Miyagi, Michio

Early years

Michio Suga ( Jap. 菅 道 雄 ) was born in the central quarter of Sannomiya ( Jap. 三 宮 ) of the city ​​of Kobe , he was the first-born in the family of a merchant from Kunijiro ( Jap. 国 次郎 kunijiro:) and Ase ( Jap. ア セ ) Suga ^{[ 2]} . From birth, he suffered from eye disease , because of which his parents sent him to be raised by his grandmother at the age of four ^[2] . At the age of seven, he became blind ^[3] .

After losing his sight, he was sent to the Koto Ikuta-ryu school ^[3] , where he studied with Nakajima Kangyo II ( Japanese 二世 中 島 検 校 nisei nakajima kangyo:) and Nakajima Kengyo III ( Japanese 三世 中 島 検 校 sansei nakajima kengyo:) ^{[4 ]} . At the age of 11, Michio became a full-fledged master of the school, he was allowed to teach and granted the right to take one character from the surname “Nakajima” to his surname, he began to be called Michio Nakasuga ( Jap. 中 菅 道 雄 ) ^{[5] [6]} .

Relocation to Korea

In the summer of 1907, the 13-year-old Michio went to Korean Jinseng ( Incheon ) to teach koto and the shakuhachi flute, where he spent ten years ^{[1] [4] [5]} . He wrote his first famous work “Mizu no hentai” ( . の 変 написал ) at the age of 15 (in 1909) ^[7] . After completing work on the Mizu no Hentai, Michio moved to Keijo ( Seoul ) and sent his essay to the resident general of Korea, Ito Hirobumi , who promised to provide financial assistance to the young master to return to Tokyo; however, Hirobumi was soon killed, and Nakasuga remained in Korea ^{[5] [8]} .

In 1913, at the age of 20, Michio Nakasuga married the musician Nakako Kita ( . 多 仲 子 kita nakako ) , who came from a noble family of Miyagi in the past; wishing the revival of the dynasty, the newlyweds took the name Miyagi in 1915 ^{[9] [7]} .

New Japanese Music and Return to Japan

Michio often visited in Kobe his teacher Nakajima and the master of the jiut genre Nakadani Koki ( 長 谷 幸 輝 ) ^[8] . When visiting his home in 1914, Michio met the shakuhachi master Yoshida Seifu ( 吉田 晴 風 yoshida seifu: 1891-1950) , with whom he subsequently worked all his life ^{[5] [6]} . Together with Seifu in 1920, Miyagi created the movement “New Japanese Music” ( 新 日本 音 楽 運動 Shin Nihon Ongaku Undo:) ^{[3] [7]} .

At the age of 22, Miyagi received the title of “great master” ( Japanese 大 検 校 ) ^[10] , he was considered the best of the koto masters in Korea, but this still did not satisfy his ambitions, and in 1917 he moved to Tokyo ^{[2] [10]} . Shortly after moving, Nakako died of illness, and Michio became very impoverished ^[2] . A year after the death of his first wife, he entered into a second marriage with Sadako Yoshimura ( 吉 村 貞子 ) ^{[6] [11]} . Sadako’s nieces, Kiyoko ( 牧 瀬 清 子 ) and Kazue ( 牧 瀬 数 江 ) , began to learn to play koto from him and were adopted by his family after the death of the musician ^[6] . Subsequently, Kiyoko became a well-known performer, taught at Tokyo University of the Arts , served as chairman of the Japanese Association ( 日本 三 曲 協会 ) and received the title “Living National Treasure” ^[8] .

Miyagi has long been interested in Western music, and in 1919 he organized his first concert, which performed both European music and traditional works modernized by “New Japanese music” ^[7] . Despite the fact that some of the innovations caused a negative reaction from the public, in general the concert was very successful, and Michio began to actively promote New Japanese music from that time with Yoshida Seifu and another shakuhachi master, Tozan Nakao ( Japanese: 中 尾 都 山 ) ^{[6] [7]} . All-Japanese fame came to Michio in 1923 precisely after a series of performances with Tozan Nakao ^[8] .

In 1925, the first radio transmission in Japan took place: Miyagi performed several works on koto ^[10] . Subsequently, he performed many times on New Year’s radio broadcasts, and in 1950 (together with writer and actor and composer Kosaku Yamada ) became the first winner of the NHK Prize ( Japanese 日本 放送 協会 放送 文化 賞 ) for his services to Japanese broadcasting ^{[ 6] [10] [7]} .

Over the 1920s, one after the other, the instruments invented by Michio appeared: (1921), big kokyu (1926), 20-string koto, 80-string koto, small koto ( Japanese 短 琴 tanso: ) ^[10] .

Concert for koto with the orchestra "Variations on the theme of Etenraku " ( Japanese 越 天 楽 変 奏 曲 Etenraku Hanso: Kyoku , 1927) , written and performed in collaboration with the brothers Hidemaro and ( Japanese. 近衛 直 麿 ) Konoe had a huge success ^[6] . The most famous work of Michio - a duet for koto and shakuhachi - was completed in 1929 ^[7] .

In 1930, Michio got a job as a teacher at the Tokyo Higher School of Music (now the music department of the University of the Arts ) ^{[5] [10]} . In 1931, he began teaching at the .

International fame

The then-famous French violinist Rene Scheme recorded with Michio Miyagi a performance of “Haru no umi” duet in 1932, the recording became a hit in Japan, the USA and France; international fame came to Miyagi ^{[2] [7] [6]} . Michio recorded many records, which were sold in large numbers; the musician was called a genius ^[2] .

In addition to music, Miyagi was also engaged in literary work. In 1935, his first book was published - a collection of essays by Ame no Nembutsu ( 雨 の 念 仏 , "Buddha of the Rain") . At the Tokyo Higher School of Music, after seven years of work, he received the position of professor, which he used to promote his own music notation system ^{[2] [7]} .

World War II and Beyond

During the war, Michio left work and writing; his house burned down during the bombing of Tokyo in 1945, it took three years to recover ^[7] . In 1946, Miyagi returned to teaching, four years later he received a teaching position at the University of the Arts ^[7] .

On August 18, 1948, Michio Miyagi was accepted into the life members of the Japanese Academy of Arts ^[7] . Two years later, the “Miyagi Association” appeared ( Jap. 会 会 Miyagikai ) ^[6] .

His only visit abroad took place in 1953; he included a recording of London Night Rain ( Japanese ロ ン ド ン の 夜 の 雨 rondon no yoru no ame ) on the BBC in England, as well as a visit to the International Folklore Festival in Pamplona and Biarritz as a representative of Japan ^{[10] [ 7]} .

Death

In June 1956, Miyagi went to Osaka on train to perform Variations on Etenraku ^[7] . At three in the morning, passing Kariya station, Michio fell off the train and was taken to a nearby hospital, but died four hours later ^[7] .

Michio Miyagi is called the “father of modern Japanese music” ^[12] : he created several new instruments, including a 17-string bass koto, he studied European music theory and introduced European performing techniques such as tremolo , staccato , glissando , arpeggio and others ^[5] . His music often includes European harmony , has a Western form , or composed for characteristic European instrument combinations ^[7] . Michio's work was greatly influenced by French impressionism ^[7] .

Over the course of his life, Miyagi created a lot of training materials for koto and shamisen, conducted a radio program on which he taught students to play koto ^{[5] [6]} . He was considered a talented essayist, and also wrote more than one hundred works for children in collaboration with children's writer and poet ^{[7] [6]} . The total number of works by Michio Miyagi exceeds 300 ^[8] .

In 1978, the Shinjuku quarter opened the Michio Miyagi Memorial Museum ( я 道 雄 記念 館 ) , and several monuments were erected to it ^{[10] [7]} . Since 1966, a concert has been held in memory of Miyagi ( 宮城 道 雄 記念 コ ン ク ー ル ) ^[6] .

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  Grave of Michio Miyagi

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  17-string koto

Music

• Mizu no hentai ( 水 の 変 態 , 1909, original變態) ^[3]
• Karaginuta ( 唐 砧 , 1914) ^[6]
• Haru no ame ( 春 の 雨 , 1916) ^[6]
• Aki no shirabe ( 秋 の 調 , 1919) ^[8]
• Yosamu no kyoku ( Japanese 夜寒 の 曲 , 1920) ^[7]
• Otiba no odori ( 落葉 の 踊 り , 1921) ^[7]
• Kairotho ( Japanese 薤 露 調 , 1923) ^[7]
• Sakura hensokyoku ( Japanese さ く ら 変 奏 曲 , 1923) ^[7]
• Etenraku hensokyoku ( 越 天 楽 変 奏 曲 , 1927) ^[3]
• ( 春 の 海 , 1929) ^[3]
• Mushi no musashino ( 虫 の 武 蔵 野 , 1932) ^[8]
• Dokan ( 道 灌 , 1936) ^[8]
• Nitiren ( Jap. 日 蓮 , 1953) ^[8]

Literary works

• Miyagi M.雨 の 念 仏: 随筆 集 ( original雨 の 念 拂). - 三 笠 書房, 1935.
• Miyagi M. 垣 隣 り . - 小山 書店, 1937.
• Miyagi M. 音 の 世界 に 生 き る // 夢 乃 姿 . - 那 珂 書店, 1941.
• Miyagi M. 雨夜 の 駅 // 古 巣 の 梅 . - 雄 鶏 社, 1949.
• Miyagi M.水 の 変 態. - 宝 文 館, 1956.
• Miyagi M.あ す の 別 れ. - 古書, 1956.
• Miyagi M.春 の 海. - ダ ヴ ィ ッ ド 社, 1956.

• 宮城 道 雄 // ブ リ タ ニ カ 国際 大 百科 事 典 小 項目 事 典 . - Britannica Japan, 2014.
• 宮城 道 雄 // デ ジ タ ル 大 辞 泉 . - Shogakukan .
• 宮城 道 雄 // 百科 事 典 マ イ ペ デ ィ ア . - Hitachi Solutions Create, Ltd, 2010. - ISBN 9784582096316 .
• 宮城 道 雄 // 新 撰 芸 能 人物 事 典 明治 ～ 平 成 . - 日 外 ア ソ シ エ ー ツ, 2010 .-- 970 p. - ISBN 978-4-8169-2283-1 .
• 宮城 道 雄 // 日本 大 百科全書 . - Shogakukan . - ISBN https://kotobank.jp/word/ 宮城 道 雄 -139497 .
• 吉田 文 五. 日本 の 古琴 (Japanese) . - 溪水 社, 1984. - S. 276.
• Miyagi Koto Association. 生涯 と 業績 (Japanese) . Archived February 16, 2016.
• 宮城 道 雄 と 春 の 海 (Japanese) . Asahi. Date of treatment April 20, 2016.
• Henry Johnson. Miyagi Michio // Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. - Oxford University Press, 2015. (subscription required)
• Masakata Kanazawa. Miyagi Michio // Grove Music Online. - Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
• Shigeo Kishibe et al. Japan, §IX: Music in the period of Westernization // Grove Music Online. - Oxford University Press, 2016. (subscription required)
• The East . - East Publications, Incorporated, 1986.- S. 38.

• The works of Michio Miyagi in the library of Aodzor-bunko .
• List of works by Michio Miyagi .