現地リポート！INTERSPEECH2010（page.2/2） (学科：トピックス)

幕張メッセ国際会議場で開催された，世界各国から約1,100名の研究者達が集うINTERSPEECH2010。

開催3日目を現地からリポートします。

世界の研究者達もポスターとコミュニケーションを武器にセッションを行います。世界の研究者達が日本で筒状のポスターケースを背負って歩く姿は，さながらSAMURAIです。

当学科(３年)で恒例となっているロボット設計製作論(ポスターセッション)が能力向上の大切な授業であることが，世界からうかがい知ることができます。

会議の合間には必ずティーブレイク(セルフ/お菓子付)があります。ここにもさり気ない欧州流が。

夜はConference Banquetがアパホテル＆幕張ベイリゾートで開かれました(参加者約600名)。
ここでは唯一日本流に“鏡開き”と“津軽三味線”の演出，演奏が行われました。

以下は，Conference Banquetで各テーブルに配付された手作りパンフレットの文面の一部。海外の友人にKagami-BirakiやTsugaru-jamisenについて日本の文化を語れますか?

Kagami-Biraki

Kagami-biraki(or kagami-wari)means“opening(or cracking)the mirror”where the “mirror”refers physically to the lid of the sake barrel and symbolically to circular mirrors depicting the sun and used as divine instruments in Japanese shinto religion.The kagami-biraki ceremony is erformed at auspicious events,particularly at semi-formal and informal festivities commemorating beginnings.Participants often show camaraderie by wearing informal uniforms(happi shirts are common)instead of formal kimono.

Normally taru(barrel)sake is served by using an auger to drill a hole on the side of barrel near its bottom and stopping it with a wooden plug so that desired quantities can be drawn while keeping the sake fresh.In kagami-wari however,because the barrel lid is broken and cannot be replaced, the sake must be wholly consumed during the party.This no-holds-barred gesture signals an all-you-can-drink occasion.

The untreated wooden barrels add a pleasant,cool,vigorous flavor that under-scores the newness of the event.Virginity is important to the Japanese psyche.
Using brand-new items was intended originally for goods and guests.Yoday,most restaurant chopsticks are broken in half immediately before use,and unlacquered wood utensils are the most cherished.

Rice and shinto religion are intrinsically linked.Carbon-14 dating shows rice was cultivated in Japan as early as 3000 years ago.Shinto priests have for centuries prayed for good harvest.The emperor(who is also the supreme Shinto priest,and owns a round mirror as part of his three symbols of sovereignty)plants and harvests a symbolic crop each year.At New Year’s,families decorate their homes with kagami-mochi(round rice cakes)that represent the sun and symbolize harmony.Tonight,enjoy a time-honored tradition while we celebrate our coming together and the beginning of new relationships and ideas.

Tsugaru-jamisen by Shuichiro and Daichi

The shamisen is a traditional Japanese three-stringed musical instrument of the lute family that is played by plucking strings with a large plectrum.There are several types of shamisen,often classified by the thickness of the neck.The Tsugaru-jamisen(or Tsugaru-shamisen)refers to both the instrument and style of music.

Compared to other shamisen instruments,it has a notably thick neck,a metal bar that causes the lowest string to vibrate,and is played by sitting in a chair instead of kneeling no the floor.As a style of music,it originated relatively recently via improvisational folk performances in the Tsugaru region(the northernmost peninsula of Honshu island),and quickly became popular nationwide,aided in part by radio broadcasts and phonograph record sales.The Tsugaru-jamisen may be played solo or in concert with other instruments or vocals.
The instrument’s sound is characterized by frenetic notes that some say echo the wild,furious,turbulent winter seas of the Tsugaru Straits between the islands of
Honshu and Hokkaido.

Tonight we bring you “Shuichiro and Daichi”,a renowned Tsugaru-jamisen band(http://www.shuichiro-kuboki.com/) Shuichiro Kuboki has been
playing the Tsugaru-jamisen since childhood,and professionally for over 32 years.
Versatile in both traditional minyo folk music and modern new-age music,he has released several albums,and performs regularly in solo and in concert at cultural events and concerts throughout the country.Daichi(meaning the earth or the ground)is a Tsugaru-jamisen and chorus band that Shuichiro started in 1998.

Shuichiro is keen to share his knowledge of the Tsugaru-jamisen.He has published two textbooks from Yamaha for beginners and intermediate students.On the international stage,he has been on good-will tours through Canada,the USA,Myanmar,Pakistan,Nepal,and Bangladesh.Enjoy a facet of Japanese music that bridges the past and present.