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Hadesugata Onna Maiginu

艶姿女舞衣

[Genre]Jiuta
[Style]Gidayu

Hadesugata Onna Maiginu appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonTraditional Music of Japan, The - 03
This is short extract from a much longer piece entitled Hadesugata Onna Maiginu. This drama for the doll theater, which today is called Bunraku, was first performed in 1772 in Osaka. It is divided into three chapters which are further subdivided into two or three sections (dan). The present record is the extract from the last dan of the third chapter. The title of this dan, Sakaya no dan, means the section of scene of a Sake (Japanese wine) shop.

The story of Sakaya no dan is concerned with a young woman, Osono, whose husband, Hanshichi, the owner of the Sake shop, accidentally has killed a ruffian and for this crime is pursued by the police. While married to Osono, he falls in love with a courtesan, Sankatsu, and has a daughter by her.

Osono, his wife, is a very representative wife of a merchant in the feudal society of the Edo period. She loves her husband, being truly faithful not only to her husband, but to her parents and her husband's parents as well. She suffers, of course, from jealousy, love, feudal customs, morals and obligation. Finally, she sacrifices her marriage permitting her husband to go with the courtesan even though she knows they intend to commit suicide.

The record begins with the singing of Osono's monologue. She sits alone thinking over all that has happened between herself and her husband and is deeply depressed. The singing is the most famous moment in Gidayu melody and, at the same time, most representative. This is followed by the scene where the illegitimate child has been brought to Osono's home, wakes up, and wants to drink milk. Both the parents of Osono and her husband's parents gather in the room and are astonished by finding the baby. In the kimono of the baby they find a message from Osono's husband which informs them of his intention to commit suicide. This section is performed by narration and dialogue as well as a few singing phrases. Narration by the singer is in two ways. The first called Giai is close to pure narration and the other called Iro is between pure narration and singing (Fushi). The Dialogue of all persons and all emotions (male and female, old and young, high and low social class) is performed by the one singer with a real nuance of conversation. The merit of Gidayu is to be found in this point. It is that a singer can, ,by himself, manage the elements of narration, dialogue and singing so convincingly. The record ends with the singing which informs the listener of the appearance of the lovers who have come to get a final glimpse of the baby before their double suicide.

One who has never seen the doll-theater can hardly imagine how skillfully and to what extent realism can be found in the hands of the puppeteer-three for each. doll. The chief puppeteer manages the body, head and right arm, even the eyes, mouth, eyebrows, fingers, etc. The second puppeteer is in charge of only the left arm while the third only the legs. The cooperation between the singer, Shamisen. player and puppeteer is truly incredible and the most unique aspect of the doll theater. Bunraku cannot be compared to any other puppet theater of the world.

The Shamisen is tuned in Honchoshi. At the singing section in the middle of the record another .Shamisen is heard in unison with the . first Shamisen. In the final section of singing a kind of shout or call by the Shamisen player is heard. The shout in music has been explained concerning Noh music and it has an important role in Gidayu as well, especially regarding refinement and the total effect.