Maki Shinohara about the Kyrgyz

 Maki Shinohara. "I am convinced that the Japanese and Kyrgyz are kindred peoples!"

Upon arriving in Kyrgyzstan, I had the opportunity to see and hear a Kyrgyz ooz-komuz player perform at a public event. The beautiful, rich, flowing music portrayed the ancient world of the Kyrgyz people, their aspirations, values, joy, happiness, and struggle. Truly, music reveals the spiritual essence of a people, reflecting their inner world, experience, and history. I was surprised to hear the sounds of the Kyrgyz zhygach ooz-komuz, which sounded exactly like the mukkuri, a musical instrument of the Japanese Ainu. On the streets of Bishkek, I am often mistaken for a Kyrgyz, and people speak to me in languages ​​I, unfortunately, do not speak. But now I am convinced that the Japanese and Kyrgyz are kindred peoples! We are the descendants of a migratory people who spread ancient music and a rich culture across vast expanses of land and water.