DOCUMENTARY: "EDOMAE: Satsuki - The Transcendental Flower of May"

EDOMAE is an epic documentary saga about the dying art form of traditional sushi, crafted by the last remaining generation of modern day samurai.

In this Pilot episode, we dive into the surreal and profound life of Itamae Toshio Suzuki and his legacy: SATSUKI, an exclusive 8-seat sushi bar in the heart of Times Square. We witness his diverse and intricate knowledge of Japanese arts, culture and history, as well as his extensive experience of over 50 years in handling fish, to his daily Sado (tea ceremony) and meditational activities that transcends into his sushi making practice.

The vision for the music soundtrack throughout the epic saga is to create and mesh the traditional Japanese and Western elements of melodies and harmonies that are simplistic in nature, while taking in the unique approaches and philosophies from the chefs as an inspiration — all of which goes into the beauty and art of sushi-making. One may feel the pulse and rhythm resembling waves of movements, with an illusion as if one is sitting in an intimate theatre setting, watching a beautiful performance art where a dance is being performed by a beautiful and talented Geisha.

The score will tie together classical western elements including instruments such as cello, violin, piano, orchestral strings and woodwinds, as well as traditional Japanese instruments such as the Koto, Shamisen and Shakuhachi; the three prominent instruments used during the Edo period when Edomae-sushi first stem its roots.

Cello solos will be featured throughout the composition given the wider sonic range and ways to explore. The instrument’s complexity in its beautifully deep and rich tone will produce melodies taking us back historically with Eastern (Japanese) harmonies to embody the beauty and art of sushi-making that originated from the period.

Violin, being in a higher register compared to the cello and having a more delicate sound, will deliver the texture and sweetness that brings the delicacy and tastiness of sushi. The piano will be used to structure the overall embedding compositions, transformative in ways using contemporary harmonies that aim to showcase the minimalistic approaches to the Japanese culture and cuisine.

Meanwhile, orchestral woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon) and the orchestral strings will be used to tell the story to add emotional layers and shape the form of the compositions cinematically. Furthermore, modern techniques such as using electronics, ambient textures, and sampling of instruments may be incorporated to creatively work around for a contemporary sounding score.

Starring: Toshio Suzuki, Kentaro Sawada, Michael Romano
Director: Eric Chang
Music: Deon Lee