The career of composer, vocalist and dancer Makiko Sakurai has followed a unique path. She is the only woman who has been trained in shomyo -- the Buddhist liturgical chanting that dates back to the ninth century and is traditionally practiced only by males.
"What is characteristic about shomyo singing is that vowel sounds are elongated, say by about 20 seconds," says Sakurai. "A prolonged 'a' sound, for example, includes various pronunciations of 'a.' By changing the timbre of a vowel, you can produce a beautiful sound. I feel that this sound contains a voice calling to the gods."
Sakurai, who has always had a passion for Western classical music, has been training in shomyo for 17 years. She said she first became interested in gagaku (Imperial court music) because it reminded her of "Metastasis" by the late Greek-born composer Iannis Xenakis. This interest then led her to shomyo.