User:Wcheung/Sokyoku

Sōkyoku is a general term for koto music. In particular, it often refers to music played on the Tsukushi koto, which was developed in the early modern period. Sōkyoku can be divided into two main schools: the Ikuta-ryū and the Yamada-ryū. It is one of the three main traditional forms of Japanese music. In classical sōkyoku music, most of the pieces are ensemble pieces played on the koto and the shamisen (a three-stringed instrument played in accompaniment with the koto). These pieces are usually accompanied by singing. Therefore, a sōkyoku musician is often able to play three instruments: the shamisen, the koto, and the jikka (a type of vocal music). Musicians who only play the koto generally call themselves "koto players" or "koto performers".

Tsukushi-so
The Tsukushi-so is the ancestor of the modern-day Japanese koto music, which was completed by the talented Tsukushi Goto in the late Sengoku period and early Edo period. He was not only a Pure Land Buddhist monk but also a student of gagaku (ancient Japanese court music) and popular songs that were transmitted at the temple, as well as a student of the Chinese zither (qin) under Zheng Jiading, who was visiting Japan at the time. He created koto music based on these experiences, and this is what became known as Tsukushi-so. However, the music of Tsukushi-so was sophisticated and elegant, with less emphasis on entertainment, and placed great importance on etiquette, spirituality, and tuning based on the "ryo-onkai" scale, which is similar to gagaku music

Yatsuhashi school
One of the blind musicians belonging to the Toudouza school, who learned under Kenjun's disciple, Housui, was Yaegashi Kengyou. He was a master of the shamisen and the kokyuu, but the music of the shamisen already used a new folk music scale called the "tsufue-onkai". Yaegashi applied this scale to the koto and created a new tuning method for it, which was called the hirajoushi and kumoi-joushi, instead of the traditional "ritsu-onkai" tuning. From then on, hirajoushi became the most basic tuning method for the koto. He composed many new pieces of music using this new tuning method, which were more secular, contemporary, and highly artistic compared to Kenjun's "Chikushi-so" music. These pieces of music were widely accepted by society at that time. Yaegashi Kengyou's koto works consist of two types: "sokubushi-uta" (songs with koto accompaniment) and "danmono" (instrumental music), both of which have a well-structured musical form. Examples of his sokubushi-uta include "Fuki" and "Kumoi no Kyoku", while his danmono includes "Rokudan no Shirabe" (although there are different opinions on its composer). Compositions using these forms were created even after Yaegashi Kengyou. It should be noted that during Yaegashi Kengyou's time, koto music and shamisen music were separate and basically not played together. The Yaegashi school was inherited and developed by his disciples. The direct transmission of Yaegashi's teachings has been passed down for a long time and is still being taught today, albeit in a limited fashion.

Ikuta Ryu
After the era of Yatsuhashi Kengyo, the koto music was reformed and organized by Ikuta Kengyo in Kyoto during the Genroku era, following his predecessor Kitajima Kengyo. However, it is said that Ikuta inherited and made public the reforms that Kitajima had already been secretly carrying out. It is also said that Ikuta Kengyo began to incorporate koto accompaniment into jōgaku songs. Furthermore, the shape of the koto's plectrum was significantly changed to correspond to the techniques of the shamisen. However, during this period, similar developments were also occurring in other schools, such as the Keisho school of Tsugaru in Osaka. Therefore, it is said that the reforms were not necessarily carried out solely by Ikuta Kengyo. In addition, new schools such as Shin-Yatsuhashi-ryu and Fujiike-ryu were born in the Kansai region, but their differences were minor, and gradually converged into what could be called the "Ikuta-ryu system". The Ikuta-ryu system was divided into many branches and became widely practiced throughout Japan, mainly in Kyoto and Osaka, and extending from Nagoya to western Japan until the end of the Edo period.

Yamada-ryu
Compared to the flourishing koto music scene in the Kansai region, the koto was not very popular in Edo (Tokyo) until the middle of the Edo period, and there were few performers. To expand their influence in Edo, the chief inspector (sōkenjō) Yasumura Kengyō (who was appointed as sōkenjō in 1732) sent his disciple Hasegawa Tomi Kengyō to Edo to promote the Seiha-style koto music. One of Hasegawa's students, Yamada Shumei Kengyō, learned from the koto player Yamada Matagoro, who had incorporated the popular music style of Jōruri into his performances. Shumei Kengyō subsequently created new pieces of music that integrated Jōruri elements and established the Yamada school of koto music. Yamada was known for his beautiful voice and reportedly gained popularity by singing in public baths and showcasing his skills and music. He also attempted to improve the koto, and created a larger and louder instrument called the "Yamada Koto," which is still widely used in various branches of the Seiha-style koto music today. The Yamada school of koto music became popular in Edo due to its Jōruri-style elements, and it subsequently spread throughout eastern Japan, becoming one of the largest schools of koto music alongside the Seiha-style. The Yamada school's repertoire focuses on Jōruri-style songs such as the Ichimon section.

Integration with Jika and sankyoku ensemble
Afterwards, the composition of original koto pieces gradually declined within the Ikuta school of koto music, and it evolved through participating in massive numbers of jiuta songs as a part of the ensemble until the end of the Edo period. By relying on jiuta and following its lead, koto music advanced. In other words, many jiuta songs were arranged and played as a part of the koto ensemble, thus establishing koto music as a genre in its own right. This is how the integration of jiuta and koto music advanced. Furthermore, the huqin was added to the ensemble, and the combination of these three instruments became a common practice known as sankyoku. Later, the shakuhachi was also added, and in modern times, the combination of the shamisen, koto, and shakuhachi has become overwhelmingly prevalent in sankyoku performances. In the mid-Edo period, a musical form called "te-ji-mono" was completed, which emphasized the instrumental part in jiuta music, by Osaka's Minezaki Kodo, Mitsumibashi Kodo, and others. Following that, Matsura Kengyo, Ishikawa Kodo, Kikuoka Kengyo, and others from Kyoto composed numerous songs in the Kyoto jiuta style. Yaesaki Kengyo composed the koto part for these songs, which evolved into complex ensembles that enjoyed the flourishing of jiuta music. These songs composed in Kyoto are referred to as "Kyōmono" and "Kyō-ryū te-ji-mono," and were subsequently passed on to Kōzaki Kengyo, Yoshizawa Kengyo, Ikusen Kengyo, and others.

Makumatsu
In the later part of the Edo period, the development of koto music was further advanced by Kozaki Kinko and Yoshizawa Kengyo. Ground music, which had led the way until now, had already reached the peak of musical development, and musicians began to seek new developments in the koto and huqin. Thus, after a long time, koto music, which had moved away from ground music, began to be created again. Kozaki Kinko reviewed old koto music and composed "Akikaze no Kyoku," which combines kumiuta and danmono, and "Godan Kinuta," a complicated and refined high and low duet. Yoshizawa Kengyo, on the other hand, took inspiration from the banquet music of gagaku and created a tuning method called the ancient and modern tuning system. He composed "Chidori no Kyoku," "Haru no Kyoku," "Natsu no Kyoku," "Aki no Kyoku," and "Fuyu no Kyoku" using this tuning method. From this time on, koto music would continue to develop independently from sanxian music. It should be noted that the innovative ancient and modern tuning system devised by Yoshizawa Kengyo, and the composition based on it, are sometimes called "revivalism," as they aimed to return to the original koto music and made extensive use of waka poetry from the Kokinshu in the lyrics of the songs.

Since Meiji era
In the Meiji era, the independence of koto music from jikka (chanting) progressed, and many pieces called "Meiji Shin-kyoku" (new Meiji music) were composed for koto only, such as "Shinko-sou" by Terashima Kanno and "Chigo-zakura" by Kikuta Shoin. However, the musical form of these pieces mostly followed the jikka-mono (formal chamber music) of jikka, and music for shamiRelated topics/entries.Related topics/entries.Related topics/entries.Related topics/entries.sen and koto continued to be composed during this period.

Later in the Taisho and Showa eras, Miyagi Michio, who was rooted in tradition and influenced by Western music, created many new pieces. One of his most famous works is "Haru no Umi," a concerto for shakuhachi and koto. Miyagi also developed the 17-stringed koto (the standard koto has 13 strings) and the 80-stringed koto, which has a bass range like that of a cello. The 17-stringed koto is still widely used as a bass instrument in Japanese ensemble music, and solo pieces have also been created for it.

Especially in the late Taisho and early Showa eras, a new composition movement saw a great surge, and not only Miyagi but also Kuramoto Genchi, Nakamura Sohko, Machida Yoshinari, Nakanoshima Kinichi, and Takamori Kosan, among others, created numerous new pieces using new forms, instrumentation, and composition techniques, which are collectively known as "Shin-Nihon Ongaku" (new Japanese music).

After World War II, not only Japanese traditional music composers but also classical music composers who were previously unfamiliar with Japanese music began to participate in composition. From the perspective of contemporary music, the differences between classical music and Japanese music have gradually become less distinct, and the compositions in the Japanese music genre that are created in this way, not limited to koto music, are called "contemporary Japanese music". Even today, new compositions influenced by a wide range of genres such as Western classical music and popular music are being created, and in the world of sankyoku and koto music, these are called "contemporary pieces". As a recent trend, there has been an increase in compositions that are relatively close to popular music or have strong Asian elements.

Musical characteristics
As a modern Japanese traditional music genre, koto music originally emphasized songs as the most formal musical form, and even as it developed alongside jiuta music, many pieces were accompanied by vocals. Purely instrumental pieces were limited to only a few compositions such as "danmono" and "kizutemono" throughout the Edo period. However, in the later Edo period, the "tegomon" form of jiuta music, which emphasized the instrumental parts, developed significantly, and instrumental developments followed suit. On the other hand, Yamada-ryu koto music incorporates musical elements of Joruri puppet theater, so except for "danmono" and "yondan-kine," which are purely instrumental, almost all pieces have vocals. In the case of pieces with vocals, performers play while singing. Koto playing techniques incorporate the koto playing techniques of the gagaku koto through the Tsukushi koto. The use of nails on the three right-hand fingers remains unchanged. However, since the koto started playing with the shamisen, significant changes were made to the shape of the nails to accommodate the shamisen playing techniques. Among them, there are many techniques that are especially useful for the shamisen, such as "sukui," so the nails of the Ikuta-ryu and Yamada-ryu koto players can do that. In the early stages of the integration of jiuta music and koto music, many pieces had melodies that were almost identical to those of the jiuta shamisen. In addition, some compositions featured similar melodies played alternately by the shamisen and koto parts, known as "kakeai." Later on, more compositions featured intricate melodies that enhanced and embellished the melodies of the jiuta shamisen, known as "kaede." As compositions became more independent of jiuta music, pieces were created that featured unique koto playing techniques and melodies.

iconic compositions
"Rokudan no Shirabe" ("Sixth Stage"), "Hachidan no Shirabe" ("Eighth Stage"), "Midare" ("Disorder"), "Akikaze no Kyoku" ("Autumn Breeze"), "Godan Ginuta" ("Five-Stage Ginuta"), "Chidori no Kyoku" ("Plover's Song"), "Haru no Umi" ("Spring Sea"), "Natsu no Kyoku" ("Summer Music"), "Aki no Kyoku" ("Autumn Music"), "Fuyu no Kyoku" ("Winter Music"), "Shin-Kosugiyama", "Mizu no Hentai" ("Metamorphosis of Water"), "Haru no Umi" ("Spring Sea"), "Imayo", "Chigo Zakura" ("Young Cherry Blossom")

However, these are limited to compositions specifically created for koto music. In addition, the koto can be played in ensemble with almost all jiuta music. For more information, please refer to the jiuta music section. Additionally, the koto can also be played in ensemble with the huqin in accompaniment to huqin original compositions.


 * 三曲
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 * 吉沢検校
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 * 田口尚幸 - 『箏曲地歌五十選　歌詞解説と訳』を刊行
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