Haruna is a member of Iizuna Gongen Daiko, a local ‘taiko’ (drum) group that has been performing for over 30 years. Haruna joined Iizuna Gongen Daiko in 2017 and now both performs and composes music for the group, including compositions to tell the story and promote the ‘Iizuna Saburo Tengu’ – a ‘yokai’ (supernatural being) said to live deep in the forests of Mount Iizuna and a point of devotion for followers of ‘Iizuna Shugen’.

In Episode 03 of Snow Country Stories Japan*, I had the pleasure of sitting with Komatsu Haruna, a multi-talented musician and performer based in Iizuna, Nagano. Haruna was born and raised in the snow country and after many years of living and performing in the United Kingdom, returned to Iizuna and is now actively involved in a program designed to revitalise local pride in the area.

Of Tengu & Taiko: An Interview with a Wondermensional Woman

The interview begins with Haruna talking about growing-up bored in Iizuna, unaware of the importance of the local mountain, before we delve a little into Iizuna Shugen and its mischievous Iizuna Saburo Tengu, taiko and more. Haruna discusses her time living and performing in London – where she hobnobbed with cockneys, worked the bar mitzvah circuit, performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and stumbled into taiko performance – before returning to Japan and discovering her old home of Iizuna wasn’t as boring as she once thought. Anything but one dimensional - a comment that will make more sense having listened to the episode - I think you’ll agree she is rather, a wondermensional woman.. You can enjoy Haruna’s performances with the Iizuna Gongen Daiko and as the beautifully costumed Iizuna Saburo Tengu in the videos below. Both pieces are also composed by Haruna.

Huge thanks to Haruna for making time to chat! If you’d like to learn more about Iizuna Gongen Daiko and the Iizuna Saburo project, please make use of the links below or follow them on Instagram. I hope you enjoy the episode and make sure to subscribe to the podcast.

 

*please note, at the time of upload of this episode, the name of the podcast was 'Snow Country For Old Men'. It has since changed to 'Snow Country Stories Japan'. For more information about that change, listen to the special announcement uploaded on April 24th 2023.

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Episode 04 / Nakano of 1000 Empty Houses: In Search of Solutions to Japan's Akiya Problem

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Episode 02 / Remove, Replace, Repeat: The Unending Restoration of a 200 Year Old Farmhouse in Togari