Buddhist Ritual Chant from Korea & Japan

Tickets are available at the Box Office, open from Monday to Friday, 10 am – 4:45 pm (accepting phone/fax orders as well as walk-ups), and at 6:30 pm (walk-ups, cash or check only) on the day of the performance.

Presented in conjunction with the Japan Society Gallery exhibition, Transmitting the Forms of Divinity: Early Buddhist Art from Korea and Japan (April 9 – June 22, 2003).

It is with deep regret that Japan Society has learned that the much anticipated performance of Japanese shomyo ritual chant organized by Kojun Arai, a member of the Karyobinga Shomyo Research Group, and announced in our Spring Calendar of Events and Performing Arts brochure, will not, in fact, take place. Several members of the troupe have declined travel to the United States at a time of war and the remaining members are insufficient to perform the program. We will all miss a wonderful experience and hope that the shomyo group will at some point in the future find an opportunity to come to the United States. The performance of Korean beompae ritual chant is scheduled to take place as announced. They will grace us with the full evening format of the “Yeongsanjae Ritual.”

Beompae dates back to an era as ancient as Brahman Vedic hymns and Hebrew psalms. Believed to have originated in India, ritual chant traveled through China, taking root in Korea and Japan.

Monks from the ancient Bongweonsa Temple in Seoul perform the Yeongsanjae ceremony, a special ritual re-enacting and celebrating the appearance of Sakyamuni Buddha’s delivery of the Lotus Sutra on Spirit Vulture Peak. Designated an Important Intangible Cultural Asset by the government of Korea, the Yeongsanjae members are led by Rev. Park In-gong. The spectacular ritual exhibits a variety of chant styles, colorful dances and a religious feast, all of which embody the unique nature of the Korean Mahayana Buddhism.

Pre-Performance Lecture by Dr. Byongwon Lee, Prof. of Ethnomusicology, Music Department, U. of Hawai’i at Manoa at 7 pm, free to ticket holders.

Special Subscription Offer

Get up to a 30% discount ($25 ticket becomes only $20!) for Spring Performances when you subscribe to three or more.  Get discounts to Workshops, too, when you subscribe to 3 or more. 

Subscription tickets are available through phone, mail or fax only.  Contact the Japan Society Box Office at (212) 752-3015.