Seiko Suzuki Seiko Suzuki

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Humanities, The University of Osaka *Profile is at the time of the award.

2026AccelerateHumanities & Sociology

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Research topics: Sound Culture of Traditional Music and Performing Arts in Modern and Contemporary Japan: Representation of Musicologists, Performers and Lecturers as Mediators

Keyword

Summary: This research aims to shed light on individuals who have created new auditory expressions of“narration”to advance the understanding of traditional musical performing arts in the modern era. This research also seeks to position their work as mediators within the history of auditory culture while also practicing and examining applied expressions in the field. Concretely, this research examines the auditory expressions of: (1) Music researchers skilled in providing “explanation”on traditional music and performing arts; (2) Performing artists who revitalized traditional arts through “storytelling”; (3) Lecturers who captivated audiences with “lectures”incorporating traditional performing arts. After analyzing these expressions from both acoustic and cultural perspectives, I will gather feedback through fieldwork by doing live “narrative”performances.

Message

This study sheds light on 20th-century pioneers—such as Fumio Koizumi, Shoichi Ozawa, and Tenpu Nakamura—who excelled in narrative expressions, such as, “explanation,” “storytelling” and “lectures” concerning traditional music and performing arts—forms that have received little attention in art studies until now. In our current era where visual expression through television and the internet is prioritized, auditory expression tends to be viewed as secondary. Through new approaches to researching and practicing the “narrative,” this research aims to demonstrate how sometimes “hearing a hundred times” can stimulate the imagination, provoke thought, and move people more effectively than “seeing once.”

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