top of page
Tomoko Sugawara's
Kugo Harp

... the ancient harp that once was heard from one end of the Silk Road to the other, but which had fallen into disuse until Ms. Sugawara undertook to reintroduce it to the contemporary world.  Not only her research, but the quality of her performances is impressive and is very much appreciated.

She has generously shared her knowledge and her musical talents with others, including the Historical Harp Society, and as the editor of the publication for that organization, I look forward to further contributions on her part.  

 Samuel Milligan, October 30, 2017.   Sam Milligan was an outstanding American harpist and harp technician. He received the medal ....  (1932 - 2019)

[Guided by the] pioneering artistry of the harpist Tomoko Sugawara, you will witness the resurrection of music for the ancient kugo harp. This is a musical instrument that has been widely loved over thousands of years from the furthest corners of the Mediterranean, through the Near East, Central Asia, through China, the Korean peninsula, and ultimately captured in the cul-de-sac of Japan at the very end of the continent. 

— Professor Barbara Ruch, Director –  Institute for Medieval Japanese Studies at Columbia University

Tomoko Sugawara was a sheer delight, becoming both the instrument and the music as she played, and it was a privilege to hear her.    

— Irene Winter, Professor emerita of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University. 

at Boston Early Music Festival, June 2009

The Kugo

The Kugo (Angular harp). With an L-shaped body, it arose in Mesopotamia around 1900 B.C.  It soon spread to other regions of the Near East, eventually becoming a favorite instrument in local Islamic cultures where it survived until 1700 A.D.  Meanwhile, it entered the Silk Road and reached China around 500 CE.  Korea and Japan came next, but it disappeared from the Far East by 1100.  Egypt adopted it 1400 B.C.  Wherever it went, artists, poets, and musicians loved its beautiful shape and admired its complex sound.  But angular harps hardly penetrated into Europe, which instead launched its own harp –the Frame harp– although at a very late date, 800 A.D.  Slowly Frame harps took over the world.  

 

  — Bo Lawergren, Professor emeritus of Physics & Astronomy, Hunter College of CUNY, New York.

Early Music America

"Angular harps" by Bo Lawergren

IMG_6033.PNG

​PRI's The World 2010

Tomoko Sugawara Back on Tour

original.jpg
bottom of page