I Started Kouta | The World That Attracted a Period Drama Fan

I started learning "Kouta" in June at a relaxed pace of once a month.

The trigger was seeing "Kouta" written in the hobbies section of an elderly person I met at work.

I only had enough knowledge to wonder, "What is Kouta? Is there an O-uta (big song) too?" but when I tried searching on YouTube, I saw someone singing softly to the accompaniment of a shamisen.
"Oh, I've heard that in period dramas!"
The moment I thought that, I felt an immediate sense of familiarity.

Sounds I've been familiar with since childhood

I've loved period dramas since I was a child, so the sound of the shamisen and the atmosphere of the soft singing naturally remained in my ears.
However, living in a normal residential area, I assumed that "it's probably not a world I can learn in," and I gave up on going to learn it right away.

Encounter with the Hori school of Kouta

At that time, there was an opportunity for an acquaintance to play the shamisen for me.

The moment I heard that sound, the memory came back to me, "Oh, it's Kouta!" and I couldn't help but be curious about it.

When I looked into it again, I was surprised to find that there were several classrooms, and some of them focused on learning the singing.

The joy of lessons

The teacher at the classroom I visited for a trial lesson was a man, but his clear, high voice was very beautiful, and I even felt a certain elegance in it.

The shamisen is merely there to complement the singing.
Also, learning that some of the words we use casually in daily life are derived from the shamisen or singing, every lesson is a series of learning and surprises.

For example, the story about "nasalized voiced consonants" was also impressive.

The 'ga' sound at the beginning of a word is pronounced as a voiced consonant, but it tends to become a nasalized voiced consonant when it comes in the middle or at the end of a word.
The 'ga' in 'gakkou' (school) is a voiced consonant, while the 'ga' in 'ongaku' (music) is a nasalized voiced consonant.

Knowing that we sing while being conscious of such delicate Japanese sounds made me feel the depth of Kouta once again.

Shamisen as well

Since I can also be taught the shamisen along with the singing in the lessons, I decided to take the plunge and order my own shamisen.
I am very much looking forward to the day it arrives.

The cutting edge of an aging society?

Kouta used to be something that wealthy patrons and geisha enjoyed together at banquet parties.

However, such culture has become rare these days, and it seems the number of members is steadily decreasing.

When I participated in a social gathering, I, in my late 50s, was treated as a "young person" (laughs).

But the singing and shamisen playing of the masters who have been doing this for many years were truly magnificent, and I was simply moved.

Summary

Being able to encounter the sound of Kouta again, which I had completely forgotten.
And the fact that I am learning it myself now is both mysterious and very happy.
I was told that once I learn it once, I can call them "Oshisho-san" (master), so from now on, I will call them "Oshisho-san" instead of teacher.
I have only just begun, but I hope to gradually immerse myself in the mellow world of Kouta from here on out.