Hardcore Parlor Entertainment

I have been practicing a form of traditional Japanese music called "Kouta," or "Edo Kouta," for about a quarter of a century. In Japan, lessons of any kind tend to lead toward a "Do" (a path or way). Kouta, which was originally known as music for a four-and-a-half-mat room and grew up in the pleasure quarters, is no exception. In Japan, when there is a master and a disciple, it eventually becomes a "path."
I would like to write about the pleasure quarters that I, a "hardcore" playboy, have seen, heard, and experienced through Kouta. Please do not expect any racy stories, as there are none at all.

What is Kouta in the first place?

Kouta is a relatively late-blooming field of traditional Japanese music that was born at the end of the Edo period. The first Kouta song, worthy of commemoration, is called "Chiru wa Uki," and it was composed by none other than Lord Matsudaira Fumai of the Matsue Domain. I am sure that those who enjoy tea ceremony are familiar with him. Lord Fumai was a great patron of the second Kiyomoto Enjudayu, and after Enjudayu passed away, his daughter, Oha, found a song that had been gifted by Lord Fumai while she was tidying up his belongings. Setting that song to a melody became the beginning of Kouta.

The First Kouta Song

🎵Chiru wa uki, chiranu wa shizumu momijiba no, kage wa Takao ka yamakawa no, mizu no nagare ni tsuki no kage. Fumai-san's song only goes up to "yamakawa no mizu." Adding the phrase "no nagare ni tsuki no kage" to it is where Oha-san's extraordinary talent shines. Since Oha-san was the daughter of a Kiyomoto performer, I assume she had a background in Kiyomoto, but I cannot tell if this melody is in the Kiyomoto style or not. To discuss that, I would need to practice Kiyomoto in earnest.

Kouta Loved by the Edoites

This Kouta is elegant, as one would expect from lyrics written by Lord Fumai. Kouta later became something for the common people, and the poetry moved away from elegance, incorporating elements of commoners' human emotions, sighs, complaints, and flirtations. Also, Kouta songs that skillfully embedded famous lines, scenes, and actors from popular plays were created one after another. In any case, the important thing is that Kouta was loved by the Edoites. Therefore, it must be "iki" (chic/stylish). One expression of "iki" is being "short." Singing at length is unrefined. That is why most Kouta songs are two or three minutes long. It is called "Kouta" (small song) because it is short and small.

The Youngest Sibling of Traditional Japanese Music: "Kouta" and How It Differs from Its Older Brothers

Just because it is short does not mean it is easy. Kouta falls into a new category of traditional Japanese music. This means it has been influenced by all the traditional music that came before it. The person who composed "Chiru wa Uki" was the daughter of a Kiyomoto performer. It is not just Kiyomoto; it is also influenced by Tokiwazu, Katobushi, Ichuchubushi, and Nagauta. Perhaps the greatest influence comes from "Hauta," which is said to be its direct ancestor.
Let me digress a little. I am often asked by those who are somewhat knowledgeable about traditional Japanese music, "What is the difference between Nagauta and Kouta?" The difference is clear. Nagauta is "long." It is performed for at least thirty minutes in a structure called "danmono." In contrast, Kouta is "short." It ends in two or three minutes. When people become a little more knowledgeable, the question becomes, "What is the difference between Hauta and Kouta?" This is difficult. In the first place, there are songs that exist as both Hauta and Kouta. A famous example is a song called "Yozakura ya."

🎵Yozakura ya, ukare karasu ga maimai to, hana no kokage ni dare yara ga iru waina, toboke shansu na, mebuki yanagi ga kaze ni momarete, fuwari fuwari to, oosa, sou jaina, sou jawaina

It sings of the bustle of the cherry blossom trees along the Nihon-zutsumi in Yoshiwara, and this is performed as both Hauta and Kouta. The visible difference is the shamisen. In Hauta, as in other styles, the shamisen is played with a plectrum (bachi). In contrast, only in Kouta is it played with the fingers without a plectrum. This is called "tsumebiki" (plucking with the nails). In reality, it is not the nails themselves, but the flesh next to the nails that is skillfully used to create a mellow tone. Therefore, if it is sung in a relaxed manner using a plectrum, it is Hauta. If it is sung in a mellow style using tsumebiki, it is Kouta.

As an invisible difference, there is its origin. Most Hauta are popular songs that were passed down through oral tradition, created by no one in particular. In modern terms, it is street music. In contrast, the lyricists and composers of Kouta are recorded. Therefore, the shamisen in Hauta has strong accompanimental elements and is suitable for singing while playing. In contrast, the shamisen in Kouta can hardly be called mere accompaniment. Certainly, as a singer, one cannot sing without the shamisen, so it is not impossible to call it accompaniment, but if you listen only to the shamisen, you will be surprised that it is completely different from the melody of the song. Moreover, techniques are scattered everywhere. When you think about it, the composers of Kouta are usually Kouta masters. They are masters of the shamisen. Therefore, it is natural that super-techniques are scattered throughout.

Music for a Four-and-a-Half-Mat Room

I wrote that Kouta grew up in the pleasure quarters as music for a four-and-a-half-mat room. This origin is clearly expressed in the fact that the shamisen is played by plucking with the fingers without using a plectrum. After a drink with a familiar geisha in a four-and-a-half-mat room at a teahouse in the pleasure quarters (sometimes called a restaurant or a waiting house), one would play two of their favorite Kouta songs on the geisha's "ito" (the shamisen for Kouta is sometimes called "ito"). For some reason, it is called "Kouta nidai" (two Kouta pieces). It is not as if they are meeting in secret, so it would not matter if it were heard outside the room, but it is the Edoite way to enjoy it quietly, face-to-face. Therefore, Kouta is not something to be sung at the top of one's lungs. Quietly, and with style. Showing off anything, including one's voice, is unrefined.

Is Kouta Self-Satisfaction?

Kouta is not meant to be heard by anyone; if forced to say, it only needs to be heard by the geisha playing the shamisen. Because it is a four-and-a-half-mat room. That is the boundary with other traditional Japanese music. Nagauta, of course, as well as Kiyomoto and Tokiwazu, are stage music. They are performed to match scenes in Kabuki. Even with Hauta, it is premised on the presence of an audience. Only Kouta is sung without intending for anyone to hear it. Therefore, from an objective point of view, it might be called "self-satisfaction."

One of the representative songs of the Kouta Matsumine school, which I study under, is called "Yoizame ni."
🎵Yoizame ni, hiku tomo nashi no tsumebiki wa, saenu kokoro no sute dokoro, najimi ni natta ashioto mo kikenakunatte, irotsuta no moete hakanaki shiorido ni, moshiya moshiya no kaze no oto

The essence of Kouta is packed into this song as much as possible. The protagonist is likely a geisha. Since it mentions tsumebiki, she is singing Kouta. Not for anyone to hear. And while being crushed by a feeling of helplessness. While drowning her sorrows in alcohol. While thinking of the man who does not come no matter how long she waits. And at the sound of the wind shaking the wicket gate, she thinks, "Could it be..." Cruelly, it is just the sound of the wind. I think that feeling such scenes as precious is the sensibility of Kouta.

This has become long, so I will continue in a separate article.