Koto Melodies of Japan - Hogaku Yonin no Kai (The Four Players Group)

Capitol - ST 10523

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Awa Odori	阿波踊り	02'38	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	In the city of Tokushima on the island of Shikoku, the people have a customary dance that goes on for many days and nights in the summer season. It is called Awa-Odori, and this music based on that dance is not unlike the rhythmical music of a carnival.
2	Nanbu Ushioi Uta	南部牛追唄	03'42	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	In Iwate, near the eastern end of the Japanese mainland, this tune is sung by the people when they drive their cattle to pasture. The sound of the shakuhachi conveys the effect of pastoral scenery in a peaceful farming village.
3	Kiso Bushi	木曽節	03'10	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	In the middle part of the Japanese mainland there are the beautiful wooded Kiso Mountains. To all people who live in that district this tune is like a theme song. The music starts with a free arpeggio of koto. Next shakuhachi plays a melody which reminds us of a quiet heart of mountains. Then koto and seventeen-stringed koto change into a delightful melody that symbolizes the beginning of day.
4	Sado Okesa	佐渡おけさ	02'41	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	Near the Japan Sea coast of the middle part of the Japanese mainland there is a small island called Sado Island. In the old days it was famous for being an exiles' island and for its gold mine. Sado-Okesa is the most popular song among the people of this island. In the Bon Festival in summer the islanders form a circle and sing this song, dancing elegantly. The Festival is a traditional Japanese event when the dead's souls were once believed to return to this world. In the present days the festival still exists as a kind of recreation. The above-mentioned Awa-Odori and Kiso-Bushi, too, are danced in this festival.
5	Otemoyan	おてもやん	02'18	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	This is a song of the composer's birthplace -a district in Kyushu, the southern island of the Japanese mainland. Otemoyan is a girl's nickname. The humorous words tell about her marriage. The melody is comical, too.
6	Sōma Bon Odoriuta		03'26	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	Soma District, situated on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, is a three hours' ride by train from Tokyo to the east. It is famous for its production of rice and breeding of horses. This, too, is one of the tunes sung and danced in the Bon Festival.
7	Yasaburō Bushi	弥三郎節	02'40	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	This is sung in the Aomori Prefecture, at the eastern end of the Japanese mainland. It is a counting song ranging from No. 1 to No. 12, and it tells about how the mother of a man called Yasaburo bullied his wife. In spite of the gloominess of the words the melody is cheerful.
8	Hiroshimano Sendouta		04'04	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	The name of Hiroshima means much to people who pray for peace. A narrow channel between the coast of Hiroshima and Shikoku is called the Seto Straits. The beautiful sea there dotted with the small islands looks like a picture. The tune sung by boatmen of the strait matches with the tranquil scenery. Sounds of oars are imitated by pushing hard the strings of a koto.
9	Itsuki no Komoriuta	五木の子守唄	04'08	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	This, too, is a song of the composer's hometown. It is a lullaby of poor people living in the heart of the mountains. The melody of the first half is played by a low-pitched shakuhachi and the latter half with the instrument pitched an octave higher.
10	Owashi Bushi	尾鷲節	03'02	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	Owashi is a harbor town situated on the tip of the Kii Peninsula which stretches to the Pacific Ocean in the mid-part of the Japanese mainland. Until recently no railway had been laid to the town, and the only means of transportation had been boats. This rhythmical tune expresses the jovial atmosphere of a harbor town where much fish is caught.
11	Sōran Bushi	ソラン節	03'31	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	This tune, too, is connected with fishing. Fishermen of Hokkaieo, a big island lying east of the Japanese mainland, sang this song in celebration of a good catch of herring. It conveys the toughness of fishermen who fight against a cold stormy sea.
12	Hanagasa Odori	花笠踊り	02'30	Shakuhachi: Kitahara Kōzan II Koto: Yazaki Akiko Koto: Gotō Sumiko Koto: Kikuchi Teiko
	In the Bon Festival people of Yamagata Prefecture sing this tune and dance, holding sedge hats decorated with beautiful artificial flowers. It is a colorful sight. The district where this merry tune is sung is a fertile land and it is famous for its production of rice.