Last October, I was invited to speak about my experiences of Satsumabiwa under the theme "translating oneself through music".
This event was organised by and held at the Trinity Centre for Literary and Cultural Translation, Trinity College Dublin,
It was themed as an exploration of musicians' experiences after immersing themselves in musical traditions radically different from their native ones.
I was presenting along with Arthur Greene who had lived in Southern India for a number of months immersed in the study of Carnatic music with the vina guru, Dr Karaikudi Subramanian, a venerable 9th generation vina player and renowned pedagogue.
I was looking forward to Arthur's presentation, particularly because scholars in the past, beginning with Tanabe Hisao, have suggested that the Satsumabiwa may have absorbed aspects of the Vina playing techniques.
Lived knowledge
Arthur, an organist as well, gave a really interesting talk with many thoughtful points.
Among the topics that we spoke about were embodied knowledge, information that is preserved in lived experience and can only be transmitted through sharing time and space with the teacher, something that Arthur did in fact.
It was a somewhat similar experience for me, though not so intense and condensed in time. Most of the time I visited Fumon weekly for lessons in Tokyo, but, he often stayed with me on many occasions as well. In addition, I regularly accompanied him when he performed or played for ceremonies and the like. This was mainly so that I may be of assistance. Yet, at the same time, I wanted to soak in everything about the man, to share his space and time.
The weekly lessons lasted a few hours during which other students quite often would arrive for a lesson as well. It was a fruitful experience to hear other students play, learn what difficulties they were encountering, as well as what Fumon pointed out to them as needing attention. The biggest difficulty for many people was pitch.
The cost of knowledge
A similar tradition to what Arthur experienced existed in Kagoshima. I heard from Fumon of cases in the recent past of a new student spending the first year doing chores at the teacher's house before ever getting to touch the instrument.
Personally, I found this hard to fathom. Wouldn't the teacher be eager to pass on the art and share it? This apprenticeship, for want of a better term, could be gruelling and intimidating as well.
Leaving aside judgement, the purpose of this approach was , it seems, to instill in the student a sense of the value of what they were learning, and to exact a high price for receiving it, to transform the novice into a receptacle worthy of receiving this knowledge.
Instrument translated
I have always asked questions about the role of a particular artform outside of any concept of entertainment or pastime. In this case, why was learning the instrument and its music approached like this?
Today, Satsumabiwa is probably heard most frequently in a formal performance setting, a hall maybe. However, it can be found also in the smaller venue, a soirée after closing hours in a café wouldn't be untypical.
Events in larger settings tend to be performances involving many players each playing a single piece from the canon of songs
In smaller settings, there is usually a certain aesthetic pursued - perhaps trying to create a sense of encounter with a world no longer here or outside of our daily lives.
It is fair to assume that this is quite different from how the art form was experienced in the past. In effect, a translation has also taken place in the case of the instrument.

This transformation in the role of the instrument has become more immediate to me since I began reading the forewords to the earliest Satsumabiwa songbooks still extant, the first of which dates from 1886. These are some of the earliest writings to be found about Satsumabiwa written in all probability by people who were devotees of playing the instrument as well. In the earlier books, the language is insufferably difficult, but worthwhile struggling with as these writings shed light on the reality and the ideals pertaining to Satsumabiwa at this time.
The following rough translation captures a world unknown today. It dates from 1886 and is taken from the preface to 壮士必読薩摩琵琶歌 Soushi hitsudoku Satsumabiwa "Satsumabiwa songs, Essential reading for the Gentleman".
Typically, a gentleman belongs in the world.
It goes without saying that it is a sworn duty to work for the increased welfare of the state and land. In all things this should be pursued in a devoted pursuit of excellence. Nevertheless, in between times, shouldn't one give rest and comfort to ones eyes and ears with activities that please the heart and mind?
It is only to be expected that someone who is burdened unceasingly with worry and stress day and night will become exhausted in their heart and mind, losing their motivation and becoming half-hearted in their efforts and in the end leaving work incomplete.
If the situation arrives at this, what great work can anyone achieve, nothing of course?
Thus, from olden times, it is not rare to hear of great and capable people amusing themselves with pastimes and enjoying their favorite things...
That said, the only thing that can temper boredom and ennui, giving pleasure to the heart and mind, and also by times cause a spirit of unyielding mettle to well up inside a person is biwa.
This it achieves without excesses such as colour or fragrance, but only with four strings.
I must say that the tone of the singing is full of manliness, Concise, easily understood, touching the heart in an unusual way in how it helps to increase virtue and lessen vice.
Singing it, one can clearly tell it rings with fineness in how it intermingles sadness with joy and deeply moves people...
The style that has been passed down in Kagoshima is most emotional in its combination of sadness, anger, bravery and gallantry, moving the listener to the point that their spirits are elevated to the utmost.
The scenes of battles comes to life!
The armies, horses racing to and fro, officers and men in close quarter mortal combat.
The emotion in the playing makes one think that they are in the vortex of the fighting.
Our men in Kagoshima besides engaging assidously in their reading and sword training, meet on cold evenings to sing and play the Satsumabiwa.
For this reason, the men of Kagoshima have always been full of motivation, able to respond to danger without fear even in the face of death. In the end, one can say that they always disregard their own safety in pursuit of what is good and just. They are filled with a spirit of courageous benevolence.
It goes without saying that they avoid all things that would bring shame to the name of the Kagoshima man.
Today's men, if something shocks them, they escape into novels and other written works, ignore norms in terms of morals and custom, and fall into an effeminate lethargy.
The thought of making an effort, taking joy in the correct ordering of ones actions never enters their minds. What a loss for that person, but much more. What a loss for the world!
Ah, the thought of the fruits of diligent study.... how the youths in the Chinese Fable struggled! Cheyin gathered fireflies to read his books and Sun Kang worked using light reflecting off the snow.
Those who read intently and understand the truth of these matters will find the content of this book to be a great help in developing a heart devoted to the preservation of the right order of things in their conduct and morals and a source of strength and encouragment in maintaining a heart motivated to hold daily to the beliefs and principles that act as the foundation of who they are.
Without anything further to add, dear reader, I finish here, your not so young editor.....
(Translation: Thomas Ranjo)
The event in Trinity was a wonderful experience and I want to thank Dr. Lijing Peng and Dr. James Hadley for inviting us.
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