Our beloved Makiko Goto, a respected member of Japone Artists, has suddenly passed away on 16 January 2021. In deep sorrow, we made this tribute video for her.
Makiko Goto (Koto)
Makiko Goto was a top musician of the traditional Japanese instrument koto. She has received a lot of praises, such as Mr. Toshio Hosokawa, who is one of the most famous composers of Japan and worked with Makiko: “She was the best koto player of my koto music."
Makiko was a great performer who has spread Japanese classic and contemporary music on koto throughout the world with her numerous brilliant performances.
Besides her performance activities, she contributed to koto education in 1986 in Hawaii (USA) where she established a branch of the Sawai Koto School. Since 1992, she was living in the Netherlands and worked as an instructor of Sawai Koto in Europe. For the formation of theatrical group Japone Artists in 2016, she was the first person who Utako Arakawa (Soprano/Vocals, the leader of Japone Artists) asked to perform together for Japone’s first show. Utako Arakawa: "To create a magnificent show of Japanese music and art with Makiko’s koto, that was my first motivation to form Japone Artists."