Tsugaru-jiamisen

Origin

Tsugaru-jiamisen is a type of shamisen, a Japanese fretless three-stringed lute with a spike ^[5] . The shamisen’s ancestor, sanshin , appeared in Japan in the 16th century and quickly assimilated, in particular, cat or dog ^[5] was used instead of snake skin to cover the body.

Despite the current perception of Japan as a homogeneous nation, Japanese society consists of many overlapping groups of with their own geographical, political and cultural-language markers ^[6] . The formation of Tsugaru-jiamisen took place in Tsugaru, which was and remains a remote region of Japan with its own dialect , incomprehensible in the rest of Japan, and musical tradition ^[7] . founded the Principality of Hirosaki , and in 1590-1871 Tsugaru was ruled by a separate daimyo ^[8] . The peripheral position of Tsugaru reflects the nickname ura-nihon ( Jap. 裏 日本 , "the wrong side of Japan") ^[9] .

There are other local musical styles: Tsugaru-aya-bushi ( Jap. 津 軽 あ い や 節 ) , Tsugaru-yama-uta ( Jap. 津 軽 山 唄 ) and so on ^[10] . Tsugaru-jiamisen himself has several subgenres: accompaniment to folk songs, instrumental versions of these songs and impromptu works ^[11] .

First Half of the 20th Century

One of the social groups that played an important role in its formation is the poor and wandering blind musicians: Bosama men and Goze women ^[12] . Both those and those were poor, and even famous performers, such as the founder of the Nitabo genre, were at the bottom of the social hierarchy ^[13] . Due to poverty, Nitabo, the son of a ferryman who was blind and orphaned as a child, could not even join the guild of blind musicians and began to beg for charity by playing the shamisen ^[5] .

An important topic for early wandering performers was homesickness, which successfully fit into the then-spread nostalgic regionalism ^[14] , caused by the sharp modernization of Japan and the replacement of the traditional social order by westernization ^[15] . During the pre-war upsurge of nationalism in the 1930s, paradoxically, this regionalism became a pillar for constructing the image of a monolithic united Japan: the Japanese shared a common feeling that they had a small homeland, albeit different ^[16] . Examples of vivid regionalism can be seen in the lyrics, mentioning the sights of Tsugaru and inviting them to visit ^[15] . In addition to music, Tsugaru is famous for its apple orchards and varnish ^[8] .

The roots of the Tsugaru-jyamisen performing tradition lie in Tsugaru’s folk music, however, they have moved away from it due to the influence of commercial producers ^{[17] [16]} : In the 1900-1950s, the most prominent performers were often sponsored by organizations or the media ^[14] .

The rise of popularity in the 1960s and world fame

This genre is based on the image of the traditional, but in reality it represents the so-called “new tradition”, which took shape relatively recently ^[18] . Until the 1950s, Tsugaru-jiamisen was not mentioned in literature, and the formation of the performing tradition was completed only after the end of World War II ^[19] .

The first musician to popularize this genre was Takahashi Tikuzan , in the 1960s Rinshoei Kida ( Japanese 木 田林松 栄 , 1911-1979) , Gumpatiro Shirakawa ( Japanese 白川軍 八郎 , 1909-1962) and Masakatsu Fukushi became widely known Japanese 福士 政 勝 , 1913-1969) , and later - and Tisato Yamada ^[5] . In the 21st century, some Tsugaru-jiamisen masters become idols and pop stars or international stars and record albums abroad ^[16] .

The music of tsugaru-jiamisen requires virtuosity and improvisation from the performer, similarly to the solo guitar in Western rock music ^[20] . An audience interested in Japanese music has expanded thanks to such musicians as Yoshida Brothers and , who created a new eclectic neo-traditionalist style ^[21] . The iMoto conservative system in such conditions can be a braking factor for the development of the instrument, and some performers decide instead to study independently ^[22] . On the other hand, modern performing techniques are often criticized for “not leaving anything from the classic Tsugaru-jiamisen”, and the musicians “only stupidly strumming”, not paying attention to the fact that Tsugaru-jiamisen of the beginning of the 20th century is the first turn accompaniment for dance ^[23] .

In modern Japan, tsugaru-jiamisen remains associated with Aomori, where there are numerous festivals and competitions dedicated to him, where performers come together ^[23] . In the late 1990s, the number of musicians involved in this genre was estimated at 50,000 ^[23] . In addition, , bars with live music ^[23] are an important place for performers.

In 1988, a monument was unveiled to Tsugaru-jiamisen in the hometown of Nitabo (now part of Gosegavara ), and in 1993, another, near the Kanda Bridge ^[5] . After the introduction of compulsory lessons of traditional Japanese musical instruments in secondary schools in 2002, young people became more interested in them, and interest in tsugaru-jiamisen especially increased ^[4] .

The shamisen used in this style has a very wide neck and a very large body, covered with thick dog skin, which must withstand constant impacts of the plectrum ^[3] . Given the much higher cost of shamisen with a wide body and their severity, it is unlikely that this is the original type of tsugaru-jyamisen, most likely, the early performers used the middle neck ^[17] .

Strings usually weigh 30, 18 and 12 momme (112.5; 67.5; 45 g) and are made of silk, or tetron or nylon ^[24] . They are pulled either in the usual order for the shamisen (for the observer, from left to right in decreasing thickness), or in the opposite direction ^[25] . All three strings lie on the upper nut, the ringing sound of a thick “savari” string is produced by the azuma-savari mechanism ( Japanese 東 触 り ) , that is, with the help of a retractable rod passing through the bar under the string just below the nut, about which the string rings ^{[ 5]} . The overlay of this instrument continues almost to the case itself, without forming a smooth “khatomune” curve ( Japanese 鳩 груд , “dove’s chest”) ^[26] .

The removable lower sill of the Tsugaru-jiamisen has a length of about 7.2 cm, a width of 0.6 and a height of 0.8 cm, its upper part may have a tortoise shell finish ^[27] . Plectrum 18.6-19.6 cm long and 9.4 cm wide in the narrow part ^[28] .

In the 21st century, a microphone or pickups are increasingly attached to the instrument ^[29] .

Dimensions

• Total length - 102.2 cm.
• The length of the headstock to the nut is 13 cm.
• The length of the neck from the nut to the body is 62.5 cm.
• Case length - 20.7 cm.
• Case width - 23 cm.
• Case thickness - 10 cm.
• The length of the spire is 3 cm.
• The width of the neck is from 3.1 to 3.3 cm ^[30] .

• Henry Mabley Johnson. The Shamisen: Tradition and Diversity . - Brill, 2010 .-- ISBN 9789004181373 .
• Henrey Mabley Johnson. Tsugaru Shamisen: From Region to Nation (and beyond) and Back Again (Eng.) // Asian Music. - 2006. - Vol. 37 , no. 1 . - P. 75-100 .