Kouta (music)

lit. 'little songs' (小唄) is a type of traditional Japanese music that originated in the red-light districts of Edo period (1603–1868) Japan, before developing further and experiencing wider popularity in the geisha districts that succeeded many red-light districts. Originally popularised by geisha as an alternative to (long songs),  are typically no longer than 3 minutes in length,  are played on the,  and are generally accompanied by singing and traditional dance.

History
The Japanese term has been used for a number of inconsistent musical styles throughout Japanese history, though the term is used in the modern day exclusively to refer to the style of short, informal songs first developed in the late Edo period (1603–1867) and popularised in the early Meiji period (1868–1912).

During the Heian period, the term was broadly applied to court songs performed by women such as  (woman of pleasure) and. This term was used in contrast to the (large songs) performed by male court musicians. In later centuries, compilations of short, lyrical songs known as were published; the first of these, entitled, was published in 1518.

The term was also used in Noh theatre, as well as accompanying early forms of kabuki performance. The, which had been introduced to Japan in 1600, had begun to accompany played for kabuki by 1650. By 1740, this style of music used for kabuki – referred to broadly as (dance music) – had evolved into the  style, short songs being too short to carry the now-longer dances of theatrical performances.

The style of performed in the present day originated in the late Edo period as short, improvised songs created by musicians already versed in the  (narrative music) styles of  music, including  (short songs). The first modern piece is said to have been composed in 1855 by  puppet theatre singer Kiyomoto Oyō (1840–1901), and was titled  (Those that fall float). Performing a piece in the  style at a faster tempo, Oyō would go on to compose a number of early, typically through borrowing lyrics from  (short songs from Kamigata),  (short songs from Edo) and  – a style of  music characterised as "classy" and "graceful", itself having resulted from governmental reforms aimed at suppressing the excessive erotic expression of late 17th century.

The conflation of genres in  became a key feature of the style, with a number of early  having separate versions in both  and. In the early Meiji period, were often creatively composed by a number of  performers, who, having inserted  pieces into their  performances, later extracted these sections to be performed alone, composing new pieces in this style with the use of imagery taken from the pleasure quarters. , needing few performers and taking under three minutes to perform, eventually grew into a popular musical tradition of its own right in the Meiji period, forming an independent genre.

Geisha
During the 18th century, had grown to become emblematic of the rising merchant  classes of Japan; by the end of the Edo period, these classes had come to favour geisha as the most fashionable female companions, in contrast to the beginning of the Edo period, where courtesans had been considered fashionable. These geisha sang at parties for guests, and became the centre of the popularity of, with all the early founders of modern  having been geisha from Tokyo. Beginning in the Meiji period, a number of geisha left the profession entirely to teach instead, both to geisha and members of the general public. These geisha would later go on to become the first in the early 20th century:


 * Kotama (1876–1941), name Hori Kotama: Kotama, who became the first  in 1917, was formerly a geisha in Shinbashi and a student of Yokayama Saki. Kotama founded a  in 1916, and founded the Hori  the following year, acting as the first.
 * Koteru, name Tamura Teru: The geisha Koteru of Nihonbashi established the Tamura  in 1920, and assumed name Tamura Teru as its  in the same year.
 * O-yū, name Yoshimura Yū: The geisha O-yū of Shinbashi founded the Yoshimura  in 1922, assuming the name Yoshimura Yū as its.
 * Kouta Kōbei: Kōbei became a in 1923
 * Kochō, name Tade Kochō: Kochō, a geisha in Yanagibashi, became a  in 1927, assuming the  name Tade Kochō and founding the Tade
 * Tsurusuke, name Kasuga Toyo: Asakusa geisha Tsurusuke became a  in 1930, and founded the Kasuga  in the same year.

In 1917, the first school for teaching opened in Tokyo. Students of extended from businessmen, artists, and politicians to office women and housewives. The original three schools of  correspond to three of the most well-known  of Tokyo in the Meiji period: the Tamura-ha  was founded by Nihonbashi geisha Koteru, who later became  Tamura Teru; the Tade-ha  was founded by Yanagibashi geisha Kochō, who became  Tade Kochō; and the Kasuga-ha  was founded by Asakusa geisha Tsurusuke, who became  Kasuga Toyo.

The resulting spread of throughout the general population, as well as the pleasure quarters, was as a direct result of these geisha leaving the profession to teach  full-time. were considered easy and relatively cheap to learn in comparison to other traditional forms of music, and could be composed quickly, with little need of others to perform fully.

By the early 20th century, had also grown to become a highly-varied music genre, and had long been a key aspect of the entertainment repertoire of geisha, with many  lyrics taking direct inspiration from the fashionable entertainment districts where they entertained. By this time, geisha either worked in districts separate from those of courtesans, or outnumbered them significantly within their district. Though the term the flower and willow world (花柳界) ostensibly referred to both courtesans and geisha living in the same district, courtesans had become a dying breed, and had not been viewed as the height of fashion and female companionship since the early Edo period.

By the late 1940s and early 1950s, the sheer number of students and teachers resulted in a boom'; in Tokyo, as many as over 200  teachers were said to be practicing by 1952, each with 50–60 students, and over 2,000 new  pieces were composed. This trend continued into the later 1950s, with a number of breaking away from larger  schools, resulting in 180  and their corresponding schools by 1972. In 2008, the number of was estimated to be over 200.

In the present day, the parties and performances of geisha are where the majority of performances are held. Some are directly linked to the, with one famous song, the Gion , directly referencing the appearance of the apprentice geisha found in the city's  of Gion.

Style
, alongside, fall into the category (lyrical music – vocalised music pieces based on native folk poetry) of the traditional  repertoire, as opposed to the  styles that  originated from. Most can be sung in under five minutes, with even the longest songs taking no longer than four minutes to sing. As with most traditional music, though  music notation does exist, most are learned by ear without notation.

The themes and lyrical content of vary widely, though they are considered to be more sentimental in content and style than longer ballads. Dalby (2000) notes that "many have a common structure in first sketching a natural scene, followed by a middle or pivot phrase which connects the description of nature to the last section, which talks of some human emotion. This technique is one commonly found in traditional poetry such as and haiku."

Despite their poetic nature, in the Edo period,, like geisha and the , were considered to be a relatively low-class form of entertainment, regardless of their wide popularity. Though their lyrics are often romantic and sometimes humorous, with refined themes of aestheticism, especially those focused on the theme of, can also be found.

Schools of study
A group of kouta teachers collectively make up a (school); schools of a city or metropolitan area form an association. Associations organise recitals in Western-style concert halls twice a year.

In the present day, are still studied by geisha, for whom  form an intrinsic part of their working lives, as well as wealthy housewives and high-level businessmen, who make take lessons in  for enjoyment, or to further their own skills to show off at parties. In previous decades, it was necessary for all geisha to learn and master, to some degree, and the  as part of their work; in the present day, only those who decide to specialise in the musical style and playing the  pursue study of  for any considerable length of time, though geisha who specialise in other arts, such as traditional dance, will still study  to aid in their studies of dance and performance.