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Yasuna

保名

[Genre]Jiuta
[Style]Kiyomoto

Yasuna appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonMusic of Japan, The - Vol II
Play ButtonTraditional Music of Japan, The - 03
Yasuna is one of the most representative pieces of Kiyomoto for Kabuki dancing. The title of the piece comes from the name of a mad man who is portrayed by the solo dancer. Originally, the piece was a part of suite entitled Miyama no hana todokanu edaburi, which consisted of seven pieces. Five of these accompanied by Nagauta, one by Kiyomoto and one by Tokiwazu. A dancer performs as the principal actor throughout all the pieces, changing roles and consequently changing costumes. This kind of dance suite is called Henge-mono and the number' of pieces making up a suite vary to five, six, seven or nine. This suite was performed for the first time in 1818 on the Kabuki stage in Edo.

The plot is simple. Yasuna becomes mad over his lover's suicide and trudges along the spring fields covered with yellow flowers. He thinks back to the happy' days of the past which he shared with her.

This recording omits the beginning and starts from Yasuna's monologue. In the middle, the' section called Kudoki, there is a description of those happy days of love which has a highly refined and beautiful melodic line. Near the conclusion, a section is performed with Shamisen in the tuning of Niagari, while most of the other 'sections are in Honchoshi. The Niagari section is accompanied by a Kotsuzumi (smaller drum of the Noh).