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Tamagawa

玉川

[Genre]Jiuta
[Style]Tegotomono
[School]Ikuta Ryû - 生田
[Composed]Kuniyama Kōtō - Shamisen

History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):

Tamagawa ('Jade River') is a relatively early jiuta piece composed in the tegoto-mono form. There are several versions for koto and shamisen arranged by different masters. The text sings praises of the six renowned rivers known collectively as Mutamagawa ('Six Jade Rivers') in classical Japanese poetry (waka). These are the Tamagawa (s) of Ide (Kyoto), Settsu (Osaka), Noji (Shinga Prefecture), Noda (Miyagi Prefecture), Musashino (Chofu, Tokyo) and Takano (Wakayama Prefecture).

This elegant and poetic subject was often treated in the song-texts of traditional Japanese music, there being at least three different pieces under the title Tamagawa or Mutamagawa. Besides the present jiuta piece, there is one koto kumiuta composed by Mitsuhashi Kengyo, and a Yamada style piece, derived from tomimoto-bushi. (see Mutamagawa)

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)

At dusk in Yamashiro
I dismount from my horse
To view the Jade River of Ide,
And while he drinks
I watch dew
Falling from the yamabuki (1)
Into the spring river.

Summer is on its way.
In the distance
I can see the rising river
Flowing against the new weirs
In the Jade River of Settsu.
This is the season
Of the white mayflower (2).
Before I know it

Autumn has arrived
And with it soon will come
The sightseers
To the Jade River of Noji
In the province of Omi.
The bush clover
Is past its prime.
The moon lodges in the jeweled water,
And the sky is pregnant
With signs of winter.

Snow clouds are brought
By winds from the sea
And as evening falls
The lonely cries of plovers
Are heard along the banks
Of the Jade River of Noda.
Along the Jade River of Musashino,
Renowned for its beauty,
Women bleach linen by hand.

Clean, white cloth
In pure, flowing water.

Drawn to the haunts
Of ancient travelers
I have come into the mountain.
Certainly those hardy souls
Made this journey
Just to drink the refreshing water
From the Jade River of Takano
Oblivious of the difficulties.

Rightfully is this river
Praised by the poets
And included as one
Of the Six Jade Rivers.

(1) The yamabuki is a spring flower of golden-yellow color related to the rose.
(2) The unohana or deutzia crenata.
Yamashiro no
ide ya mimashi to
koma tomete
nao mizu kawan
yamabuki no
hana no tsuyu soo
haru mo kure
(ai)
Natsu kinikerashi
miwataseba
nami no shigarami
kaketekeri
unohana sakeru
tsunokuni no
sato ni tsukihi wo
okuru ma ni
Itsushika aki ni
oomi naru
noji ni wa hito no
asu mo kon
ima wo sakari no
hagi koete
iro naru nami ni
yadorinishi
tsuki no misora no
fuyu fukami
(ai)
Yukige moyoosu
yuuzareba
shiokaze koshite
michinoku no
noda ni chidori no
koe sabishi
yukashi nadataru
mushashino ni
sarasu
(tegoto)

Sarasu tezukuri
sarasara ni
(ai)
Mukashi no hito no
koishiki ni
ima hata soete
okuyama no
sono nagare wo ba
wasurete mo
kumi ya shitsuran
tabibito no
(ai)
takano no oku no
mizu made mo
na ni nagaretaru
mutsu no tamagawa

Tamagawa appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Fujii Kunie, The World of Shamisen and Jiuta Singing 2 Shamisen : Inoue Michiko
Voice : Fujii Kunie
Shamisen : Fujii Kunie

Revived - The Art of Tomii Shunzan Shamisen : Miyoshi Atsuko
Shakuhachi : Tomii Shunzan
Koto : Fujita Kazuko
Play ButtonShakuhachi no Shinzui-Sankyoku Gasso - 02 Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō

Sō to Sangen no Shirabe - Sōkyoku to Jiuta Voice : Matsuo Keiko
Shamisen : Matsuo Keiko
Koto : Mori Yūji

Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 21 Shamisen : Inoue Michiko
Voice : Fujii Kunie
Shamisen : Fujii Kunie