Program Note:

The fourth panel of the Heike Quinto (or, in Japanese, Heika Kikoku) takes inspiration from visual images of Tomoe Gozen, a late twelfth-century female samurai warrior known for her nobility, bravery, and great beauty–particularly the 1899 woodblock print of her (shown to the left) with Uchida leyoshi and Hatakeyama no Shigtada by Yōshū Chikanobu.  In movement one Lady Tomoe, she prepares herself spiritually for the Battle of Awazu on 21 February, 1184.  In movement two, Horse Whispering, she tames an "unbroken horse" through tenderness and strength.  In movement three, the apotheotic Grandioso, Tomoe, in old age, having become a nun, recalls how Yoshinaka, (as related in the Tale of Heike) sent her out as his "first captain," clad in armor and bearing an oversized sword and bow. Although she fought bravely and honorably, the battle was lost and she was forced to flee. Years of spiritual searching and service have led her to the quiet grandeur known only to the most spiritually evolved. The composition ends with Tomoe in the final moments of her life, contemplating eternity.

The work is dedicated to Duo YUMENO, for whom it was composed, in gratitude for having led me in this journey through Japanese history and literature, and for so beautifully championing the works that have resulted.