Hototogisu (Yamada Ryū)
郭公
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [Style] | Uta mono |
| [School] | Yamada Ryū - 山田 |
| [Also Known As] | Mountain Cuckoo |
| [Composed] | Yamada Kengyō - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| The hototogisu is one of several pieces of Japanese cuckoo. Since the song of the hototogisu traditionally signaled the arrival of summer in Japan, it was eagerly awaited. The text of this piece likens the long-awaited first notes of the bird to the arrival of one's lover. Yamada Kengyo's major compositions are mainly narrative in style and dramatic in character. However, he also wrote numerous light, lyrical pieces which touched the deepest sentiments of the people of his time. Hototogisu is the best known of these. The instrumental interlude (ainote), employs the first section (dan) of Rokudan no shirabe in the second koto part. This compositional device was later borrowed by several composers of the Yamada School. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| A summer night Ends quickly - Barely time To see the face Of the moon. I regret parting with it. Unable to sleep In his silent absence I repress my longing By whispering words of patience To my pillow. If this man Continues to bring me suffering I will one day confess my resentment But for now I will wait. He is far above the clouds On Mount Matsuchi (1). How impatient I am now, Like a gusty wind blowing in Sekiya (1). Even on boat trip Down the Ayase River (1), Through pitch-black night I listen for his call Under rain-laden skies Of the Fifth Month. You cannot know The anxiety of waiting. In emulation of Those ancient men Of refined taste, I wait through the night In the dewy grasses Of Shirahige Forest (1) Hoping, always hoping For a single song from you, Hototogisu! (1) Mt. Matsuchi, Sekiya Village, Ayase River and Shirahige Forest are all located in the basin of Sumida River. Mt. Matsuchi, in particular, was famous for its abundance of hototogisu. | (maebiki) Natsu no yo no akuru ma hayami karisome ni miru hodo mo naki tsukikage wo oshimu to suredo inegate no makura ni kakotsu hodo wo sae taete shinobe to otozurenu uchiya tsurasa no hito naraba urami mo haten kanikakuni ikumoi ni tooki matsuchiyama kokoro sekiya no sato fuku kaze ni Ame motsu sora no satsuki-yami yami wa ayase no kawafune ni ukine shitsutsu mo kikamahoshi (ainote) Kakubakari matsu towa nare mo shirahige no mori no shitatsuyu kusa-gasu ni yo no miyabi-o no akogarete kimi inatsu yowa ni kawaranu wa tada hitokoe no hototogisu |
Hototogisu (Yamada Ryū) appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Hozumi Tsurezure Volume 1 |
Voice : Yamaguchi Hozumi Koto : Yamaguchi Hozumi Voice : Kimura Chizumi Shamisen : Kimura Chizumi Shakuhachi : Matsuyama Ryūmei | |
| Kou |
Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II | |
| Sankyoku Ensembles For The Shakuhachi Of The Kinko-School Vol II |
Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 2 (三曲合奏大全集２) |
Koto : Takano Kazuyuki Koto : Nakamura Ryokkō Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II Shamisen : Hisamatsu Kimihiro Voice : Nakada Hiroyuki | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 2 (三曲合奏大全集２) |
Koto : Nakamura Ryokkō Koto : Takano Kazuyuki Shamisen : Hisamatsu Kimihiro Shakuhachi : Ikeda Seizan II Voice : Nakada Hiroyuki | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 49 |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko |