11/30/2021
When Asian-American band Hiroshima set out to release its first album with Arista Records in 1979, members of the music industry voiced serious doubts.
“I saw memos that people were betting we wouldn’t sell any albums,” says band cofounder Dan Kuramoto. “There was a prevailing (stereotype) that Asians can’t dance or sing.”
Now that the band boasts two Gold albums and two Grammy nominations – with its members in high demand for blockbuster film soundtracks – Dan holds no grudge.
The prejudices they encountered only shows the importance of the band’s existence.
“All we’re saying with the band is that all of our cultures have such a wealth, and in our case, thousands of years of history, and why not make that part of the American musical and cultural landscape?” Dan says.
And Hiroshima — performing July 23, 2023 at The Smith Center — raises awareness of Asian heritage in a way no other band does.
The group performs with Western instruments alongside ancient Japanese instruments like the koto (a Japanese harp), the shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and taiko drums.
Don’t expect classical Japanese tunes, however. Drawing from the band’s diverse histories across Japan and America, the group delivers groundbreaking songs spanning R&B, rock, jazz and more.
“It’s like in America, if you got up and ate huevos rancheros for breakfast, and for lunch you went with a friend and had sushi, and for dinner had pesto pasta,” Dan says. “That wouldn’t be weird at all. That would be a good day of eating. We thought, ‘there’s got to be a way to do that musically.’”
Juggling Cultures with Complex Instruments
Hiroshima’s members have long faced both a conflict and overlap of Asian and Western cultures.
This includes band cofounder June Kuramoto, also Dan’s ex-wife and best friend.
June and her family were in a Japanese internment camp when they received word that her uncle’s bravery in World War II had earned him a posthumous bronze star.
“Over 120,00 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned during World War II,” Dan notes. “June’s uncle volunteered to serve in the all-Japanese-and-Hawaiian American 442nd regimental combat team — the most decorated unit in American warfare — and gave his life helping save the lost Texas Battalion in France. His family received the posthumous bronze star while imprisoned.”
Now through music, the Hiroshima band members honor their heritage in an uplifting way.
“We wanted to represent our community with a multicultural voice that would bring people together,” Dan says.
Few could do so better than June, who some artists hail as the greatest koto player in the world. After studying it her entire life, she still feels she has much to learn with the 13-stringed instrument’s daunting challenges.
“June’s koto teacher once told me it takes 10 years to play poorly,” Dan says. “If you consider that it’s a pentatonic instrument which June is playing in diatonic music, an instrument that she must constantly re-tune as she is playing — well, it’s a very complicated matter.”
For himself, learning to play shakuhachi at a Los Angeles Buddhist temple proved a painstaking effort, but worthwhile to show what Asian culture has to offer with June.
“June has such an extraordinary musical commitment and emotion that transcends the fact that she’s a great player,” he says. “It’s hard not to be moved when you hear her play.”
Attention from Hollywood
Anyone who has seen hit films scored by leading composer Hans Zimmer has likely heard June and Dan playing on the soundtrack.
Their rare skill on Japanese instruments attracted attention from Hollywood, with invitations to help score and record music for numerous films.
They performed on the movie score for the hit “Black Rain” starring Michael Douglas, and viewers can hear June’s koto playing prominently featured in “The Last Samurai” starring Tom Cruise.
A Domo Tour
Hiroshima’s upcoming concert at The Smith Center will launch the band’s Domo Tour – meaning that the group may never return to Las Vegas to perform again.
“It’s time to start winding down, and we likely will suspend regular touring after 2022,” Dan says.
The group deemed it highly important to conduct this tour in order to thank fans nationwide, he says, adding that Hiroshima has played in Las Vegas almost every year for 30 years.
The group will play several new tunes from its new album “2020,” as well as many beloved songs from its over 20 albums.
“We would’ve had zero career if not for those people who supported us,” Dan says. “To not say deeply from the soul, ‘thank you,’ would miss the point of how we did this in the first place.”
See The Show
Hiroshima plays July 23, 2022 at The Smith Center – click here for tickets.
Dan Kuramoto encourages people to reach out to the band and learn more about its music at Hiroshimamusic on Facebook and www.hiroshimamusic.com.