Clara Kumagai's new novel 'Songs for Ghosts' - bridging hauntings and biwa

On March 6th, Clara Kumagai will launch her new novel, Songs for Ghosts.

I have been looking forward to it very much.

Novel for biwa

Clara got in touch with me about two years ago during her research for this book. She had many questions, and I was delighted to talk about my experiences with satsumabiwa.

The biwa is going to feature prominently in the novel, I am sure. It is very exciting to have this work which brings attention to the instrument.

The book has a striking cover which appeals to me greatly. One can see a biwa player, a woman, holding what appears to me to be a heikebiwa, surrounded by butterflies and higanbana flowers.

For me, all these features on the cover create an impression in my mind of encounters with the otherworld of spirits, tying in with the title perfectly.

The other side

The higanbana flower gets its name from Buddhism. Higan translates as "the other shore" and describes the next world separated from this one by a very wide river. When a soul has left the cycle of death and rebirth and reached the other side, they have reached Nirvana.

The higanbana blooms at the autumnal equinox. The two equinox are named higan, and are a special time for Buddhists in Japan, as it was believed the river separating this world from the next was narrowest at this time.

Butterflies in Japanese culture interest me greatly. I have had many people mention to me how they are associated with the spirits of the dead. Lafcadio Hearn writes about this as well. On one occasion, I saw a beautiful large butterfly flutter into the room where a close friend's deceased mother was being waked. It was the soul of the lady announcing her departure according to everyone there.

The biwa, too, has always resonated with tones of the otherworldly. Whether it is placating troubled spirits by telling tales of their lives, performing exorcisms, or rites of some kind, there are links everywhere to be found. The earliest accounts of biwa players in Japan include stories of exorcisms and encounters with this world of spirit.

During the reign of Emperor Kinmei (539-571), the son of the head of the Council of Divinities lost his sight. Yukyo Reishi was his name. Banished to the province of Hiuga, he lived in a cave by Udo. At this time, a blind monk came to the land from China. He taught Reishi the Jijin Darani Sutra (sutra in honour of Jijin, the deity of the earth) and the rites of Do-Kojin as well as the "myo'on" music of the biwa. The Emperor heard about this and ordered that he was now to be known as Daijinbo. A temple was built and from every region in Hiuga, Satsuma and Higo, those who were without sight gathered there to learn from him.

This is the start of the blind priest biwa tradition, or mosobiwa and also the biwa hoshi. The following passage refers to eight of these biwa hoshi who were called to Kyoto in 785 A.D.

In the tenth month of the 4th year of Enryaku during the reign of Emperor Kanmu, as Dengyo Daishi was opening a way into Mount Hiei, he encountered many poisonous snakes. Calling eight blind priests from Kyushu, he got them to perform rites, and with this the poisonous snakes vanished. In the 7th year of Enryaku the temple complex was completed. Besides this, five snakes and dragons were causing harm and trouble in the capital. The eight prayed [and the problems ceased].

Bridging the divide

In Japan, there is a sense that the biwa hoshi and other blind musicians were able to communicate with both worlds.

I began to reach a better understanding as I read a book describing the different types of bridges found throughout Japan. I found myself asking this question ever since, which side does the bridge belong to? The answer is neither and both at the same time....

By Hokusai. The bridge of boats at Sano in Kozuke, from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces [wikicommons]

It is in fact a space with a separate existence.

The biwa player can be understood to exist within a space bridging both the spiritual and physical worlds.

Encounters

I met Clara in person at the end of 2023 in Dublin at St Ann's Church to chat over further questions she had in relation to biwa. There was also an opportunity to talk to her about her first book, Catfish Rolling, a copy of which she had already sent to me. I enjoyed it very much.

We had our own encounter with the other world at this meeting....

It was December, and the middle of Advent. The Christmas Tree and decorations were already in situ by the altar. I gave her a small performance on the satsumabiwa which seemed to help her, and I let try to play the biwa I usually perform with, something I normally would not do.

In the course of this conversation, we were interrupted by the sudden noise of one of the decorations falling from the Christmas tree. The Christmas bauble fell, bounced a few times and rolled to our feet. Turning towards the tree, almost immediately, we both heard the sound of what seemed to be three or four children running along the gallery floors. I had a very strong sensation of being observed.

I have never heard such a sound before in the Church. I am aware that various people have seen the ghost of a lady there. However, I am not someone who has such encounters....

I still don't have a way to explain it yet.

The book launch takes place at Hodges & Figgis on Dawson St, Dublin 2, March 6th at 6pm.