Tradition
Innovation
Inspiration
Tradition
Innovation
& Inspiration
THE LATEST
Tribute to Kazue Sawai
With great sadness, we learned that koto master Kazue Sawai sensei passed away on February 15th. It goes without saying that her music touched many peoples' lives, one of which was our own artistic director and Kazue sensei's student, Mitsuki Dazai sensei.
When it comes to the koto, Kazue sensei was a trailblazer, innovator, rule-breaker, and an utter inspiration to everyone in our group. We were honored when she visited Portland in 2019 to play with us at Agnes Flanagan Chapel in what turned out to be her final performance in the US. During that time, she taught us, encouraged us, inspired us, and wowed us with her virtuosity on the instrument. Now, we reflect on what she meant to us and the world at large.
Now, we join in mourning with the global Sawai community and we aim to do our small part in carrying her musical legacy forward.
Winter Concert Reflections
On Saturday, December 6th, 2025, Oregon Koto-Kai held a family friendly Winter Concert. This concert featured a Japanese story reading and a wide variety of seasonal pieces full of holiday spirit.
Thanks to everyone who came out. We feel so grateful for our families, friends, volunteers, and all our community supporters for celebrating the season. This was our last big performance of the year, so now we get to relax a bit before we start planning next year's concerts. See you all again in 2026!
About Oregon Koto-Kai
Oregon Koto-Kai is a group of musicians passionate about playing the Japanese koto. Founded by Mitsuki Dazai in February 2012 with only six members, the ensemble held its first concert that fall at Epworth United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon. Since that time, the group has grown to 20 members, and they are featured artists at many festivals and venues throughout the Pacific Northwest each year.
Debut Album Kin Out Now
We're proud to announce that on June 9th we released our first album, Kin, both digitally and on CD! This project started over two years ago and we’re happy to finally share it with the world.
The incredible album art was created by Kayo Kondo-Cox and the beautiful 'Kin' calligraphy was done by Nobuko Chalfen. Kin is the 13th and highest string on a standard koto and because we're releasing this album during our 13th year as an organization, it also symbolizes our progress up to this point. We look forward to sharing koto music and Japanese culture with our community for many more years to come.
Digital and physical copies are now available on Bandcamp, or you can pick up your CD in person at select OKK performances.
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