Azuma Jishi
吾妻獅子
| [Genre] | Jiuta |
| [Style] | Tegotomono |
| [School] | Ikuta Ryû - 生田 |
| [Composed] | Minezaki Kōtō - Shamisen |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| Minezaki of Osaka, a great composer of jiuta (a vocal style accompanied by the shamisen), perfected the tegoto-mono form towards the end of the eighteenth century. In this form, songs are connected with one another by virtuoso instrumental interludes (tegoto). Azuma-jishi is one of Minezaki's tegoto-mono masterpieces. The main tegoto of the present piece consists of five sections (dan), and depicts primarily the lion (shishi) dancing in a wild delirium of joy. Hence the title Azuma-jishi, 'Lion of the East.' |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| From olden days Men have spoken of him- The lady-killer Who goes east from the capital- On his way, the very pine trees Pine for him- On Mt. Fuji's peak, Snow white Flowers-like his outfit And speech, redolent of the Yoshiwara (1). Tamed by the peony flowers On your robes, This lion takes flowers From his wealth Even his fiery temper Is beloved. Love and be loved A thousand ages... Wearing separate clothes After the exchange of loves, In threads of music my heart Is as tangled as my hair. Singing on love's road, The bedewed spring, too- It's over! Music mirrored In the dancer's fan. Gorgeously, Wildly, passionately, This lion also plays In the Way of Wedlock- May this world Be unshakeable For generations. (1) Yoshiwara was the entertainment, pleasure quarter and cultural center of Edo (Old Tokyo). | Mukashi yori iinarawaseshi azuma-kudari no mameotoko shitoo tabiji ya matsugae no (ai) fuji no takane ni shirotae no (ai) hana no sugata ni oshiwara-namari kimi ga mi ni soo botan ni narete ono ga fuuki wo hana to nomi yatake-gokoro mo nikukarazu (ai) omoi omoo chiyo made mo nasake ni kawasu kinuginu no (ai) itotake ni kokoro midare-gami (ai) utoo koiji ni tsuyu soo haru mo kuretake ya kazoo oogi ni utsusu kyoku (tegoto) Hanayaka ni midare midaruru imose no michi ni shishi mo asobite ikuyo made (ai) Kawaranu yo koso medetakere |
Azuma Jishi appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
 | Bamboo In Zen |
Shakuhachi : Alcvin Ryuzen Ramos |
| Ensemble Nipponia - Japan Traditional Vocal and Instrumental Music |
Shakuhachi : Miyata Kōhachirō | |
|
Azuma Lion Dance This is an excerpt from a late- 18th-century composition that lasts 25 minutes in its entirety Composed originally for voice and koto, it is heard here in a version that also includes shamisen and shakuhachi; the three instruments represent one of the most popular instrumental combinations in Japanese music. This work also makes use of a somewhat modified form of the first variation of Rokudan - heard at the first entrance of the shakuhachi, which plays from the shakuhachi transcription of Rokudan, rather than the original koto version. | ||
| Fujii Kunie, The World of Shamisen and Jiuta Singing 3 |
Shamisen : Inoue Michiko Voice : Fujii Kunie Shamisen : Fujii Kunie | |
| In Dead Earnest Part 2 |
Shakuhachi : Ishikawa Toshimitsu |
| Inoue Michiko no Shigei - Volume 1 |
Shamisen : Inoue Michiko Shamisen : Togashi Noriko | |
| Japanese Traditional Shakuhachi |
Shakuhachi : Yokoyama Katsuya |
|
One of the Gaikyoku (outside pieces) included in the Honkyoku repertoire along with another similar sample Kumoi jishi. Piece for consolation.
| ||
| Katsuya Yokoyama Plays Shakuhachi - 2 |
Shakuhachi : Yokoyama Katsuya |
| Kikuhara Hatsuko Zenshu vol. 15 |
Voice : Kikuhara Hatsuko Shamisen : Kikuhara Hatsuko Shamisen : Kikuhara Koji Koto : Kikutsuki Akiko | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū (zoku) vol. 25 (続三曲合奏大全集25) |
Voice : Kameyama Kanō Shamisen : Kameyama Kanō Shakuhachi : Koie Jōzan Voice : Iguchi Hōnō Koto : Iguchi Hōnō Voice : Suzuki Seiju Koto : Suzuki Seiju | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 20 (三曲合奏大全集２０) |
Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II Koto : Fujishiro Fumitsuna Voice : Yonekawa Fumiko II Shamisen : Yonekawa Fumiko II | |
| Sankyoku Home Practice - Chuden 2 |
Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II | |
| Sō no Shiori (Ikuta Ryū) vol 8 |
Voice : Yonekawa Toshiko Koto : Yonekawa Toshiko Voice : Satō Chikaki Shamisen : Satō Chikaki | |
| Sōkyoku Jiuta Saku Shūsei 25 (Collection of Koto/Shamisen Songs vol. 25) |
Shakuhachi : Kawase Junsuke II Voice : Abe Keiko Shamisen : Abe Keiko Shamisen : Fujii Kunie Koto : Fujii Kunie | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 23 |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko | |
| The Road of Hasekura Tsunenaga |
Shakuhachi : Rodrigo Rodriguez | |
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Duet
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