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Fushimi

伏見

[Genre]Sokyoku
[School]Yamada Ryū - 山田
[Composed]Nakanōshima Shōsei I - Koto

History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):

This piece, written in the joruri (narrative) style, is unique to the Yamada style sokyoku. Tomimoto-bushi (1) was introduced into the present piece by Nakanoshima Kengyo, an accomplished musician in this style, as well as in sokyoku. The text deals with the 1868 Battle of Toba-Fushimi just before the completion of the Meiji Restoration. This battle was fought at Fushimi, a suburb of Kyoto, between the samurai supporters of the new imperial rule and the forces of the Tokugawa regime.

(1) One of the vocal genres of Edo-joruri shamisen accompaniment.

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)

Let us recall
Those days of old,
The Restoration
Of Imperial Rule:
It was winter
The Twelfth Month
Of the third year of Keio;
On the ninth day,
In the skies
Over the capital,
The spring sun
Shone darkly -
The country seethed
With anarchy
Vague shapes
On their pitch-black saddles
Shouted battle cries -
Their armored sleeves
Shining
Like the stars.

The stars,
Whose light faded away
With the glory
Of the Tokugawa
In the early dawn.
At Toba Fushimi
In the mountain winds
Of Ouchiyama
The brocade banners
Fluttered.

The commander
Stepped forth
And warriors
Took new courage -
Their cries resounding
Like thunder
Across
The battlefield.
The wounded cried out
In agony;
Smeared with blood
They fell,
Their corpses piled
Like scarlet leaves,

Enemy
And friend
Indistinguishable
In the early dawn
Upon the trampled
Battlefield.
His life as fragile
As the dew,
The warrior,
Sword in hand,
Never forgets
His sovereign -
How pitiful
Is his fate!

In the battle's fury
That made all Heaven and Earth
Tremble,
Flames raged though Yodo Castle.

The clouds above
Suddenly vanished,
Trailing away
Into thin wisps of smoke.
Now,
In the peaceful springtime
Of Imperial Rule,
While telling
This tale
Of times
Gone by,
Many men of old
Fill their sake cups
And enjoy
The festivities
Fully.
Oosei-fukko no
sono kami wo
omocha sugishi
keioo no
mitose no fuyu no
juunigatsu
kokonoka no hi wo
hajime nite
miyako no sora ni
tachikaeru
haru no hikari mo
nubatama no
yo wa karikomo to
midare tsutsu
ayame mo wakanu
sumizome no
kurama ni hibiku
toki no koe
yoroi no sode no
kagayaku ya
(ai)
Hoshi no kurai mo
santai no
kage usureyaku
sashigushi no
akatsuki kuraki
toba fushimi
oouchiyama no
yamakaze ni
nishiki no mihata
hirugaeshi
taishoogun no
idemashi ni
yuuki iyamasu
masurawo ga
ikusayobai mo
ikazuchi to
todoroki-wataru
shura no michi
kiritsu keraretsu
abikyookan
chishio ni somuru
momijiba no
akaki kokoro mo
toridorini

Taore kasanaru
shikabane wa
teki ka mikata ka
kawatare-doki
fumishidaki
yuky
senjoo no
narai tsunenaki
tsuyu no mi to
kazasu tsurugi no
tsukanoma mo
kimi wo wasurenu
mononofu no
michi no hate koso
awarenare

Tenchi mo ugoku
shindoo ni
honoo sakamaku
yodo no shiro

(ainote)

Ooeru kumo no
tachimachi ni
kemuri no sue no
kageroo no
kiete osamaru
kimigayo no
nodokeki haru ni
uchimatoi
mukashi-gatari to
sughishi yo wo
kataritsutsu
kumu
sakazuki ni
oitaru kage mo
kazu miyuru
kono utage koso
tanoshikere

Fushimi appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 54 Shamisen : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi
Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko
Koto : Suzuki Seiju