Japanese Folk Songs - The International Shakuhachi Society

Japanese Folk Songs

Yokoyama Katsuya
Alshire International - S-5319
1972

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Hakone Hachiri	箱根八里	02'58
	One of the dangerous paths of the Tokaido which linked Tokyo and Kyoto in the Edo period. The easiest way to cross the mountains of Hakone was to use a horse led by a pack horse driver. Those drivers sang this famous song whilst spinning their reins.
2	Tabaruzaka	田原坂	03'20
	A name of a place at Kumamoto Pref., a southern part of Japan. In the spring of 1887, a rebellion took place there. The story of this song is about a handsome youth of the anti-government army who took the role of delivering the message of the government's defeat.
3	Kokiriko	こきりこ	03'38
	A folk song, sung by farmers about 200 years ago. A musical instrument whose shape resembled a farming tool was used for the song, and the name of the tool was Kokiriko.
4	Edo Komoriuta	江戸子守唄	03'40
	This lullaby has been sung since the age of Edo, now Tokyo.
5	Hietsuki Bushi	稗搗節	02'28
	A laborer's song handed down at rice-growing districts since the olden days. Its main story is about the tragic love of young lovers born into rival families.
6	San'an	産安	03'40
	An ancient composition originally representing a woman's prayer for safe delivery during childbirth, in time it acquired a more generalized significance. representing the struggles and hardships involved in the creation of something new and depicting a heart pacified by its final calm. It is said that this melody is dedicated to being and nonbeing.
7	Sakura Sakura	さくらさくら	03'38
	Japanese traditional ancient song about cherry blossoms, Japanese national flower. This song has been well-known for over 1000 years.
8	Kuroda Bushi	黒田節	03'08
	Japanese main folk song. This song tells about the episode of a soldier during the age of the 16th Century wars. As the song is related with Sake (Japanese wine), this is often sung at feasts.
9	Jougashima no Ame	城ヶ島の雨	03'49
	A fine work of recent Japanese lieds. It is a scene in Jogashima during a rainstorm.
10	Shimabara no Komoriuta	島原の子守歌	03'20
	As the place "Shimabara" in southern part of Japan was near to China, many women were taken and sold to China. This is the song for the motherless children sung by their fathers.
11	Kariboshi Kiri-uta	刈干切唄	03'28
	In olden days farmers cut bamboo grass or miscanthus for thatching their roofs or feeding their cows and horses. They used a scythe for cutting. While they worked, they sang this song with slow tempo.
12	Tamuke	手向	05'08
	A song for solo, offering to a soul. Music of the spiritual world which is the essence of the Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute).