News

Junko Ueda presents her shômyô workshop and biwa concert at Monasterio de Pedralbes in Barcelona on 24 May 2025 as part of the 3-day festival Sound and Buddhism organised by Museu de la Música de Barcelona, Oficina d'Afers Religiosos, Monasterio de Pedralbes and Casa Asia. This festival is one event of the project series called Tránsit by Museu de la Música de Barcelona. This project explores the space of interaction between communities, religion and music.

15:30 ~ 18:30: shômyô workshop
20:00: biwa epic story-telling concert
More info and tickets: ajuntament.barcelona.cat

In October 2024 Junko Ueda published her new book titled "Shomyo - Exploring the Wisdom of Japanese Buddhist Chant". (A5, 204 pages, Japanese version).
In this book, she writes about the history of shomyo chant and its musical theories. Also, she talks about the wisdom of the shomyo chant that she discovered through her continued practice of shomyo under the guidance of Mr. Koshin Ebihara and through her experiences while conducting shomyo workshops, as well as ideas for using this wisdom to help individuals in their daily lives and in the development of a sustainable society.
Price of ordering outside of Japan: 15 €
Price of ordering in Japan: 1.650 yen
To order, please contact here.

新出版本「聲明、日本の仏教聖歌の知恵を探る」上田純子著
この本では、聲明の歴史や楽典の他に、上田自身が海老原廣伸氏の指導のもとで聲明を練習し続け、また、聲明ワークショップを行いながらの体験を通して気づいた聲明の持つ知恵、そしてそれらの知恵を、個人の実生活や持続可能な社会形成に役立たせるためのアイデアについて話している（A５版、204ページ、日本語）。
日本国内での購入価格：1.650 円
日本国外での購入価格：15 ユーロ

ご購入ご希望の方は：

1. 「邦楽ジャーナル」の邦楽CD／書籍ネットショップ HOWよりご購入いただけます。ネットショップのリンクはここをクリックしてください。
2. コンタクトフォームより、お名前、ご住所、お電話番号をご連絡ください。追って振込先をお知らせし商品をお送りいたします。

Junko Ueda presents her Shômyô Buddhist chant workshop for European Shakuhachi Society by Zoom. This is a part of its online courses and her participation is under the theme of ‘The voice within Japanese culture, music and Shakuhachi tradition’.

Date: 13 April 2024
Time: 10:00 ~ 13:00 (CEST)
Registration: European Shakuhachi Society website
Fee: for ESS members 15€, non-members 20€

On the new solo CD Kujô-Shakujô Junko Ueda sings a repertoire from the 9th century Japanese traditional Tendai Buddhist Shomyo. Kujô-Shakujô is a rare recording where you can listen to the complete nine parts of this ancient piece. Also, this CD includes the sutra text and its complete translations in English and Japanese. This CD is a most unique documentation of this tradition, which is succeeded until today without interruption.

For purchase, sound samples and more information please visit the Studio E Online Shop.

Ancient tradition says that the Kujô-Shakujô sutra has miraculous powers. We pray that evil spirits will be driven away, that the earth will be purified and that the world will be the place of peace for all living things.

In April 2020, during the lockdown caused by the corona virus, Junko Ueda recorded a shomyo piece called Kujô-Shakujô. Ancient tradition says that Kujô-Shakujô Sutra has miraculous powers. We pray evil spirits will be driven away, the earth will be purified and the world will be the place of peace for all living things.

• 25 January, Saturday, 2020, 10h30 ~ 14h30

- Location: Aula de Musicas, Plaza de Peñuelas 11, 28005 Madrid
- Fee: 65 €
- More info, click here.

• 8 February, Saturday, 2020, 10h45 ~ 13h45 (beginner)
• 8 February, Saturday, 2020, 16h ~ 19h (advanced)
• 9 February, Sunday, 2020, 10h ~ 12h30 (advanced)

- Fee: Beginners 70 SF (members ADEM 60 SF). Advanced (five and half hours session) 100 SF (members ADEM: 90 SF)
- Location: Ateliers d’ethnomusicologie: 10, rue de Montbrillant, 1201 Genève
- More info, click here.

9 February, 2019, 10:00 - 13:00, Shomyo Chant workshop
- Location: OSRAMHUSET - Stor Sal, Valhalsgade 4, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Fee: Adults: 520 dkk, Student: 400 dkk
- Registration at Billetto. Click here

10 February, 2019, 20:00, Vinter Jazz Festival, Copenhagen
- Program “Ancestral Modernism Tri(o)logy” (Concept created by Ying-Hsueh Chen) - Improvisation, J. Cage, K. Stockhausen, Shomyo chant
- Ying-Hsueh Chen (percussion); Lê Quan Ninh (percussion); Junko Ueda (voice)
- Location: Koncertkirken, Copenhagen
- Information, click here

• 16 February, Saturday, 2019, 10h ~ 13h (beginner)
• 16 February, Saturday, 2019, 16h ~ 19h (advanced)
• 17 February, Sunday, 2019, 10h ~ 12h30 (advanced)

- Fee: Beginners 70 SF (members ADEM 60 SF). Advanced (five and half hours session) 100 SF (members ADEM: 90 SF)
- Location: Ateliers d’ethnomusicologie Maraîchers: 44, Rue des Maraîchers, 1205 Genève
- More info, click here.

• 29 September Saturday, 2018, 10h ~ 13h (beginner)
• 29 September, Saturday, 2018, 16h ~ 19h (advanced)
• 30 September, Sunday, 2018, 10h ~ 12h30 (advanced)

- Fee: Beginners 70 SF (members ADEM 60 SF). Advanced (two session) 100 SF (members ADEM: 90 SF)
- Location: Ateliers d’ethnomusicologie: 10, rue de Montbrillant, 1201 Genève
- More info, click here

Shomyo Chant and Heike-Monogatari biwa story-telling at St. Caecilien/Museum Schnuetgen on 7 June 2018.

• 1 & 2 December, 2018: Shomyo Buddhist Chant workshop at Ateliers d'Ethnomugicologie, Geneva, Swiss. More information go here.
• 10 February, 2019, 20:00, in Koncertkirken: Vinter Jazz Festival, Copenhagen. Program “Ancestral Modernism Tri(o)logy”, Ying-Hsueh Chen (percussion); Lê Quan Ninh (percussion); Junko Ueda (voice). Concept created by Ying-Hsueh Chen

• 14 - 16 April, 2018: Shomyo Buddhist Chant workshop at Zen Temple of La Gendronnière, France, in the event of 'Arts et Santé'. More information go here.
• 5 & 6 May, 2018: Shomyo Buddhist Chant workshop at Ateliers d'Ethnomugicologie, Geneva, Swiss. More information go here.
• 7 June, 2018, 13:00: at St. Caecilien/Museum Schnuetgen, Köln, Germany in the festival Romanischer Sommer 2018. Ueda performs: Sange (shoymo chant); Kujô-Shakujô (shomyo chant); Shunkan (biwa/voice); Dan-no-Ura (biwa/voice); Gion-Shôja (biwa/voice). More information go here.
• 13 September, 2018: Shomyo Buddhist Chant workshop at the International Sacred Music Festival of Bogota, Colombia
• 14 September, 2018: Duo Ueda Offermans concert. “Japanese Buddhism in music - ritual and stories” at the International Sacred Music Festival of Bogota, Colombia. The Duo performs: Tsuru-no-Sugomori (flute solo), Shomyo chant (voice solo), Heike-Monogatari (biwa/voice & flute), Inner-Voices (voice & Thumpy flute).

• 17 March, 2018: Duo Ueda Offermans Concert titled ‘We-Air’ at Sundsvalls Kulturskola, Kupolsalen.
• 18 March, 2018: Shoymo Workshop at Sundsvalls Kulturskola, Dance Room.