Shōchikubai
松竹梅
| [Genre] | Jiuta |
| [Style] | Tegotomono |
| [School] | Ikuta Ryû - 生田 |
| [Composed] | Mitsuhashi Kōtō - Shamisen |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| This piece is one of the best-known jiuta compositions of the Osaka style. The song-text consists of three parts, featuring the plum tree (with the warbler), the pine tree (with the cranes), and the bamboo (with the moon) respectively. Hence the title Sho-chiku-bai, literally meaning 'Pine, Bamboo and Plum.' These three plants are traditionally considered as symbols of happiness and is often performed on congratulatory occasions. At the end of the second song (featuring the pine tree), a long interlude (tegoto) consisting of three sections is inserted. Here a distinctive ostinato pattern on the koto which imitates the cries of cranes is heard. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| Mist trailing Across the sky Is a sign of spring. A peaceful light on New Year's morning is Brightly shining. A warbler, Flying through The mountain paths Has come to Mitsu (1) And sings the First Song. The plum tree begins to smile From its southernmost branches. Attracted by the fragrance, The warbler sings gloriously, The color and scent of The flowers blown and scattered By his feather-breeze Are flourishing in this village- Naniwa (2) renowned For blossoming plums. May your reign, my Lord, Last forever serenely Like the unmuddied streams In the palace garden. May your people, too, Prosper all over The Empire of the Four Seas. A pine tree of One thousand years, Now decorated and Celebrated by everyone, Will live for endless generations, With the sound of the wind. On the venerable pine branches Thriving, freshly green, A pair of cranes Nest and dance In celebration Of the everlasting reign. And in autumn, How delightful Is the sight of the moon! Passing through the treetops The moonbeams Filter into the bedchamber In the early evening. Outside the darkening night Is filled with the voices of crickets. How many autumns Will they sing on? With the distant sound Gathered by the wind, Bamboo clumps Rustle at the window. (1) Old Osaka (2) Another name for Osaka | (maebiki) Tachiwataru kasumi wo sora no shirube nite nodokeki hikari aratama no haru tatsu kesa wa ashibiki no yamaji wo wakete ootomo no mitsu ni ki naku uguisu minami yori waraisomu kaori ni hikare koe no uraraka hakaze ni chiruya hana no iroka mo nao shi hae aru kono sato no naniwa wa ume no nadokoro (tegoto) Kimigayo wa nigorade taenu mikawamizu sue sumikerashi kunitami mo geni yutaka naru yotsu no umi (ai) Chitose kagireru tokiwagi mo imayo no mina ni hikarete wa ikuyo kagiri mo arashi fuku oto eda mo sakayuru wakamidori oitatsu matsu ni su wo kuu tsuru mo kisashiki miyo wo iwaimoo (tegoto) Aki wa nao tsuki no keshiki mo omoshiro ya kozue kozue ni sasu kage no fushido ni utsuru yuumagure sotomo wa mushi no koegoe ni (ai) kakete ikuyo no aki ni naku ne wo fukiokuru arashi ni tsurete soyogu wa mado no muratake |
Shōchikubai appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Hōgaku Taikei Vol. 4 - Sōkyoku - Shakuhachi 2 (LP 2) |
Kokyū : Yamada Hiroyo Koto : Yamashita Tokiyo Shamisen : Ichikawa Hinayo Koto : Fukuda Fukiyo | |
| Ikuta Ryu Sokyoku Senshu Volume 02 （上） |
Koto : Miyagi Kiyoko Shamisen : Yazaki Akiko Voice : Miyagi Kazue | |
| Ikuta-Ryū Sōkyoku Senshū - volume 4 |
Voice : Matsuo Keiko Shamisen : Matsuo Keiko Koto : Matsuo Kazuko | |
| Japanese Koto Orchestra | ||
|
(Music of Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossoms) is a trio for koto, shamisen and kokyu or shakuhachi. Today the kokyu is seldom heard because of its strange sound. The instrument looks like a shamisen with a violin bow, although the sound is quite different from that of any other string instrument. This piece is composed by Mitsuhashi Koto, representative of the classic form of composition. Sho, the pine tree, represents ever-lasting prosperity. Chiku, the bamboo,. symbolizes formality and honesty; bai, the plum blossom, represents elegance. This music is gay and happy, and yet also elegant. The Kokyu is played by Sadako Nishimura; the I7-string koto by Hiroko Mitsuike, and the shamisen by Shukin Noda. The koto ensemble is of the Ikuta School. | ||
 | Japanese Treasures | |
|
Shochikubai (Pine, Bamboo and Plum Blossom) is a trio for koto, shamisen and kokyu (an ancient instrument somewhat like a violin, now frequently replaced by the shamisen). This piece is in the nature of a tone painting.
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| Koto and Shamisen - Koten/Gendai Meikyoku Shū 04 |
Koto : Nakashima Yasuko Shamisen : Fujii Kunie Voice : Okuno Gashō | |
| Le Koto de Yusen Kuzuhara et le Shakuhachi de Teiji Itoh |
Koto : Kuzuhara Yusen |
| Nakanoshima Kin’ichi no Koto - Shōchikubai; Azuma Jishi |
Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Haruhiko Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko Shamisen : Shinagawa Shōzō Koto : Yoshida Junzō | |
| Sankyoku |
Koto : Takemura Ayako Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II Shamisen : Satō Chikaki | |
| Sankyoku Ensembles For The Shakuhachi Of The Kinko-School Vol II |
Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū (zoku) vol. 25 (続三曲合奏大全集25) |
Koto : Hagioka Shōin IV Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II Shamisen : Uehara Nobuaki Koto : Suzuki Koichi Voice : Kishibe Michiga II | |
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 4 (三曲合奏大全集４) |
Voice : Tsujimoto Chikatoyo Shamisen : Tsujimoto Chikatoyo Voice : Yonekawa Masumi Shamisen : Yonekawa Masumi Shakuhachi : Yamamoto Hōzan Voice : Satō Chikaki Koto : Satō Chikaki | |
| Sankyoku: Shōchikubai / Jiuta: Chaondo, Ochamenoto |
Koto : Kagawa Kiyoe Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō Shamisen : Yasunaga Sayaka Koto : Tomiyama Mieko Voice : Tomiyama Seikin I Shamisen : Tomiyama Seikin I | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 25 |
Koto : Yonekawa Fumiko I Shamisen : Tomizaki Shunshō Voice : Koshino Eishō I | |
| Togashi Noriko - 05 |
Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II Shamisen : Togashi Noriko |