died — 3 January 1999 • Origin — Japan • Instrument — Shakuhachi • Genre — Japanese classical • Years Active — 1960s-1990s • Label — Japan Victor, Nonesuch
Documentary record
Gorō Yamaguchi, born in 1933 and died on 3 January 1999, is documented in the authority records of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Both events are recorded by the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Career
Career
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 by Nonesuch Records on its Explorer Series. This was an influential first recording of shakuhachi in the United States; 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).
Audio link
Audio link
• Brief excerpt from "Nesting of Cranes" perf. by Yamaguchi
Obituaries
Obituaries
• Appreciation by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel • Appreciation by Monty Levenson
Major recordings
• A Bell Ringing In The Empty Sky Nonesuch Explorer Series H-72025 • Shakuhachi no Shinzui: Shakuhachi Honkyoku (Soul of Shakuhachi: Shakuhachi Honkyoku). Solo performance of complete Kinko school honkyoku repertoire: 38 compositions on 12 CDs. Boxed set with 44-page booklet. Japan Victor VZCG-8066-8077. • Shakuhachi no Shinzui: Sankyoku Gassô (Soul of Shakuhachi: Trio Ensemble). Ensemble performances with voice, koto, and shamisen. Four CDs in boxed set with 44-page booklet. Japan Victor VZCG-8078-81.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Gorō Yamaguchi, revision 1339764609 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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