Echigojishi
越後獅子
| [Genre] | Jiuta |
| [Style] | Tegotomono |
| [School] | Ikuta Ryû - 生田 |
| [Composed] | Ichiura Koto - Koto |
| Minezaki Kōtō - Shamisen |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| Echigo-jishi (‘Echigo Lion Dance’) is a jiuta piece composed by Minezaki Koto of Osaka, a prolific composer of the late eighteenth century. Yaezaki Kengyo (1766?-1848) of Kyoto later arranged it for koto and shamisen ensemble. It is considered to be one of the main sources for a popular nagauta piece of the same title. The idea for the piece is taken from a traditional folk performing art called Echigo-jishi (also known as Kakubei-jishi since it was created by a man called Kakubei from Kanbara in the Echigo province, present Niigata Prefecture). In this dance a man wearing a carved lion-head, which is considerably stylized and gorgeously lacquered in vermilion and gold, does an acrobatic, comical, ceremonial dance as an auspicious lion. The tegoto (instrumental interlude) section in two parts depicts the lion dance itself. One structural feature of the text is an enumeration of the noted products of the Echigo region, such as eels, hemp rope, cambric (Ehicgo-jofu), cotton crepe (Ojiya-chijimi) and herbs (toki and oren), as well as, of course, the lion dance. On the surface, this presentation does not follow a single line of logic. But on another level, the seemingly unrelated words have amorous associations which reveal a sub-stream of playful love flowing through the piece. Consequently, the text contains complicated puns and subtle allusions, which are virtually untranslatable. The present translation attempts to preserve the meaning of the text. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| The seacoast Along the Koshiji road (1) Is noted for many things: For example, the famous songs Of the lion dance (2) Filled with country dialect And amusing jokes. The region is also famous For fisher boys From Naoe Bay Who braid seven eels (3) together With hemp rope To pull the hearts Of their lovers Living in the distant village Of Komeyama. Who would complain About going so far To pick fresh parsley (4)? These boys, like baby eels Sliding through water grass In the Itoi River, Have emotions as thick as oil, And attachments As sticky as lacquer. Their vows of eternal love. Like those at Mt. Sue no Matsu (5), Are pure as white hempen cloth (6). The chic taste of the region Can be seen in The revealing Sheer cotton crepe ‘kimono’ (s) (7) And is reflected as well In the flute and drum music Of the lion dance. A fresh maiden of seventeen Gathered bamboo branches From the hill over yonder And cut them neatly In bundles of seventeen. The cross-sections together Are as pure and pretty as herself, Napping and dreaming Of flowers in full bloom. The meaning of her dream is auspicious, For though the costume of the Echigo lion Has no fancy peony decorations (8) When the lion dances, There blooms an aura Of ‘wealth and honor,’ (9) There blooms and aura Of ‘wealth and honor.’ (1) The old road which ran through the Hokuriku area in northwestern Japan. (2) In the original text, the expression shiro usagi (‘white rabbit’) is given. However, this is generally believed to be a later corruption of shishi-uta (‘song of the lion dance’). The present translation has restored the alleged original. (3) The original text refers to the yatsume-unagi (lit. ‘eight-eyed eel’ or a kind of lamprey). The number seven is introduced through word play. (4) Toki and oren are kinds of parsley. Toki contains a pun on ‘distant’ and oren, a pun on ‘meeting.’ (5) Derived from its complementary meaning of ‘waiting forever,’ sue no matsu is conventionally used in poetry as a lover’s pledge. (6) Echigo-jofu (7) Ojiya-chijimi (8) The peony (botan) is associated with the Chinese style lion (shishi, or kara jishi). (9) ‘Wealth and honor’ is the translation of fuki, which is a pun on fuki, a kind of Japanese rhubarb. | Koshiji-gata okuni-meibutsu samazama naredo inaka-namari no katako majiri shira-usagi naru kotonoha wo omoshirogarase- so no koto naoe-ura no ama no ko ga nanatsu ka yatsume- unagi made umuya amiso no tsunade towa koi no kokoro mo komeyama no tooki uwaki de ooren no nani itoigawa itouwo no motsure motsururu kusaura ni abura urushi to majiwarite suematsuyama no shironuno no chijimi wa hada no dokoyara ga miesuku kuni no fuuryuu wo utsushi-taiko ya fue no ne ni hiite utoo ya shishi no kyoku (ai) Mukaikoyama no shichiku-dake eda fushi soroete kiri wo komaka ni juushichi ga muro no koguchi ni hirune shite hana no sakari wo yume ni mitesooroo (tegoto) Yume no urakata echigo no shishi wa botan wa motanedo fuuki wa ono ga sugata ni sakase maiosamu sugata ni sakase maiosamu |
Echigojishi appears on the following albums
