Resonances of Chindon-ya: Sounding Space and Sociality in Contemporary Japan

Chindon-ya is a uniquely Japanese street musical advertisement practice from the late 1800s, which has recently gained renewed relevance as both a nostalgic form of publicity and also a political tool for street protests.

This event is a very rare opportunity to see a chindon-ya troupe in action outside of Japan, featuring Chindon Tsūshinsha, Japan’s most renowned chindon-ya troupe from Osaka. Ethnomusicologist Marié Abe (Boston University), the author of Resonances of Chindon-ya: Sounding Space and Sociality in Contemporary Japan (Wesleyan University Press, 2018), will show how this seemingly innocuous and allegedly obsolete form of musical labor has gained traction as an aesthetic, economic, and political practice in the times of neoliberal precarity and nuclear anxiety in contemporary Japan.

The lecture will be accompanied by live performances by the members of Chindon Tsūshinsha, who will demonstrate their performance tactics to show how they entice and allure the passersby with their musical sounds and gestures.

The event will be followed by a Q&A with the members of Chindon Tsūshinsha, and conclude with a short performance by the troupe. Lunch will provided.

Generously supported by: the Japan Foundation

Image Caption: Chindon Tsūshinsha