On March 7th, Triona Marshall and I performed a programme for Satsumabiwa and Irish harp at St Ann's Church. This was organised in association with Trinity Centre for Asian Studies, and held to coincide with the conference Lafcadio Hearn’s Japan: from Enchantment to Intercultural Understanding convened by Professor Nathan Hill and Dr. Lijing Peng.
In preparation for the recital, Triona and I talked about the programming a lot and concluded that it would be best to try to reflect Miminashi Hoichi, the first of the tales in Kwaidan, in some way. The central figure in the story, Hoichi, is a blind lute player in the biwa hoshi tradition.
In order to carry a sense of narrative throughout the performance, it felt best to roll each piece into the next without interruption. All in all, we were pleased with the result and we came away with many ideas to try out in the future.
We were delighted to see Kieran Owens, curator of events in Farmleigh House there. He had asked me some time ago to organise this performance.
We were deeply honoured to have Bon Koizumi, grandson of Lafcadio Hearn also present, along with his wife, Shoko.
It was also a pleasure to see Clara Kumagai there too.
We were also very grateful to the Select Vestry of St Ann's for supporting this event.
Below is a copy of the programme.
The programme today has been selected to reflect the story of Miminashi Hoichi, the first of the tales in Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan
Port na bPucaí (Tune of the Fairies)
Said to embody the song of whales or seals, this otherworldly tune is from Inishvickillane in the Blasket Islands.
Kadobiwa
This was played by the biwa hoshi on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu proximate to the area where the story of Miminashi Hoichi takes place. Here arranged for harp and biwa, it was originally played solo at the gates of the houses the biwa hoshi visited. Hence the name kadobiwa, which translates as "Lute of the Gate".
The Musical Priest
An Irish reel keeping with the theme of musical religious figures....
Biwa Recitation
Yashima no Homare - The Honour at Yashima.
This comes from the Heike monogatari or Tale of the Heike, the work which Hoichi recited over a number of days at the request of the spirits in the spectral court. It tells the story of Nasu no Yoichi Munetaka's feat at the Battle of Yashima in meeting the challenge set him by the enemy of shooting a fan from a boat out from the shore.
Arrangement of Japanese melody “Sakura, Sakura” for Irish harp by Triona Marshall.
Kuzure
A fast selection of pieces for Satsumabiwa.
Translation of Yashima no Homare
The bell at Jetavana
祇園精舍の鐘の声
Gion Shōja no kane no koe
tolls with the call “All, yet all, is never still, but ever changing”
諸行無常の響きあり
Shogyō Mujō no hibiki ari
The colour of the sāl tree flowers
娑羅双樹の花の色
Sharasju no hana no iro
reveal the truth: all glory and prosperity fades.
盛者必衰の理をあらはす
Jōsha hissui no kotowari wo arawasu
Born in Shimozuke no Kuni.
茲に下野の国
Koko ni Shimozuke no kuni
Nasu no Yoichi Munetaka was how he was known.
那須の與市宗高と申ししは
Nasu no Yoichi Munetaka to mōshi shi wa
From his youth and early childhood he could shoot and strike
幼き時より大空に
Osanaki toki yori ōzora ni
at any distance a bird soaring in the sky.
かける小鳥も程遠き
Kakeru kotori mo hodo tōki
Or a willow leaf dangling one hundred strides afar
百歩の外の柳葉も
Hyappo no soto no yanagiba mo
he could hit a hundred times or a thousand times
千度百度あだ矢なく
Chitabi momotabi adaya naku
without even missing once such was his skill.
射落す程の弓取なり
Iotosu hodo no yundori nari
At this time Munetaka was seventeen years old.
此時宗高十七歳
Kono toki Munetaka jūshichi sai
Deep within his heart and mind he thought of this task
心のうちに思ふやう
Kokoro no uchi ni omou yō
he should find a better view somewhere near the shore.
かかる晴なる場所にいで
Kakaru harenaru basho ni ide
If by chance with this arrow he should miss
若しも此矢を過らば
Moshimo kono ya o ayamaraba
he would not seek an excuse but break his bow
弓切り折って割腹し
Yumi kiri otte kappuku shi
and disembowel himself rather than live with such shame.
いひわけせむと思いつめ
Iiwake sen to omoitsume
He looked across at the fan.
扇の的を見渡すに
Ougi no moto o mi watasu ni
It was a lot further out than it first had seemed.
矢比中中遠ければ
Yagoro nakanaka tōkereba
So he then spurred his horse further on into the sea but at this new position he did come to see
駒を海中の岩間まで乗り入れたれど其あはひ
Koma o kaichū no iwama made nori iretaredo sono awai
the fan now felt further than it had felt before. Moreover now the North wind blew as in a storm.
なほまだ遠き浪路をば北風烈しく吹きすさみ
Nao mada tōki namiji o ba kita kaze hageshiku fuki susami
The waves striking on the beach were powerful and high.
磯打浪も高ければ
Iso utsu nami mo takakereba
The horse grew uneasy chopped at its bit.
駒ははやりて狂へるを
Koma wa hayarite kurueru wo
He caught the reins swung them left – then swung them right – left and right again
手綱ゆりすゑゆりすゑ鎮むれど
Tazuna yurisue yurisue shizumuredo
and yet the horse chopped and turned kicking at the sea as the fan bounced and tumbled after every wave.
鎮まり兼ねる駒の足扇と共に定まらず
shizumari kaneru koma no ashi ougi to tomo ni sadamarazu
Munetaka closed tightly his eyes in deep prayer.
宗高ぢっと目をとぢて
Munetaka jitto me wo tojite
Consider this sacred land – consider my lord.
国の御為源家の為
Kuni no on-tame Genke no tame
I beg You let me not fail in this coming trial.
扇を射落させ給えとて
Ougi o iotosase tamae tote
Putting his heart in every word he prayed fervently.
心をこめてぞ祈りける
Kokoro o komete zo inorikeru
Could this plea have been answered?
此の念力や通じけむ
Kono no nenriki ya tsūjiken
For the wind grew completely calm its sound died away.
磯吹く風も音絶えて
Iso fuku kaze mo oto taete
The horse and the distant fan drew to a still.
駒も扇も静まりぬ
Koma mo ougi mo sadamarinu
Emboldened with a new courage welling in his heart Munetaka
宗高心勇み立ち
Munetaka kokoro isami tachi
took a whistling arrow: fit it to his bow.
鏑矢番へて引しぼる
Kaburaya tsugaete hiki shiboru
All this time the Genshi warriors roared calling his name
源氏の兵聲聲に
Genshi no tsuwamono koegoe ni
“Let one go! Now’s the time! Let it fly away!
Let one go! Let it fly!” is how they called.
今少し打入れ給へ打入れ給へと呼ばるを
Imasukoshi uchi ire tamae uchi ire tamae to yobawaru o
But focused now on the fan he didn’t hear a word
更に耳にもきき入れず
Sara ni mimi ni mo kiki irezu
opening his body he pulled. Twang! it was away.
矢聲をかけて切って放つ
Yagoe o kakete kitte hanatsu
The sound of the whistle arrow was heard throughout the cove.
矢音は浦になりわたり
Yaoto wa ura ni nari watari
It hit the fan at its pin and sliced it right through.
要際よりふっつと射切る
Kanamegiwa yori futtsu to i kiru
At Yashima bay under sunlight radiant an arrow whistle. Its sound was high, piercing beyond yonder waves afar.
屋島潟 いる日の影に なるはずの 響は高し 浪のはてまで
Yashima-gata Iru hi no kage ni Naru hazu no Hibiki ha takashi Nami no hate made
All who saw this arrow say it flew
餘勇ある矢の飛び行くは
Yoyū aru ya no tobi yuku wa
as a wild goose crossing the Autumn sky –
秋のみ空に雁の
Aki no mi-sora ni karigane no
direct and straight through the air.
眞一文字に鳴り渡る
Maichi monji ni nari wataru
All were speechless at this beauty! As for the fan
趣ありて舞あがる
Omomuki arite mai agaru
gleaming in the evening sun it spun and twirled
扇の夕日に輝くは
Ougi no yūhi ni kagayaku ha
as a maple leaf Tatsutayama
龍田の山のもみぢ葉の
Tatsuta no yama no momiji ba no
snapped free by a blast of wind – falling now hither now thither.
風にかっ散る心地せり
Kaze ni kacchiru kokochi seri
Then enemy and comrade friend and foe alike
敵も味方も此時に
Teki mo mikata mo kono toki ni
were slapping their quivers or the side of their boats with full delight.
箙を叩き舷を叩いて
Ebira o tataki funabata o tataite
All roared in praise of this great deed.
鯨波をぞあげにける
Toki o zo agenikeru.
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