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Kokoro Zukushi

心尽

[Genre]Sokyoku
[Style]Kumiuta
[School]Ikuta Ryû - 生田
[Also Known As]Oguruma No Kyoku, Miyakodori
[Composed]Yatsuhashi Kengyō - Koto

History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):

'Kokoro-zukushi,' one of the 'Thirteen Yatsuhashi Song Cycles,' is classified into the omote (1) category. The texts of the six songs are not related, though the first and fourth songs refer to episodes from the 'Suma' and 'Evening Faces' (Yugao) chapters of 'The Tale of Genji.' The title 'Kokoro-Zukushi' is derived from the first line of the opening song, which describes Prince Genji's state of mind when he was in exile at the seacoast of Suma.

(1) Kumiuta are traditionally classified into four categories according to the degree of profundity and stylistic proficiency required and sometimes the technical difficulties involved. These are omote (lit. "outside"), ura (lit. "inside"), naka (lit. "interior"), oku (lit, "deep interior"). By way of illustration, it may be helpful to imagine these categories as representing the structure of the imperial palace or a Shinto shrine with outer and inner walls, and further inside, the outer and inner sanctuaries. It should also be mentioned that these categories represent stages of a student’s progress in the learning of the koto repertoire, and are regulated by the issuing of diplomas along the way.

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)

The melancholy winds
Of autumn
Blow across Suma Bay
And waves crash on the beach.
I spread my robe alone,
But even in dream
I may not meet you,
Night after sleepless night.

On a journey to the east,
Far, far from home
I reach the banks
Of the Sumida River.
Perhaps the miyako bird (2)
Can bring me news
Of my loved one
In the capital.

My dreams at dawn
Of a summer's night
Broken by the song
Of a hototogisu. (3)
Pure in the dim light
Of a morning moon,
Small white blossoms
Of the utsugi (4) bush.

The inconspicuous carriage,
Waiting in the midst,
Was chosen to hide the high birth
Of its owner.
Under the cover of night
He has come secretly
To visit his lover
In her lowly dwelling.

All the waters
From the Asuka River (5) of my love
Diverted into an inkstone
Would not make ink enough
To express my boundless passions.
Today passes into tomorrow
And tomorrow into the next,
Flooded with thoughts of you.

At dusk
On a promised evening,
I followed the faint
But faithful guide of incense
To its source.
As a panel of the bush-clover room
Slid open, the aroma
Gracefully embraced me.

(2) Miyakodori, is a kind of gull, literally means 'bird of the capital.'
(3) Commonly translated as 'cuckoo' but in fact, sings a very different song. Traditionally associated with the coming of summer.
(4) Deutzia scabra, a shrub which grows to the height of two meters. Its flower, the unohana, is associated with early summer.
(5) Asukagawa is a famous river flowing through Nara Prefecture. Because of the hidden meaning 'tomorrow,' it is often used in poetry to accent themes of uncertain future and transience.
Kokoro-zukushi no
akikaze ni
suma no urawa no
nami-makura
koromo katashiki
hitorine ni
yume mo musubanu
yonayona

Furusato wo
harubaru to
hedatete koko ni
sumidagawa
miyakodori ni
kototowan
kimi wa ariya
nashiya to

Natsu no yo no
akebono
yume wo samasu
hototogisu
shirotae ni
miyuru wa
tsuki ni sarasu
unohana

Kiri ni tatazumu
oguruma
yatsushite tatsuru
oguruma
hitome shinobu no
chigiri hoso
fukete neya no
kayoiji

Asukagawa no
minakami wo
suzuri no mizu ni
sekiirete
kaku kotonoha wa
tsukimaji ya
kyoo mo kurasan
inochi kana

Chigirishi yoi no
tasogare
shirube fukaki
soradaki
tomeiru kata no
hagi no to wo
hiraku ya sode no
utsuriga

Kokoro Zukushi appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Kikuhara Hatsuko Zenshu vol. 1 Voice : Kikuhara Hatsuko
Koto : Kikuhara Hatsuko

Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 03 Voice : Takahashi Eisei II
Koto : Takahashi Eisei II

Zoku Sō-Sangen-Shakuhachi ni yoru Mei Senshū - volume 2 Voice : Matsuo Keiko
Koto : Matsuo Keiko