Ekotumi ・エコツミ・
Cultural multiform artist, Singer-songwriter, Dancer, Performer, Storyteller, Novelist, and New Mom
Profile
Cultural Artist | Singer-Songwriter | Performer | Dancer | Storyteller | Playwright & Novelist
Ekotumi is a multidisciplinary artist who explores the latent consciousness and vocal potential within the body through music, dance, novel, and installation. Her work is rooted in Japanese mythology, which she reinterprets from a modern and often female perspective.
She began her singing career while still a student, contributing to a film soundtrack, after appearing in numerous stage productions and musicals. Known for her poetic lyrics rooted in etymology and unique stage direction, she has expanded her creative reach into live performances, promotional videos, theme songs for games, and more.
Since 2010, she has been developing “The New Translation Kojiki Series”, a Japanese-style contemporary opera that reimagines ancient mythology through song and dance. Since 2015, she has performed internationally, giving solo concerts in cities such as Paris, London, and Vilnius Lithuania, earning acclaim for her innovative interpretations.
Her debut as a director—a performance video of her own work—was selected for the Berlin-based WomenCinemakers. Her collaborative performance received the Performing Arts Award at the KDCC Kitakyushu Digital Creators Contest. In 2021, she won the Grand Prix at the regional arts festival MMM for her community art project. In 2024, she was selected as a finalist for the international Arte Laguna Prize in Italy, and subsequently performed live in Venice.
In response to the global pandemic, Ekotumi created works addressing contemporary issues. Her covid19-20 project was a collaborative field recording music project conducted during lockdowns around the world. Her 360-degree kabuki hologram work Little God – Sukunabikona, which allowed for no-risk viewing during the pandemic, was exhibited in Belgium.
Dedicated to exploring the power and potential of femininity, she danced in a music video while nine months pregnant, a nude art series expressing the joy and anxiety of childbirth, and an NFT art project titled Maternity Eternity.
In 2024, she published a novel based on Japanese mythology through Gakken Publishing.
Currently, Ekotumi is active as a singular artist sharing Japanese mythology with the world.
Born in Tokyo. Graduated from Waseda University. Holds the highest level certification in Shinto Shrine Studies. A board member of SHOEHORN, a nonprofit supporting youth transitioning out of foster care.
Click here to download the detailed brochure on Ekotumi’s performance styles.
Photos
Major achievements - CV-
[ Education ]
・Waseda University, Tokyo — B.A. in Literature (one of Japan’s top private universities)
・Shinto Shrine Proficiency Test, Level 1 (Highest Rank)
[ Performances & Exhibitions (selected) ]
・Solo Performance in Tokyo, “Art Performance Between the Sky and the Earth” (2024, selected for Florence Biennale, Italy — declined due to travel cost)
・Performance in Venice, Arte Laguna Prize Finalist Exhibition (2024)
・Solo Performance in Tokyo, “The Sacred Sounds” (2022, selected work for Arte Laguna Prize, Venice)
・Solo Performance in London, Embassy of Japan official event, “New Translation Kojiki – Izanami” (2021)
・Exhibition at Château de La Vrardens, France, “Fragments du Japon” (2021)
・Performance at Kanda Myojin Shrine, “New Translation Kojiki – Okuninushi” (2020, held in a sacred shrine setting)
・Solo Performance in Vilnius, Lithuania, “New Translation Kojiki – Izanami” (2019)
Special support: City of Vilnius / Supported by Embassy of Japan in Lithuania / Endorsed by the Japan Foundation
・Performance at Tokyo Daijingu Shrine, “New Translation Kojiki – Izanagi & Izanami” (2018, held in a sacred shrine setting)
・Opening Performance, World Art Dubai (2017)
・Solo Performance in Paris, “New Translation Kojiki – Amaterasu” (2016)
・Exhibition in Paris, “Exposition dʼart contemporain Japonais <AUTOMNE>” (2015)
・Opening Performance, Japanese Film Festival in Florence (2009)
・Plus numerous tours in Switzerland, Belgium, Mongolia, and across Japan.
[ Publications/Work (selected) ]
・“The Songs of Still-Young Gods” (novel inspired by Japanese mythology), Gakken, 2024
・“Makura-no-Teishi” & “The Takeda Brothers” (short stories based on Japanese historical culture), Gakken, 2025
・“Dream Which You Can See in the Backside of Your Eyelids” (music video & short film), 2024
・“KOJIKI – Japanese Mythology –” (full album based on the Izanami–Izanagi myth), 2018
[ Awards ]
・Finalist, Arte Laguna Prize, International Art Competition (2023, Venice, Italy)
・Grand Prize, MMM Regional Arts Festival (2021-2022, Nakaminato, Ibaraki, Japan)
・Selected for WomenCinemakers Biennial 2018, International Film Competition (2018, Berlin, Germany)
・Winner, Performing Arts Category, KDCC Kitakyushu Digital Creator Contest (2018, Kitakyushu, Japan)
・Special Prize, Women Entrepreneur Contest (2018, Tokyo, Japan)
[ Grants (Selected) ]
・Minato City Cultural Project Grant (2024, Tokyo, Japan)
・Gyomu Super Japan Dream Foundation (2024, private cultural foundation, Japan)
・Minato City Industrial & Regional Promotion Division Grant (2023, Tokyo, Japan)
・Kansai–Osaka 21st Century Association (2021, public cultural foundation, Japan)
・Chiyoda City Cultural Project Grant (2019-2020, Tokyo, Japan)
・Japan Content Localization & Promotion Support Grant (2014-2019, Maxium, governmental cultural promotion program)
Artist Statement
When I sing, "I" do not sing.
I only listen to the voice of my body.
When I dance, "I" do not dance.
I just try not to let my body wander through the memory of the place.
In my body, there are an endless number of memories.
The memories from when I was born.
The blood when I fell down.
The sun on a day when I woke up unusually early.
The fearfulness when it strangled a part of my soul.
The songs when it made me fly forever and wherever.
All the stories until the present day have piled up in my inside, and that is why I exist here.
But that is not all.
Each story has its own context.
After I saw the beautiful twilight named, "Tasogare".
I knew the origin of this word " Who are you" and the story behind the word.
I looked up at the glorious moon and,
I noticed the ancient authors who composed WAKA, traditional Japanese poetry also saw this same moon.
I was born and continue to live in Japan, where mythology has been imbued in shrines and coexist with nature.
All of these things have piled up inside me and create my body and soul with dimly defined boundaries.
My body is filled with memories and stories of me and before me.
When I sing, "I" do not sing.
I only listen to the voice of my body.
When I sing, "I" do not sing.
When I dance, "I" do not dance.
I just try not to let my body wander through the memory of the place.
When I dance, "I" do not dance.