Aki no Nanakusa
秋の七草
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [School] | Yamada Ryū - 山田 |
| [Composed] | Yamato Shōrei III - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| This lovely piece, Aki no nanakusa ('The Seven Flowers of Autumn'), is one of the compositions selected as teaching material by Ongaku Torishirabe-gakari (the Music Study Committee), and published under the title Sokyoku shu ('Collection of Japanese Koto Music' Vol. 1) in 1888. It is reported that this piece was actually composed by Yamato Shorei (1844-89) in 1884 and revised by Yamase Shoin (1845-1908), both members of the committee. In the course of the interlude (ainote), the first section of Rokudan is heard as the counterpart. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| What are the flowers That bloom In autumn fields? Count on your fingers And see! Wearing brocade, Is the bush clover (1). Then plume grass (2) Arrowroot (3) and ominaeshi (4). Agueweed (5) - who hung up His hakama? The wild pink (6) - like children Indulged by parents. The morning-glory (7) - brought to life By the dew. It was these seven Flowers of autumn (8) That the ancients First loved. The beauty of these seven Of the autumn fields - Their names now Are famed. The seven flowers of autumn Bring fragrance to the fields. (1) Hagi or lespedeza. (2) Obana or miscanthus sinensis. (3) Kuzubana or kudzu vine. (4) Patrinia scabiosaefolia. (5) Fujibakama. (6) Nadeshiko or dianthus superbus. (7) Asagao. (8) These 'Seven Autumn Flowers' were praised by Yamanoe no Okura (660?-733?), a Man'yo poet | (maebiki) Aki no no ni sakitaru hana wa naninani zo ono ga yubi ori kazoe miyo nishiki wo yosooo hagi ga hana obana kuzubana ominaeshi taga nugikakeshi fujibakama oya no nasake no nadeshiko ni tsuyu wo inochi no asagao no hana (ainote) Kono nanakusa no hana wa shimo mukashi no hito no medesomete akino no hana no uruwashiki sono na wa ima ni takamado ya nobe ni nioeru aki no nanakusa |
Aki no Nanakusa appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū (zoku) vol. 19(続三曲合奏大全集19) |
Shamisen : Nishigata Mikei Voice : Nishigata Akiko Koto : Nishigata Akiko Shakuhachi : Fujii Jido Voice : Kawamura Kyōko Koto : Kawamura Kyōko | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 55 |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko | |
| Yachiyo Jishi (Koto Meikyoku no Shirabe vol. 5) |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Koto : Nakanoshima Keiko Shamisen : Shinagawa Shōzō Koto : Yoshida Junzō | |
| Yamada-Ryū Koto no Kagami |
Shamisen : Ogasawara Hagiwa Voice : Hagioka Shōin IV Koto : Hagioka Shōin III |