Ivory-Free Koto Concert: An Evening with a View of the Koto Music Horizon

First performance with koto plectrum made of a new material, and a concert to experience music connected to the world through collaboration of koto and African percussion instruments.

Why ivory-free? Because the world is calling for Japan to ban the ivory trade.

Ivory-Free Koto Concert: An Evening with a View of the Koto Music Horizon

Organized by: Japan Wildlife Conservation Society (JWCS)
Co-organized by: Japan Tiger and Elephant Conservation Fund (JTEF) ／Sera Creations
Supported by: Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA)／
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Japan Committee／Tears of the African Elephant

Date and Time: Friday, October 31, 2025, 18:30 – 19:45
Venue: Tokyo Women’s Plaza Hall (Shibuya, Tokyo)
Ticket: 1,500yen sold at Peatix 　　　　https://ivoryfreeconcert2025.peatix.com

Program:
Doors Open: 5:00 PM
In the hall leading up to the event, you can enjoy the audio program “Living Earth Tour,” a podcast produced by JWCS. In the foyer, there will be an exhibition of the activities of JWCS and JTEF, as well as an exhibition of traditional Japanese musical instrument items made from ivory alternatives.

18:30 Opening Remarks
18:35 Presentations
19:05 Performance
19:40 Closing Remarks
19:45 End

【Presentations】
“Elephant Poaching and Japan’s Ivory Market”
Masayuki Sakamoto, Tiger & Elephant Conservation Fund (JTEF)
“The Challenge of Ivory Substitutes to Protect African Elephants:-Nanoforest, a New Material Made from Renewable Resources”
Hiromi Hashiba, Development Department, Chuetsu Pulp Industry Co., Ltd.

【Performance】

Classical Koto Music and Contemporary Koto Music
Traditional African Music -A Collaboration of Koto and Djembe

Koto will be played using plectrums made of a new bamboo-derived material and bridges made of resin blended with plant materials, developed as substitutes for ivory.

【Performers】

McQueen Tokita Miyama

Message

We are in a situation where we need to rethink many things as
inhabitants of the earth.

I feel that it is essential to promote the development of earth-friendly
materials to replace ivory for the survival and development of culture
and tradition as well as humanity and the environment.

I hope that we can all work together to move forward, never forgetting
our gratitude for the ivory we have been allowed to use for centuries,
and cherishing what we have now to protect the future of traditional
performing arts, including Japanese music.

Profile

Miyama McQueen-Tokita performs contemporary works, improvisation and original music, fusing tradition with ideas relevant to the present day. She has worked with many artists across Japan, and artists visiting from around the globe. She has been invited to perform in festivals such as Tokyo Jazz Festival and Moers Festival, and has collaborated as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Australian Art Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra. In 2019, as grantee of the Asian Cultural Council New York Fellowship, she immersed herself in the experimental music scene in NYC. Miyama also puts energy into collaborating with composers from various backgrounds, and her album SONOBE (2020) showcases some of this work.

Yonan Bah

Profile

A djembe soloist with the Guinean national dance company, Ballet National Djoliba.
At the age of eight, he began studying traditional Guinean music and the djembe at the Conakry Traditional Music School. At the age of ten, he became an apprentice of world-renowned Guinean percussionist, Master Fatabou Camara. In 2020, he performed at the Dubai EXPO 2022 as a member of the Guinea national percussion team.
Currently based in Tokyo, he promotes Guinean music and culture through a wide range of activities, including djembe workshops and performances, Guinea language (Susu) courses, and Guinea tours. He also works as a model, appearing in promotional videos.

＊The djembe player has been changed to Yonan.

Support for Ivory Substitutes in the Japanese Music Community

There are some Japanese traditional music performers who are sincerely concerned about the problem of elephant poaching and extinction. They sent us their messages for this concert.

Asuka, Koto Player and Composer

Ivory has been used as a tool in koto playing as a result of the exploration of tone in its long history. However, I believe that it should not be produced anymore in the future.
While we should use the ivory that already exists now with care, I feel it necessary to consider products that are neither plastic nor ivory in order to create a sustainable world of koto.

Asuka
Acclaimed as one of the most superb young technician of the koto, and while she has a firm foundation in traditional Japanese music and classical music, she also develops activities full of originality that are not bound by conventional concepts. She is an up-and-coming koto player and composer who actively collaborates with artists and performers in various music scenes around the world.

 

 

 

Yuiko Mizushima, Biwa Performer

The sound of the biwa has long resonated with ivory, and I feel that it is an important role for performers living in the present to pay attention to the background of the material. I believe that by opening one’s awareness to new materials and ways of being a performer in accordance with the times while cherishing the good old things, a dialogue with the future will begin along with the sound.

Yuiko Mizushima

Biwa performer/ Researcher for “Biwa Shimbun”
She studied under Tomoyoshi Kakushin. In addition to performing, she was the first in Japan to begin researching the “Biwa Shimbun” (biwa newspaper), and published a paper titled “The Establishment and Development of Modern Biwa Music” under the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C). In 2017, she received the Higashikuninomiya Cultural Award.
In addition to her performance activities, she is also involved in the development of biwa music in a wide range of areas, including training young biwa players, conducting research and publishing papers on modern biwa, lecturing at universities, training biwa makers, and researching alternative materials for the instrument.

Akiharu Kitagawa, Koto Player

The koto is a Japanese instrument that is beloved by many people around the world. We need to become independent of the use of ivory, which is the material for the koto plectrum, if we want the koto to be played by many more in future. I look forward to the development of new materials for the Japanese traditional instruments, combining traditions, skills, and technologies.

Akiharu Kitagawa
He has performed koto in the UK and other European countries and has been involved in outreach activities. Member of Kodama, a koto x synthesizer duo. Koto instructor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Development of High-Quality Japanese Musical Instrument Items Using New Materials

In the field of Japanese musical instruments, where it has been believed that there is no comparable substitutes to ivory, new materials have been developed. Recently, a koto plectrum made from bamboo-derived cellulose nanofiber (CNF) that closely resembles the acoustic quality of ivory was completed. We will be holding an “Ivory-Free Koto Concert” where visitors can experience the sound of this new instrument, along with a koto bridge made of resin blended with plant materials.

Ms. Noriko Sanada of Sera Creations, which produces and sells Japanese musical instruments made with ivory substitutes

When I first started learning the koto, my teacher would often tell me to buy ivory plectrums, which was a common practice at the time. This made me wonder, “Does everyone need ivory?” This feeling of discomfort led me to begin developing ivory substitutes for Japanese musical instrument items.
Even now, there are still many people who misunderstand that ivory is only made from tusks of elephants that have died of natural causes and have no idea that elephants are in danger of extinction due to cruel poaching.
Accurate information is not being disseminated.
Currently, plastic products are widely used as ivory substitutes for Japanese instruments, but unfortunately, plastic has become an environmental burden problem. When I felt that it was necessary not only to avoid using ivory but also to consider the environmental aspect, I fortunately came across cellulose nanofibers (CNF) derived from bamboo. Over the next eight years, we have worked together on the development of the new product, supported by the trial-and-error process of creating a CNF molding system at Chuetsu Pulp & Paper Industries, the research on the differences in acoustics and the performers’ auditory perception depending on the material at the Sakamoto Laboratory of the Mechanical Systems Engineering Program of Niigata University Faculty of Engineering*, and the unconventional cooperation of the koto players. We are pleased to present the sound of the new product at the concert.
The “wa” in Japanese musical instruments (wa-gakki in Japanese) apparently has meanings such as soothing, harmonize, and peace.
I believe that the Japanese musical instrument should not drive elephants to the brink of extinction or create division among African people over the ivory trade.
We must protect elephants, pass on traditions, and create a way of life that do not rely on ivory. Closing the domestic ivory market is just one door to that goal, and if we could all share the view that lies beyond that door, there would be nothing more wonderful than this.
（*）Shuichi SAKAMOTO, Shunsuke WATANABE, Taku WATANABE, Yuki SATO, Shuma
ITO, Study of Ivory Alternatives for Koto Bridges: Correlation between Sensory Evaluation and Amplitude Modulation of Fundamental Spectrum, Proceedings of 23rd International Congress on Acoustics (ICA2019), Aachen, Germany, 9-13th September 2019, Paper No. 658, 8 pages. DOI:10.18154/RWTH-CONV-239334