artist: HITOSHI KOJO
title: Ezo
label: Alluvial Recordings
country: USA
format: 10" vinyl
title: Ezo
label: Alluvial Recordings
country: USA
format: 10" vinyl
"The title of the pieces of this record Hiruko and Ebisu are the two names of one mythical being
in Japanese mythology. Hiruko is a firstborn child of the god, who was deserted in the sea,
because he could not stand up by three years old. He drifted ashore to the land of human
beings, and was cherished by the people. Then he was brought up as a god, and was worshipped
by the people as Ebisu.
Somehow I was haunted by the story the entire time during the working period. Therefore the
names became the titles. Afterwards I knew that Ebisu is also an alias of Ezo which was the old
name of northern part of Japan. So it was adopted as the album title. Although the theory that
Ezo equate with Ainu seems to be disputed sometime, I chose the name as a tribute to my
favorite Ainu mythologies, and to the folks. The image on the cover is Ebisu which has visited in
my mind at the time. Although it's quite different from the traditional image...
The sound source of the pieces were all produced by 'found-objects' which were mostly obtained
from daily commodities. The resonance of the inside of objects and the resonance of the
recorded spaces were also treated as the material. The process to find an object which is
usually not used as a musical instrument was considered as a part of the execution. Therefore
people's names who found some of the objects were mentioned in the cover.
Also the vinyl record was fatally chosen for the album as an 'object' which must be worn and be
degraded by the condition and the frequency of the use. The noises by dusts and surface
scratches on the disk should be listened as a part of the piece." (Hitoshi Kojo)
in Japanese mythology. Hiruko is a firstborn child of the god, who was deserted in the sea,
because he could not stand up by three years old. He drifted ashore to the land of human
beings, and was cherished by the people. Then he was brought up as a god, and was worshipped
by the people as Ebisu.
Somehow I was haunted by the story the entire time during the working period. Therefore the
names became the titles. Afterwards I knew that Ebisu is also an alias of Ezo which was the old
name of northern part of Japan. So it was adopted as the album title. Although the theory that
Ezo equate with Ainu seems to be disputed sometime, I chose the name as a tribute to my
favorite Ainu mythologies, and to the folks. The image on the cover is Ebisu which has visited in
my mind at the time. Although it's quite different from the traditional image...
The sound source of the pieces were all produced by 'found-objects' which were mostly obtained
from daily commodities. The resonance of the inside of objects and the resonance of the
recorded spaces were also treated as the material. The process to find an object which is
usually not used as a musical instrument was considered as a part of the execution. Therefore
people's names who found some of the objects were mentioned in the cover.
Also the vinyl record was fatally chosen for the album as an 'object' which must be worn and be
degraded by the condition and the frequency of the use. The noises by dusts and surface
scratches on the disk should be listened as a part of the piece." (Hitoshi Kojo)