Jiuta
Encyclopedia
Jiuta（地歌, 地唄, ぢうた） is a style of Japanese traditional music. In Edo period
, pieces which has this style was played by the shamisen
in Kamigata
region mainly. The name 'Jiuta' means "song ('歌' uta) of local ('地' ji = Kamigata in this case)", and suggests "not a song from Edo
". At
that period, Jiuta was performed, composed and instructed by Tōdōza
, group of blind men, hence Jiuta is also called 'Houshiuta'('法師唄' song of monk). Jiuta, as well as Nagauta
, is a typical 'Utaimono' - '歌いもの' vocal music in Japanese traditional music.
'Jiuta' has oldest origin in the area of shamisen
music, it is identified as ancestor of many shamisen music and had great influence to that genre throughout Edo period
. It can be regarded that Jōruri
and Nagauta
stem from Jiuta. Nowadays Jiuta has spread across Japan, and in its course it has been integrated to Soukyoku (musical piece for Koto
) and has strong tie with shakuhachi
and kokyu
.
Despite that many other form of shamisen music has been developed along with performing arts, such as Bunraku
and kabuki
, the form of Jiuta has strong character as pure instrumental music and is relatively independent from performing arts.
region in its early stage, then it was performed in Edo
around Genroku
era. Later Jiuta changed its form as musical accompaniment of Kabuki
in Edo, then the new form was called Nagauta
. Moreover, due to popularization of the music of Bunraku
, the original Jiuta came to have less occasion to be performed. Until the end of Edo period, Jiuta had spread around not only Kamigata but also, to the east, Nagoya, and to the west, Chūgoku region
, and Kyusyu region. After Meiji period
, again Jiuta was promoted toward Tokyo
(formerly Edo), then spread out rapidly. Today Jiuta is popular in traditional music field across Japan except Okinawa. However, in Tokyo, the impression of Jiuta is musical accompaniment of Jiutamai ('地歌舞' Jiuta dance), it is regarded that the music is composed according to the character of Jiutamai; elegant and quiet feeling. However, the truth is that Jiutamai was created as dance accompaniment of Jiuta, not opposite. The repertory of Jiutamai is only a part of Jiuta repertory, and Jiuta music itself requires more technical playing than other shamisen music, so that there are a lot of pieces which has strong character as instrumental music. Having said that, Jiuta also has character as a part of traditional vocal music and developed along with it.
(Chinese lute) arrived at Sakai
, Osaka
via Ryukyu when Sengoku period
was about to end, then blind musicians (Biwa hōshi
) at Tōdōza
improved the instrument and created shamisen
. They used the plectrum of Japanese bipa
to play shamisen, and it was the beginning of Jiuta as shamisen music.
Ishimura-Kengyo is particularly regarded as originator of shamisen music. After that, musicians , mainly at Tōdōza
, performed, composed and handed down Jiuta. The existing oldest piece is considered as a work of the early years of Edo period.
era, Nagauta
('長歌' long song), which has consistent story, appeared. Apparently, Kengyo ('検校' blind official often engaged in music) started to compose Nagauta in Edo. The famous composers are Asari-kengyo and Sayama-Kengyo, and it seems that before long composers in Kamigata also took this style for their work. In the course of time, Nagauta came to be used as musical accompaniment of Kabuki.
part of a song. This musical interlude, instrumental part between singing is called 'Tegoto' ('手事' performed by hand, not vocal), and this style is called 'Tegotomono' ('手事もの' thing of Tegoto).
In early stage of this emergence of Tegotomono, simple works were common, however this style developed hugely in late Edo period and got status as mainstream of Jiuta.
Hauta contains some elements of popular music and light music, this character of the style became the contact points between Jiuta and popular songs. Not only professional blind musicians, but also amateur
musicians composed this kind of pieces, and those works were generally lyrical piece. In the middle of 18th century, great number of Hauta were composed therefore sophisticated, and the center of that boom was Osaka
. Notable pieces were 'Yuki' ('雪' snow), 'Kurokami' ('黒髪' black hair), 'Tsuru no koe' ('鶴の声' voice of crane).
, koto
and kokyū
- from early years of Edo period, and all-inclusive term for those three instruments is
'Sankyoku
' ('三曲' piece for three).
Those three instruments developed its own course and musical genre individually (shamisen for Jiuta, koto for Soukyoku, kokyu for Kokyugaku), then ensemble including the three did not exist in early years. In Genroku era, Ikuta-kengyou in Kyoto
initiated the ensemble with shamisen and koto, hence Jiuta and 'Soukyoku' ('筝曲' piece for koto) developed concurrently afterward. Most of existing pieces are composed by shamisen then added koto part, so it can be regarded that Jiuta initially created as shamisen music, then Soukyoku came to develop with Jiuta concurrently or afterward.
In that course, kokyu was often used together with others, finally three instruments - shamisen, koto, kokyu - namely Sankyoku
ensemble ('三曲合奏') was born here.
. This was called Utaimono. And
From Genroku era to the end of 18th century, musical elements from Jōruri
was introduced into Jiuta.
Thus Jiuta has some relation with performing arts such as Noh and Jōruri.
Thus Sakumono is referred to special category within Jiuta field, and requires variety of highly trained technical skill.
Minesaki-koutou, active in the end of 18th century in Osaka, achieved success in the Tegotomono field. He defined Tegoto as long and technical instrumental part within a piece and composed great number of
pieces which focused on shamisen's technical playing. His follower, Mitsuhashi-koutou, increased Tegoto part within a piece then Tegoto became longer and full of variety than ever; thus Jiuta came to have
emphasized instrumental part in the course of its development.
era, Ichiura-kengyo from Osaka elaborated the ensemble playing of koto. Most compositions had been almost unison in koto ensemble, then he started polyphonic composition. Polyphonic part (or rather, it should be called counterpoint, maybe) is called 'Kaete' ('替手' to change hand). Yaezaki-kengyo sophisticated this style. Ensemble playing of shamisen was also popular in that era, and Kaete for shamisen was also composed. Another similar style was 'uchiawase'; composition of another piece based on original piece to play at the same time.
. At first, Matsuura-kengyo composed number of sophisticated Tegotomono in a Kyoto-style, since then, Tegotomono which was composed in Kyoto was called 'Kyoumono' ('京もの' thing of Kyoto) or 'Kyouryu Tegotomono' ('京流手事もの' Tegotomono in Kyoto-style). Moreover, Kikuoka-kengyo (1792 - 1847） composed Tegotomono and contributed its development in Kyoto. Yaezaki-kengyo (1776 - 1848), who was also active in same era, composed koto part of most pieces and arranged Kikuoka's composition. Those two musician contributed greatly to the develompment. It is not too much to say they created the best days of Jiuta, and at the same time, they integrated Jiuta and Soukyoku together. Here Jiuta reached the perfection of its craft as to shamisen-used music.
In the last years of Edo period, Jiuta became popular across Japan and each local style was introduced to.
era, Soukyoku developed independently, and composition of Jiuta declined. Obviouly, all the jiuta composition did not disappeared, some composers existed created their own works, however tunes composed only for koto increased overwhelmingly. The reasons for this trend can be described as following: Jiuta music then had already reached its perfection and Koto could easily deal with the tonal scale elements from western music and chinese music. And cheerful and fresh sprit of that era was suitable for the tone of koto better than shamisen, whose tone then reminded people of love affair and pleasure districts.
And also, since the new government dissolved Todoza, musicians there lost their status, protected by privileged system, and musical activity accordingly. This was a big change in that era.
Thus kengyos who lost their authority faced hardship, they had to earn their living by appearing in popular theater. Meanwhile, jiuta music had a chance again to be well-known by general people specifically in eastern part of Japan such as Tokyo, where jiuta was not so much performed. Many musicians from western part of Japan, such as Kyusyu region and Osaka, found their way to Tokyo.
Later, after the period that western things were valued exclusively had gone, jiuta became a popular music spread whole of country as well as soukyoku and shakuhachi, and got wide range of listeners. Meanwhile, new composition of jiuta reduced. However, koto has been engaged in a major role instead of shamisen, and pieces in jiuta-style accompanied by shamisen has been composed not a few. Notable composer is Michio Miyagi
.
Up to today, composers has tried to introduce various forms (such as western classical music sonata) to jiuta style. Today Sankyoku ensemble consists of shamisen
, koto
and shakuhachi
. Shakuhachi has replaced major role of kokyu
in Sankyoku ensemble nowadays. Obviously, Sankyoku ensemble with kokyu did not disappeared at all, kokyu is also used today as well.
Few pieces are pure instrumental pieces, without vocal. Some instrumental pieces for koto, called 'Danmono' ('段もの' things of parts and verses), are arranged for shamisen. Not a few pieces in this style have highbrow artistry as pure instrumental music, not as simple description of nature and emotion.
Frequent modulation
Most pieces have modulation at least once even if the piece is short, and pieces more than medium duration have frequent modulation. Common modulations are dominant key and sub-dominant key, however not always.
Most pieces more than medium duration have tuning change in middle of the tune at least once. Long pieces change tuning almost twice, and three times is not a few. The purpose of tuning change is for modulation and to change the mood of sound.
) or 'Houshiuta'('法師唄' song of monk) played by group of blind man, see Tōdōza
.
After middle ages of Edo period, Sankyoku - Jiuta, soukyoku, kokyugaku - started to contain common pieces to play in ensemble, then integrated themselves gradually, finally consolidated each other.
After last ages of Edo period, Soukyoku, which had been developing along with Jiuta, marked advanced development, thus Jiuta sometimes is included to Soukyoku. However original Jiuta was created for shamisen music, early koto oriented music such as 'Rokudan no shirabe' accordingly is not a Jiuta in origin.
Below are some examples.
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, pieces which has this style was played by the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
in Kamigata
Kamigata
Kamigata is a region of Japan referring to the cities of Kyoto and Osaka; the term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo period urban culture such as ukiyo-e and kabuki, and when making a comparison to the urban culture of the Edo/Tokyo region.Kabuki, ukiyo-e, and many of the other...
region mainly. The name 'Jiuta' means "song ('歌' uta) of local ('地' ji = Kamigata in this case)", and suggests "not a song from Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
". At
that period, Jiuta was performed, composed and instructed by Tōdōza
Todoza
The was a Japanese guild for blind men, established in the 14th century by the biwa hōshi . Members performed a variety of roles, as itinerant musicians, masseurs, and acupuncturists. It received the patronage of the Muromachi and Edo shogunates, and remained active until the Meiji restoration,...
, group of blind men, hence Jiuta is also called 'Houshiuta'('法師唄' song of monk). Jiuta, as well as Nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
, is a typical 'Utaimono' - '歌いもの' vocal music in Japanese traditional music.
'Jiuta' has oldest origin in the area of shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
music, it is identified as ancestor of many shamisen music and had great influence to that genre throughout Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. It can be regarded that Jōruri
Joruri
can refer to:*Jōruri , a type of sung narrative with shamisen accompaniment, typically found in Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre.*Jōruri , an opera by Japanese composer Miki Minoru.*Jōruri-ji , a Buddhist temple near Nara....
and Nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
stem from Jiuta. Nowadays Jiuta has spread across Japan, and in its course it has been integrated to Soukyoku (musical piece for Koto
Koto
Koto may refer to:*Koto , a Japanese musical instrument*Koto , a traditional dress made by Creole women in Suriname*Koto , Italian/Dutch synth pop group*Kōtō, Tokyo, a ward in Tokyo, Japan...
) and has strong tie with shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
and kokyu
Kokyu
The is a traditional Japanese string instrument, the only one played with a bow. Although it was introduced to Japan from China along with the shamisen, its material, shape, and sound are unique to Japan...
.
Despite that many other form of shamisen music has been developed along with performing arts, such as Bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
and kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
, the form of Jiuta has strong character as pure instrumental music and is relatively independent from performing arts.
Overview
As a form of shamisen music, Jiuta was establishd in KamigataKamigata
Kamigata is a region of Japan referring to the cities of Kyoto and Osaka; the term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo period urban culture such as ukiyo-e and kabuki, and when making a comparison to the urban culture of the Edo/Tokyo region.Kabuki, ukiyo-e, and many of the other...
region in its early stage, then it was performed in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
around Genroku
Genroku
was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from September 1688 through March 1704. The reigning emperor was .The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo Period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative...
era. Later Jiuta changed its form as musical accompaniment of Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
in Edo, then the new form was called Nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
. Moreover, due to popularization of the music of Bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
, the original Jiuta came to have less occasion to be performed. Until the end of Edo period, Jiuta had spread around not only Kamigata but also, to the east, Nagoya, and to the west, Chūgoku region
Chugoku region
The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...
, and Kyusyu region. After Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
, again Jiuta was promoted toward Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(formerly Edo), then spread out rapidly. Today Jiuta is popular in traditional music field across Japan except Okinawa. However, in Tokyo, the impression of Jiuta is musical accompaniment of Jiutamai ('地歌舞' Jiuta dance), it is regarded that the music is composed according to the character of Jiutamai; elegant and quiet feeling. However, the truth is that Jiutamai was created as dance accompaniment of Jiuta, not opposite. The repertory of Jiutamai is only a part of Jiuta repertory, and Jiuta music itself requires more technical playing than other shamisen music, so that there are a lot of pieces which has strong character as instrumental music. Having said that, Jiuta also has character as a part of traditional vocal music and developed along with it.
Introduction of shamisen and origin of Jiuta
It can be regarded that introduction of shamisen and the birth of Jiuta occurred at the almost same time, therefore Jiuta has longest history among shamisen music. SanxianSanxian
The sanxian is a Chinese lute — a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snakeskin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes for different purposes and in the late 20th century a...
(Chinese lute) arrived at Sakai
Sakai
Sakai most often refers to one of the following:*Sakai, Osaka, a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan*Sakai , Japanese surnames written with various kanji*Sakai Project, an open-source educational and research software project...
, Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
via Ryukyu when Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
was about to end, then blind musicians (Biwa hōshi
Biwa hoshi
Biwa hōshi , also known as "lute priests" were travelling performers in the era of Japanese history preceding the Meiji period. They earned their income by reciting vocal literature to the accompaniment of biwa music. Often blind, they adopted the shaved heads and robes common to Buddhist monks...
) at Tōdōza
Todoza
The was a Japanese guild for blind men, established in the 14th century by the biwa hōshi . Members performed a variety of roles, as itinerant musicians, masseurs, and acupuncturists. It received the patronage of the Muromachi and Edo shogunates, and remained active until the Meiji restoration,...
improved the instrument and created shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
. They used the plectrum of Japanese bipa
Bipa
The bipa is a pear-shape lute that is a traditional Korean musical instrument which is related to the Chinese pipa, the Vietnamese đàn tỳ bà and the Japanese biwa. Attempts to revive it have failed due to fact that there are no existing professional players .In the past, there were two types of...
to play shamisen, and it was the beginning of Jiuta as shamisen music.
Ishimura-Kengyo is particularly regarded as originator of shamisen music. After that, musicians , mainly at Tōdōza
Todoza
The was a Japanese guild for blind men, established in the 14th century by the biwa hōshi . Members performed a variety of roles, as itinerant musicians, masseurs, and acupuncturists. It received the patronage of the Muromachi and Edo shogunates, and remained active until the Meiji restoration,...
, performed, composed and handed down Jiuta. The existing oldest piece is considered as a work of the early years of Edo period.
Emergence of Nagauta
Around GenrokuGenroku
was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from September 1688 through March 1704. The reigning emperor was .The years of Genroku are generally considered to be the Golden Age of the Edo Period. The previous hundred years of peace and seclusion in Japan had created relative...
era, Nagauta
Nagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
('長歌' long song), which has consistent story, appeared. Apparently, Kengyo ('検校' blind official often engaged in music) started to compose Nagauta in Edo. The famous composers are Asari-kengyo and Sayama-Kengyo, and it seems that before long composers in Kamigata also took this style for their work. In the course of time, Nagauta came to be used as musical accompaniment of Kabuki.
Emergence of Tegotomono
Another tide around this era, instrumental aspect was focused intensively as well as vocal composition, so that pieces took a instrumental part without vocal, typically it was located in the middlepart of a song. This musical interlude, instrumental part between singing is called 'Tegoto' ('手事' performed by hand, not vocal), and this style is called 'Tegotomono' ('手事もの' thing of Tegoto).
In early stage of this emergence of Tegotomono, simple works were common, however this style developed hugely in late Edo period and got status as mainstream of Jiuta.
Emergence of Hauta and its boom
Miscellaneous pieces which are not categorized as above were also composed. These kind of pieces are called 'Hauta' ('端歌' marginal song).Hauta contains some elements of popular music and light music, this character of the style became the contact points between Jiuta and popular songs. Not only professional blind musicians, but also amateur
musicians composed this kind of pieces, and those works were generally lyrical piece. In the middle of 18th century, great number of Hauta were composed therefore sophisticated, and the center of that boom was Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
. Notable pieces were 'Yuki' ('雪' snow), 'Kurokami' ('黒髪' black hair), 'Tsuru no koe' ('鶴の声' voice of crane).
Sankyoku and Sankyoku ensemble
Originally, blind musicians were engaged in three instruments used in Jiuta - shamisenShamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
, koto
Koto
Koto may refer to:*Koto , a Japanese musical instrument*Koto , a traditional dress made by Creole women in Suriname*Koto , Italian/Dutch synth pop group*Kōtō, Tokyo, a ward in Tokyo, Japan...
and kokyū
Kokyu
The is a traditional Japanese string instrument, the only one played with a bow. Although it was introduced to Japan from China along with the shamisen, its material, shape, and sound are unique to Japan...
- from early years of Edo period, and all-inclusive term for those three instruments is
'Sankyoku
Sankyoku
Sankyoku is a form of Japanese chamber music played on the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, often with a vocal accompaniment .-See also:*Music of Japan*Koto *Shakuhachi*Shamisen*Kokyu...
' ('三曲' piece for three).
Those three instruments developed its own course and musical genre individually (shamisen for Jiuta, koto for Soukyoku, kokyu for Kokyugaku), then ensemble including the three did not exist in early years. In Genroku era, Ikuta-kengyou in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
initiated the ensemble with shamisen and koto, hence Jiuta and 'Soukyoku' ('筝曲' piece for koto) developed concurrently afterward. Most of existing pieces are composed by shamisen then added koto part, so it can be regarded that Jiuta initially created as shamisen music, then Soukyoku came to develop with Jiuta concurrently or afterward.
In that course, kokyu was often used together with others, finally three instruments - shamisen, koto, kokyu - namely Sankyoku
Sankyoku
Sankyoku is a form of Japanese chamber music played on the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, often with a vocal accompaniment .-See also:*Music of Japan*Koto *Shakuhachi*Shamisen*Kokyu...
ensemble ('三曲合奏') was born here.
Emergence of Utaimono and influence from Noh and Jōruri
At the end of 18th century, Fujio-koutou (’勾当’ koutou is blind official, lower class than kengyo) composed a lot of pieces which contains lyrics and stories from NohNoh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
. This was called Utaimono. And
From Genroku era to the end of 18th century, musical elements from Jōruri
Joruri
can refer to:*Jōruri , a type of sung narrative with shamisen accompaniment, typically found in Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre.*Jōruri , an opera by Japanese composer Miki Minoru.*Jōruri-ji , a Buddhist temple near Nara....
was introduced into Jiuta.
Thus Jiuta has some relation with performing arts such as Noh and Jōruri.
Emergence of Sakumono
Around same time, a genre called 'Sakumono' ('作もの') emerged. This genre has comical contents. For example, animals such as rat, snail and raccoon dog are protagonists and make effort to escape from difficult situations. Narrativity dominates this genre and sound effects are used.Thus Sakumono is referred to special category within Jiuta field, and requires variety of highly trained technical skill.
Maturity of Tegotomono
As written above, from the middle to the end of Edo period, pieces which have high musical achievement were composed. Long interlude, instrumental part between blocks of vocal part called Tegoto especially developed and a lot of pieces in this field, called Tegotomono, have been handed down.Minesaki-koutou, active in the end of 18th century in Osaka, achieved success in the Tegotomono field. He defined Tegoto as long and technical instrumental part within a piece and composed great number of
pieces which focused on shamisen's technical playing. His follower, Mitsuhashi-koutou, increased Tegoto part within a piece then Tegoto became longer and full of variety than ever; thus Jiuta came to have
emphasized instrumental part in the course of its development.
Beginning of polyphonic composition and development of ensemble
Around BunkaBunka
was a after Kyōwa and before Bunsei. The period spanned the years from January 1804 to April 1818. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
era, Ichiura-kengyo from Osaka elaborated the ensemble playing of koto. Most compositions had been almost unison in koto ensemble, then he started polyphonic composition. Polyphonic part (or rather, it should be called counterpoint, maybe) is called 'Kaete' ('替手' to change hand). Yaezaki-kengyo sophisticated this style. Ensemble playing of shamisen was also popular in that era, and Kaete for shamisen was also composed. Another similar style was 'uchiawase'; composition of another piece based on original piece to play at the same time.
Major development of Kyoumono
Later, major stream of Tegotomono composition moved to KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. At first, Matsuura-kengyo composed number of sophisticated Tegotomono in a Kyoto-style, since then, Tegotomono which was composed in Kyoto was called 'Kyoumono' ('京もの' thing of Kyoto) or 'Kyouryu Tegotomono' ('京流手事もの' Tegotomono in Kyoto-style). Moreover, Kikuoka-kengyo (1792 - 1847） composed Tegotomono and contributed its development in Kyoto. Yaezaki-kengyo (1776 - 1848), who was also active in same era, composed koto part of most pieces and arranged Kikuoka's composition. Those two musician contributed greatly to the develompment. It is not too much to say they created the best days of Jiuta, and at the same time, they integrated Jiuta and Soukyoku together. Here Jiuta reached the perfection of its craft as to shamisen-used music.
Improvement of shamisen plectrum
Around this era, Tsuyama-kengyo from Osaka invented improved plectrum used in Jiuta playing.Emergence of independent Soukyoku
Mitsusaki-kengyo, junior fellow of Kikuoka-kengyo, was active then. He was also a pupil of Yaezaki-kengyo. He focused on the koto because it had possibility to develop more than Jiuta, which had developed very enough and seemed there had been a little room to develop further. He composed some pieces featuring koto solo, and this became a trigger to develop Soukyoku indepently. Yoshizawa-kengyo took over and promoted this movement, then began to develop gradually.Integrated parts
Mitsusaki-kengyo composed traditional Jiuta, and in his original works, he composed both parts of shamisen and koto by him, only one composer, it was first time in the history. Thus the instrumental parts were integrated and refined. His junior followers also took over this method. One of his follower, Yoshizawa-kengyo went further; he composed three instrumental parts of shamisen, koto and kokyu by only himself.In the last years of Edo period, Jiuta became popular across Japan and each local style was introduced to.
Disorder after the Meiji Restoration and popularization of Jiuta
In MeijiMeiji
Meiji may refer to:* Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji period* Meiji period - the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned...
era, Soukyoku developed independently, and composition of Jiuta declined. Obviouly, all the jiuta composition did not disappeared, some composers existed created their own works, however tunes composed only for koto increased overwhelmingly. The reasons for this trend can be described as following: Jiuta music then had already reached its perfection and Koto could easily deal with the tonal scale elements from western music and chinese music. And cheerful and fresh sprit of that era was suitable for the tone of koto better than shamisen, whose tone then reminded people of love affair and pleasure districts.
And also, since the new government dissolved Todoza, musicians there lost their status, protected by privileged system, and musical activity accordingly. This was a big change in that era.
Thus kengyos who lost their authority faced hardship, they had to earn their living by appearing in popular theater. Meanwhile, jiuta music had a chance again to be well-known by general people specifically in eastern part of Japan such as Tokyo, where jiuta was not so much performed. Many musicians from western part of Japan, such as Kyusyu region and Osaka, found their way to Tokyo.
Later, after the period that western things were valued exclusively had gone, jiuta became a popular music spread whole of country as well as soukyoku and shakuhachi, and got wide range of listeners. Meanwhile, new composition of jiuta reduced. However, koto has been engaged in a major role instead of shamisen, and pieces in jiuta-style accompanied by shamisen has been composed not a few. Notable composer is Michio Miyagi
Michio Miyagi
was a Japanese musician, famous for his koto playing.He was born in Kobe. He lost his sight in 1902, when he was 8 years old, and started his study in koto under the guidance of Nakajima Kengyo II, dedicating the rest of his life to the instrument. In 1907 he moved with his family to Incheon, in...
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Up to today, composers has tried to introduce various forms (such as western classical music sonata) to jiuta style. Today Sankyoku ensemble consists of shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
, koto
Koto
Koto may refer to:*Koto , a Japanese musical instrument*Koto , a traditional dress made by Creole women in Suriname*Koto , Italian/Dutch synth pop group*Kōtō, Tokyo, a ward in Tokyo, Japan...
and shakuhachi
Shakuhachi
The is a Japanese end-blown flute. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism in the practice of...
. Shakuhachi has replaced major role of kokyu
Kokyu
The is a traditional Japanese string instrument, the only one played with a bow. Although it was introduced to Japan from China along with the shamisen, its material, shape, and sound are unique to Japan...
in Sankyoku ensemble nowadays. Obviously, Sankyoku ensemble with kokyu did not disappeared at all, kokyu is also used today as well.
Introspective pieces
Most pieces has been composed by blind musicians, thus jiuta is regarded as expression of emotion, not visual impression. And jiuta has developed as pure musical style without relation with performing arts, general expression accordingly is introspective and delicate, dramatic expression is less.Polyphonic and diverse ensemble playing
Jiuta has strongest aspects as instrumental ensemble among modern Japanese traditional music, most of the pieces are played in ensemble. Along with the progress of Tegotomono, polyphonic and complex ensemble playing has developed. Most pieces has each parts for shamisen, koto and shakuhachi, and not a few pieces have kaete (counterpoint) part for shamisen.Strong instrumental feature
Tegotomono, which has long instrumental interlude without vocal part, is performed most often and most jiuta pieces are in this style. This is due to the feature that Tegoto, instrumental part, is focused more than vocal part, and some pieces are required to make full use of 3 octave range of shamisen, thus technical side of the instrument has developed well.Few pieces are pure instrumental pieces, without vocal. Some instrumental pieces for koto, called 'Danmono' ('段もの' things of parts and verses), are arranged for shamisen. Not a few pieces in this style have highbrow artistry as pure instrumental music, not as simple description of nature and emotion.
Wide range of octaves
There exists some Tegotomono which requires up to use of 3 octaves, or 3 octaves and 3 degree in a most extreme case.Techniques that requires high and fine skill
There are extensive use of ornament techniques such as portamento, tremolo in Tegoto, and some other special techniques to express the nature sound such as sound of wind or insects. Meanwhile, percussive technique, which creates dramatic effect in playing for performing arts, is rare. Frequent modulationModulationIn electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...
and tuningTuningTuning can refer to:* Musical tuning, musical systems of tuning, and the act of tuning an instrument or voice** Guitar tunings** Piano tuning, adjusting the pitch of pianos using a tuning fork or a frequency counter* Radio tuning...
change
Most pieces have modulation at least once even if the piece is short, and pieces more than medium duration have frequent modulation. Common modulations are dominant key and sub-dominant key, however not always.Most pieces more than medium duration have tuning change in middle of the tune at least once. Long pieces change tuning almost twice, and three times is not a few. The purpose of tuning change is for modulation and to change the mood of sound.
Articulation
Singing usually uses stretch of each one note and its long vowel tone accompanies certain articulation. Hautamono especially features skill of articulation. And also, some Tegotomono pieces focus on the articulation of singing. Vocal melody is based on the intonation of dialect of Kansai, where Jiuta was born in.Vocal melody employs wide range of octaves
Usually about 2 octaves. Character of piece decides whether to use high tones more often or low tones, it depends on the intent of the song, for example, a song for woman, or for requiem.Less dramatic expression
Jiuta has developed without having relation with performing arts, thus dramatic expression is less used.Misc
In early modern Japanese music which involve the use of shamisen, one of the feature is to sing to player's own shamisen accompaniment. Jiuta flourished in Kyoto and Osaka region, thus called 'Kamigatauta'('上方唄' song of KamigataKamigata
Kamigata is a region of Japan referring to the cities of Kyoto and Osaka; the term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo period urban culture such as ukiyo-e and kabuki, and when making a comparison to the urban culture of the Edo/Tokyo region.Kabuki, ukiyo-e, and many of the other...
) or 'Houshiuta'('法師唄' song of monk) played by group of blind man, see Tōdōza
Todoza
The was a Japanese guild for blind men, established in the 14th century by the biwa hōshi . Members performed a variety of roles, as itinerant musicians, masseurs, and acupuncturists. It received the patronage of the Muromachi and Edo shogunates, and remained active until the Meiji restoration,...
.
After middle ages of Edo period, Sankyoku - Jiuta, soukyoku, kokyugaku - started to contain common pieces to play in ensemble, then integrated themselves gradually, finally consolidated each other.
After last ages of Edo period, Soukyoku, which had been developing along with Jiuta, marked advanced development, thus Jiuta sometimes is included to Soukyoku. However original Jiuta was created for shamisen music, early koto oriented music such as 'Rokudan no shirabe' accordingly is not a Jiuta in origin.
Classification of pieces
Great number of pieces and long history make Jiuta have many sub-styles. Thus classification is done by not only musical style, but also variety of viewpoint, accordingly a piece can belong to different class.Below are some examples.
- Class for musical style
- Nagauta （'長歌' songs with solid story, long pieces are common）
- Hauta （'端歌' miscellaneous pieces, relatively short and lyrical pieces）
- Tegotomono （'手事物' pieces with Tegoto part）
- Instrumental piece （without vocal part）
- Class for musical content and feeling
- Sakumono （'作もの' pieces with comical stories, often employs Tegoto）
- Shishimono （'獅子もの' pieces which has postfix 'shishi', which means lion, to its title, features solemn and splendour feeling. All the pieces of this type belong to Tegotomono）
- Class for location
- Osakamono （'大阪もの' Tegotomono composed in Osaka）
- Kyomono （'京もの' Tegotomono composed in Kyoto）
- Nagoyamono （'名古屋もの' pieces composed by Yoshizawa-kengyo and his followers）
- Kyusyumono （'九州もの' pieces composed in Kyusyu）