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This is a Sokyoku piece in the Uta mono style from the Yamada Ryű school . This piece was composed for koto by Yamada Kengyo .

History (from Tsuge Gen'ichi)
An ambitious composer of twenty in 1777, Yamada Kengyo composed the present piece in an entirely new style. Enoshima is a tiny island near Kamakura in Sagami Bay where the goddess Ben(zai)ten is enshrined. The Japanese version of the Indian goddess Sarasvati, the goddess of the Muse attracted the faith of the people; especially of blind musicians. It is said that the devout Yamada confined himself in the shrine for three weeks, offering prayers to the goddess before he got the idea for his maiden work, Enoshima no kyoku ('Song of Enoshima').

The kai-zukushi (an enumeration of shellfish names, kai, or -gai) describes a Japanese girl's passions in a circumventive way. It forms the main part of the piece.

The gaku part, at the end of the piece is a clever imitation of the court music (gagaku) in a koto-shamisen idiom, invented by the composer. It provides the heavenly atmosphere of Sarasvati's music.

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
Spring is past
And it is time
For summer wear.
My light kimono sleeves
Flutter in the breeze,
Stirred by the god of wind.
Happiness,
Life, contentment -
All are boundless
In the Sea of Buddha's Mercy.
But Enoshima,
When the tide is out,
Can easily be reached
By foot -
A beautiful scene
Unrivaled
In art.

Water draws in
The mountain shadows;
The mountain leaves all
To the water's pleasure.
The renowned Cave of Eternal Youth,
Like the dwelling
Of mountain spirits,
Lies in the craggy fast
Of the soaring cliffs.
The voice of the waves
Sounds the Truth
Of the Eternal Bond,
Cleansing the Heart.
And then come the children
Of fishermen gathering
On the beach -
Singing songs
They do the shells:

'At one glance I fell,
Tumbled in love with you.
But you pulled away
When I tugged your sleeve.
Love is so one-sided, like
An abalone shell.
Fickle, a wave going
Nowhere, is you heart -
A thinly pink shell.
A boy's heart, the vinegar shell
Of a gallant fop.
A princess shell am I
The singlehearted heart
Of a girl is not like yours.

Someday I'll share
The marriage bed with you
And when I have you
Then I'll fasten just like a clam.
But I'll pin my hopes
That you will say to me
Wait, for that day! And then
We shall be husband and wife!
A sea of love'
Sing the children.

Even the evil dragon,
Deep in the swamp,
Instantly was bestirred
By the divine virtue of
The sweet goddess
Of the heaven -
And pledged himself
Forever.

The Dragon's Mouth Shrine
Still stands
Even to this day.
Never ceasing,
For countless generations will
The wind of this island waft
Sands, mountains and pines.

Even the waves rocking
Up against the cliffs sound
Like the 'Peaceful Wind Strain,'
And like the 'Green Sea Waves'

As in nature
Of things because
The famed Goddess
Of the Muse
Plucks the strings
Of her lute -
Forever,
The Goddess bestows
Prosperity unrestrained,
Long abundant life.
For her bounteous mercy
Are we ever grateful.
For her bounteous mercy
Are we ever grateful.

Enoshima no Kyoku appears on the following albums:

Album	Shakuhachi	Koto	Shamisen
Shakuhachi no Shinzui-Sankyoku Gasso - 04  (Listen)	Yamaguchi Goro
Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 48  (Listen)	Yamaguchi Goro	Nakanoshima Kin'ichi	Torii Tonami IV
Yamada - 05  (Listen)
Yamada Kengyo o Utao Disk 3  (Listen)