Katada Kikusa

Greater Los Angeles Asian/Asian-American/Pacific Islander Music

A very important component of traditional Japanese music, hayashi, is the percussion and flute accompaniment to Japanese classical Kabuki music and dance.  In 1986, Mikko Haggot-Hensen was granted her professional name Katada Kikusa by Grand Master Katada Kisaku, a Japanese Living National Treasure, and now heads Katada-Kai of USA, the only percussion group providing Kabuki music in Los Angeles.

As a participant in ACTA’s Traditional Arts Development Program in 2005, Katada hosted Grand Master Katada Kisaku to conduct a workshop for Katada-Kai of USA members and join them in a performance.

In 2002, Katada was a master artist in ACTA’s Apprenticeship Program with apprentices Yuko Ohara, Yoshiyo Matsumoto, and Dean Okinaka.  Because an ensemble plays this music form, the learning process requires musicians working together; during the apprenticeship, the apprentices enhanced their skills on individual percussive instruments while learning more of the traditional repertoire which is always memorized and never noted on paper.