KOTOHOGI まにまに (MANIMANI)

One — as it flows
One body alone, chopsticks broken apart — heaven, or a trickster spirit?
Borne on the wind, slipping quietly into night — nectar of sweet dew
Without raising a voice — sound scattering into the boundless

CRS is pleased to continue its support of KOTOHOGI, the ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration of choreographer and dancer Yuko Kaseki, sumi calligrapher and logograph artist Kanako Sehara, and performance and vocal artist Miho Tsujii.

The newest iteration, KOTOHOGI まにまに (MANIMANI), takes place at the historic Isshinji Temple in Osaka. Responding to the cultural and spiritual context of the temple and the season of Obon, the three artists bring together butoh, performance, voice, and sumi calligraphy in a site-responsive exploration of memory, ritual, transformation, and the circulation of life.

KOTOHOGI has developed since 2022 through an ongoing collaboration among artists based in Japan and Germany. Each iteration emerges through dialogue with a particular place and its communities, bringing different artistic traditions together to explore relationships among body, landscape, memory, and regenerative knowledge. The Japanese word kotohogi carries the intertwined meanings of blessing and incantation, reflecting the project’s interest in transformations between destruction and regeneration, negativity and affirmation, decline and celebration.

CRS is an ongoing supporter of KOTOHOGI and its continuing collaborative artistic development.

Event Information

• Date: Sunday, August 23, 2026
• Doors: 1:00 pm
• Performance: 1:30 pm
• Location: Isshinji Temple — Sanzenbutsudo, Minami Kaisho, Osaka, Japan
• Admission: ¥3,000 advance / ¥3,500 at the door / Free for elementary school students and younger
• Tickets: https://tiget.net/events/504806
• Presented by: International Culture & Art Spot (ICAS)
• Project: KOTOHOGI
• Co-organized by: cokaseki
• Venue Partner: Isshinji Temple

Artists

Yuko Kaseki
Yuko Kaseki is a Berlin-based butoh dancer, choreographer and performer, and founder of cokaseki. Her work creates poetic and vivid imagery that draws on the spirit of butoh, performance and live art, exploring the space between physical and spiritual expression. Since 1995, she has presented performances, improvisations and collaborative projects in more than 30 countries and has been supported by the Goethe-Institut, Japan Foundation and the Free University of Berlin, among others.
Website: Yuko Kaseki / cokaseki

Kanako Sehara
Kanako Sehara is a sumi calligrapher, logograph artist, co-founder of International Culture & Art Spot (ICAS), and founder of the Teninsha School of Calligraphy. Bridging calligraphy, visual art and performance, her work explores the expressive relationship between language, nature and materiality through brush, ink and carved stone. Recipient of four consecutive Excellence Awards at the Yomiuri Shodo Exhibition, her work has been presented through exhibitions, public commissions and international collaborations.
Website: Kanako Sehara

Miho Tsujii
Miho Tsujii is a performance artist, educator and cultural producer based in Osaka and Nara, and co-director of International Culture & Art Spot (ICAS). Her interdisciplinary practice brings together performance, voice, movement and storytelling with embodied knowledge rooted in traditional Japanese arts to explore new cultural imaginaries for regeneration. Holding an M.A. in Arts Politics from New York University, her work has been presented internationally at theatres, museums, universities and public spaces across Japan, Europe and the United States.
Website: Miho Tsujii