Koto - Music of the One-String Ichigenkin

Satō Fuzan
Folkways Records - FW 8746
1967

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Suga no Kyoku		04'59
	Suga no Kyoku, is typical of Ichigenkin music. It is a short piece with a rhythmical introduction--usually played by several Ichigenkin. What lasting pleasure- To play music of Suga.
2	Isaribi	漁火	06'51
	Isaribi is one of the masterpieces of Ichigenkin music. Meaning "Fishing Fire, " it derives from an ancient Japanese poem by Kakinomoto Hitomaro in the Manyoshu, an anthology reflecting Japanese life in the 7th and 8th centuries. Isaribi elaborates on the original verse and emphasizes the experience of sudden enlightenment. The waves lingering about the fish-weir stake: In the River Uji Can be heard so clearly. The murky fires on fishing boats Draw nearer to shore With the approach of dawn. From the Byodo temple The bell tolls- Awakening us from a delusive dream.
3	Oshi		04'54
	Oshi features the unaccompanied voice after the introduction, recalling the singing style associated with the Biwa, an instrument similar to the Western lute. Awakening in the chill of night, I hear the cries of mandarin ducks. How can they shake the frost from their wing -- In this cold?
4	Botan	牡丹	05'40
	Botan, was composed by Issui Yamashiro in 1962, around Saien Hanazaki's translation of a Sung poem. The robe with the phoenix- gold brocade is hanging still And in the garden the peony blooms, Still wet with last night's rain. Sitting before her mirror, She sees again her fresh loveliness- With her hair rising gently over her fragile face. Now, going out to the bridge And leaning over the rail, She finds herself overcome with longing. Green are the willows under the bridge, But will her yearning bring him back again? While above the banks the swallows fly.
5	Haru no Shirabe	春の調	08'34
	Haru no Shirabe stems from the music of the 13-stringed Sho; it expresses, with detached serenity, the recurring freshness of spring. The song of birds and flowers blooming Betoken spring. The nightingale in the plum tree- I first heard its cry a day or two ago. How beautiful the cherry blossoms As the spring mist fades! Though growing longer, The days of spring never pall. The dusk, too, is wondrous soft With the hazy moon arising. As I doze, who plays the koto So near my pillow? The waves coming and going on the Suma shore: What joys the springtime brings!