{"id":6578,"date":"2026-04-22T15:00:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T06:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/?post_type=artist&#038;p=6578"},"modified":"2026-07-23T06:13:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T21:13:56","slug":"019-gunsokai-gifu","status":"publish","type":"artist","link":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/en\/artist\/019-gunsokai-gifu","title":{"rendered":"Gunsokai, Gifu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai-1440x810.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/wmdf.org\/wpms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-W1920xH1080-artist-019-gunsokai-624x351.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>Enduring Songs, Living Circles<\/em><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Gujo is a mountain city in central Japan, famous for summer dance traditions that fill the streets with song, rhythm, and people dancing together through the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gunsokai bring the living sound of Gujo to WMDF through the songs, rhythms, and festival calls that keep its Bon dance circles moving. The group was founded by the late Goto Naohiro, a master singer of Gujo-bushi, the city\u2019s traditional dance-song style. Their music is rooted in Gujo\u2019s two great dance traditions: Gujo Odori, recognised internationally as part of Japan\u2019s UNESCO-listed folk performing arts, and Shirotori Odori, known for its long history and lively energy. Together, these traditions remind us that Bon dance is not only a performance to watch, but a circle to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For WMDF, Gunsokai appear as a two-piece featuring Inoue Hiroto and Kikuchi Hayaka, focusing especially on the older-style Gujo-bushi. On WMDF\u2019s 360-degree Hub stage, their voices and rhythms will invite the festival space itself to become a circle: a place where enduring songs are sung into motion, shared by bodies, breath, and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/airtable.com\/embed\/appl2St1lq996szjO\/shro26P91gH8F7b1L?search=Gunsokai\" width=\"100%\" height=\"540\"><\/iframe>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-6578","artist","type-artist","status-publish","hentry","artistscat-artists019"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist\/6578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/artist"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wmdf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}