Itsuki Lullaby
Encyclopedia
Itsuki Lullaby is a lullaby known widely in Japan, and is a folk song representative of Kyūshū
, Japan.
known to many people in Japan
. It is a folk song from Itsuki
Village, Kuma District
, Kumamoto Prefecture
, on Kyūshū
Island, Japan.
people came to settle after their defeat in the Genji-Heike War
in the Heian
period and later the Kamakura shogunate
sent their Genji
samurai families to watch over them, thus creating the rich Genji families and poorer Heike families.
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan.
General
The Itsuki Lullaby is a lullabyLullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
known to many people in 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...
. It is a folk song from Itsuki
Itsuki, Kumamoto
is a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.In 2006 the village had an estimated population of 1,388 and a density of 5.66 persons per km². The total area is 252.94 km²....
Village, Kuma District
Kuma District, Kumamoto
is a district located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.In 2003 the district had an estimated population of 64,552 and a density of 48.64 persons per square kilometer. The total area is 1,327.16 km².-Culture:...
, Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
, on Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
Island, Japan.
Lyrics
There are the most common version and the original version of this lullaby, sung in the Itsuki Village dialect.The most common version of itsuki lullaby
- Odoma bon-giri bonBon Festivalor just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...
-giri,
Bon kara sakya oran-do
Bon ga hayo kurya,
Hayo modoru.
- Odoma kanjin-kanjin,
Anhito-tacha yoka-shu
Yoka-hu yoka obiObi (sash)is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono...
,
Yoka kimon'KimonoThe is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
.
- I will be here until Bon FestivalBon Festivalor just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...
,
After Bon Festival, I will not be here.
If Bon Festival comes earlier,
I would return home earlier.
- I am from the poor families,
They are from the rich families.
The rich people wear good belts,
Wear good clothes.
| In Japanese | In English |
The original version
- Odoma iya iya,
Naku ko no mori nya.
Naku to iwarete uramareru,
Naku to iwarete uramareru.
- Nenne shita ko no
Kawai sa, muzo sa.
Okite naku ko no tsura niku sa.
Okite naku ko no tsura niku sa.
- I certainly hate
Taking care of the crying child.
They hate me for keeping the child to cry,
They hate me for keeping the child to cry.
- The sleeping child's
Cuteness and Innocent look!
The crying child's ugly look,
The crying child's ugly look.
| In Japanese | In English |
The Myth of the Itsuki Lullaby
Just recently, the myth of the Itsuki Lullaby is being discussed.The Discovery
The lullaby was "discovered" by a school teacher in 1935, long after the song ceased to be sung.The Lullaby by the baby sitters from the poor families
Its has long been believed that this song was sung by the baby sitters from the poor families. Itsuki was next to Gokanosho, where the HeikeHeike
Heike may refer to:* Heike clan, a Japanese clan name* Heikegani, a species of crab named after the Heike clan* Heike * The Tale of the Heike, an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century in the Genpei War...
people came to settle after their defeat in the Genji-Heike War
Genpei War
The was a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late-Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the fall of the Taira clan and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto Yoritomo in 1192....
in the Heian
Heian
The name Heian may mean:* Heian period, an era of Japanese history* Heian-kyō, the Heian Period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto* Heian series, a group of karate kata ....
period and later the Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
sent their Genji
Genji
was a after Bunkyū and before Keiō. This period spanned only slightly more than a single year from February 1864 through April 1865. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
samurai families to watch over them, thus creating the rich Genji families and poorer Heike families.
See also
- LullabyLullabyA lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
- Folk song
- ItsukiItsuki, Kumamotois a village located in Kuma District, Kumamoto, Japan.In 2006 the village had an estimated population of 1,388 and a density of 5.66 persons per km². The total area is 252.94 km²....
Village, Kuma DistrictKuma District, Kumamotois a district located in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.In 2003 the district had an estimated population of 64,552 and a density of 48.64 persons per square kilometer. The total area is 1,327.16 km².-Culture:...
, Kumamoto PrefectureKumamoto Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
, KyūshūKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
Island, JapanJapanJapan 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... - Other Japanese lullabies: Edo LullabyEdo LullabyEdo Lullaby is a traditional Japanese cradle song. It originated in Edo, was propagated to other areas, and is said to be the roots of the Japanese lullabies.-General:The Edo Lullaby is a traditional Japanese cradle song...
, Takeda LullabyTakeda LullabyTakeda Lullaby is a popular Japanese cradle song. It originated in Takeda, Fushimi, Kyoto.-General:This song has long been sung among the people in the burakumin areas of Kyoto and Osaka in a slightly different form for a long time...
, Chugoku Region LullabyChugoku Region LullabyChugoku Region Lullaby is a traditional folk song in Okayama Prefecture, Chugoku region, Japan, and is a well known Japanese cradle song.-General:...
, Shimabara LullabyShimabara LullabyShimabara Lullaby is a folk song-like lullaby by Kohei Miyazaki of Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.-General:Shimabara Lullaby was written in the early 1950s by Kohei Miyazaki . It is related to the Karayuki-san, the poor Japanese girls sold to work overseas as prostitutes, in Southern China,...
, etc.
External links
- http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Julian+Lloyd+Webber+itsuki (performance for cello and piano)
- The common version of Itsuki Lullaby（Sung by Shirley Yamaguchi, YouTube）
- The original version of Itsuki Lullaby（Sung by Yoshiko Dosaka, YouTube）
- An arrangement for voice, shakuhachi, piano, and crystal bowls