The International Shakuhachi Society

Home

Schools

Discography

Lineage Charts

Pieces

People

Glossary

Other Sites

Teachers

Governors

For Sale

Member's Area

This is a Min'yo piece from the Min'yo school .

History (from Takahashi Yujiro)
Many variants of this lullaby existed around Itsuki village in Kyushu, in a loose duple or free rhythm. At some unknown point early in the 20th century, this version arose, with its Western-influenced triple meter.

I'll only be here 'til Bon; if Bon comes early, I'll go home early.
I'm just a beggar; these are goodly folk, with nice obi waist-sashes and nice kimono.
If I should die, bury me by the roadside; offerings or water will come from the heavens.
(If I should die, who would cry for me? Only the locusts in those pine mountains.)

Itsuki no Komoriuta appears on the following albums:

Album	Shakuhachi	Koto	Shamisen
Bamboo Spirit	Ross, Peter
Distant Cry of Deer, The  (Listen)	Koga Masayuki
Endless Sea - Impressions of Japan  (Listen)	Singer, John
Flower Dance - Japanese Folk Melodies  (Listen)
This sad lullaby reflects nostalgic thoughts of young girls employed as baby-sitters. Itsuki is a small town in Kumamoto, Kyushu, where many prisoners from Korea were held after the war during the last half of the 16th century. The words say "I'm a beggar. You are rich, with obi and rich kimono. Who will weep if I'm beaten to death but the cicadas on the pines. No, not the cicadas, but my young sister who would cry for me."
Flute and Koto of Japan  (Listen)	Yamaguchi Goro		Yonekawa Toshiko
Koga Masayuki Shakuhachi Solo Music  (Listen)	Koga Masayuki
A Japanese folk song from Itsugi Village sung by servant maidens to sleeping children.
Koto Melodies of Japan - Hogaku Yonin no Kai (The Four Players Group)  (Listen)
This, too, is a song of the composer's hometown. It is a lullaby of poor people living in the heart of the mountains. The melody of the first half is played by a low-pitched shakuhachi and the latter half with the instrument pitched an octave higher.
Marco Lienhard - Shakuhachi  (Listen)	Lienhard, Marco
Melody of Japan - Pathos of Autumn  (Listen)
Memories of My Home  (Listen)	Lee, Dr Riley Kelly
Min'yo - Folk Song from Japan - Takahashi Yujiro and friends  (Listen)
Many variants of this lullaby existed around Itsuki village in Kyushu, in a loose duple or free rhythm. At some unknown point early in the 20th century, this version arose, with its Western-influenced triple meter. I'll only be here 'til Bon; if Bon comes early, I'll go home early. I'm just a beggar; these are goodly folk, with nice obi waist-sashes and nice kimono. If I should die, bury me by the roadside; offerings or water will come from the heavens. (If I should die, who would cry for me? Only the locusts in those pine mountains.) Copyright 1999 - Dr David W. Hughes e-mail dh6@soas.ac.uk
Moonlit Castle  (Listen)	Singer, John
Music from the Earth  (Listen)	Hayashi Shinzan
Musique Traditionnelle du Japon  (Listen)	Kikusui Kofu	Yes
ITSUKI NO KOMORI UTA. Le disque s'achève par une berceuse, dont le thème, très simple, exposé par le koto, est repris successivement par le shakuhachi, par le kokyu puis par les trois instruments ensemble.
Shakuhachi - Fue no Shirabe  (Listen)
Shakuhachi with Piano in Concert  (Listen)	Koga Masayuki
Itsugi Village where this song was born is situated in the mountains far up the River Kawabegawa. It requires one and a half hours to reach there by bus from Hitoyoshi in Kumamoto Prefecture. It is said that refugees of the Heike Clan came to hide in this village after they were defeated at Danno-Ura Bay. In the poor mountain village, a baby's nurse was always ill-treated by her employer. So, she wove her sorrows in the song to sing to the world.
Shakuhachi, Shamisen no Shirabe; Nihon no Minyo - 2  (Listen)
Tokusen Shakuhachi Minyo  (Listen)
World of Shakuhachi  (Listen)	Yes
World of Shakuhachi, The  (Listen)	Yashita Isamu