Cosquín en Japón is a three-day Andean music

Andean music

Andean music comes from the general area inhabited by Quechuas, Aymaras and other peoples that lived roughly in the area of the Inca Empire prior to European contact. It includes folklore music of parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela...

 festival held annually in Kawamata, Fukushima

Kawamata, Fukushima

is a town located in Date District, Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 17,248 and a density of 135.11 persons per km². The total area is 127.66 km²....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

In 1955, , a resident of Kawamata and Andean music enthusiast, formed Norte Japón, otherwise known as the . In 1975 the Alliance held the first Cosquín en Japón event at the , with 13 amateur groups performing.

In 1981, the festival was moved to the Kawamata Central Public Hall, due to an increase in the number of performing groups, and in 2002 was expanded to become a three-day festival. Top performers and professionals from Japan and overseas now attend the festival, which is currently the largest Andean music festival in the country. In 2006, 161 groups performed, making it the largest Cosquín as of yet.

The name "Cosquín en Japón" is derived from the Cosquín Festival

Cosquín Festival

The Cosquín Folk Festival is one of the most important folk music festivals of Argentina, and most important in Latin America....

 held in Cosquín

Cosquin

Cosquin may refer toa place* Cosquín, Córdoba, a small town in Argentinaa surname* Emmanuel Cosquin , French folklorist....

, Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

.

International exchange

Increased awareness of Cosquín en Japón has deepened international ties with Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

 and the city of Cosquín

Cosquin

Cosquin may refer toa place* Cosquín, Córdoba, a small town in Argentinaa surname* Emmanuel Cosquin , French folklorist....

. During the Japanese hosting of the 2002 FIFA World Cup

2002 FIFA World Cup

The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...

, residents of Kawamata, at the urging of Argentina, formed a Japanese-style cheer club

Oendan

An , literally "cheering squad" or "cheering section", is a Japanese sports rallying team similar in purpose to a cheerleading squad in the United States, but relies more on making a lot of noise with taiko drums, blowing horns and other items, waving flags and banners, and yelling through plastic...

 to cheer on the Argentinian team.

The Argentinian ambassador

Ambassador

An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....

 to Japan and the mayor of Cosquín have paid visits to Kawamata. Residents of Kawamata, including the mayor, have also visited Cosquín. Since 1999, Cosquín en Japón has held an annual contest to send representatives of Japan to the original Cosquín Festival in Argentina.

Awards

• 1993
• 2001 Yasumitsu Naganuma designated an by the
• 2002 The awarded to Kawamata