University of Virginia Library

II. APPENDIX II

Fenollosa's notes go into considerable detail as
to how one must place large jars under the proper
Noh stage for resonance: concerning the officials
in the ministry of music in the reign of some emperor
or other; concerning musical instruments,
etc.; concerning special ceremonies, etc. A part
of this material can, I think, be of interest only
to scholars; at least I am not prepared to edit it
until I know how much or how little general interest
there is in the Japanese drama and its methods
of presentation. Many facts might be extremely
interesting if one had enough knowledge of Noh,
and could tell where to fit them in. Many names
might be rich in association, which are, at the
present stage of our knowledge, a rather dry
catalogue.

Still, I may be permitted a very brief summary
of a section of notes based, I think, on a long work
by Professor Ko-haka-mura.

Certain instruments are very old (unless we have
pictures of all these instruments, a list of Japanese
names with the approximate dates of their invention
will convey little to us). Music is divided roughly

into what comes from China, from Korea, and what
is native. "Long and short songs, which sang
out the heart of the people, were naturally rhythmic."
Foreign music . . . various schools and revolutions
. . . priests singing in harmony (?) with
the biwa. Puppet plays (about 1596, I think, unless
the date 1184 higher on the page is supposed to
be connected with "the great genius Chikamatsu").
Chikamatsu, author of 97 jōruri plays, lived 16531724.
Various forms of dancing, female dancing,
"turning piece," some forms of female dancing
forbidden. Music for funerals and ceremonies.

"The thoughts of men, when they are only
uttered as they are, are called 'tada goto,' plain word.
But when they are too deep for 'plain word' we
make 'pattern decoration' (aya), and have fushi
(tones) for it."

An emperor makes the first koto from "decayed"
wood; the sound of it was very clear and
was heard from afar.

Field dances, shield dances, etc. "In the ninth
month of the fourteenth year of Temmu (a.d. 686),
the imperial order said: 'The male singers and
female flute blowers must make it their own profession,
and hand it down to their descendants and
make them learn.' Hence these hereditary professions."

"In the festival of Toka, court ladies performed
female dancing, ceremony of archery, wrestling (so
the note seems to read). In the Buddhist service
only foreign music was used."

More regulations for court ceremonies, not
unlike the general meticulousness of "Leviticus."

Buddhism, growing popularity of Chinese music.
"In Daijosai, the coronation festival, it was not the
custom to use Chinese music. But in this ceremony
at Nimmio Tenno's coronation, on the day of
the dinner-party, they collected pebbles before the
temple, planted new trees, spread sheets on the
ground, scattered grain to represent the seashore,
and took out boats upon it, and a dance was performed
imitating fishermen picking up seaweed.

In the festival of the ninth month, literary men
offered Chinese poems, so it may be that the music
was also in Chinese style.

In the time of Genkio (1321-23), mention of
a troupe of 140 dancers.

Udzumusa Masena (?) gives a list of pieces of
music brought over from China. "Sansai Zuye,"
an old Japanese encyclopedia, certainly gives this
list. Some of these names may be interesting as
our knowledge of Noh increases. At any rate, I
find already a few known names, notably the sea-wave
dance mentioned in the Genji play already
translated. I therefore give a partial list, which
the reader may skip at his pleasure:

Brandish dancing, breaking camp music, virtue
of war, whirling circle music, spring nightingale
singing, heaven head jewel life, long life, jewel tree,
back-garden flower (composed by a princess of
China), King of Rakio (who always wore a mask on
his face when he went into battle), congratulation

temple, 10,000 years (Banzai), black-head music,
Kan province, five customs, courtesy and justice
music, five saints' music, pleasant spring, pleasant
heart, playing temple, red-white peach pear flower,
autumn wind, Rindai (a place in the out-of-the-way
country of To), green sea-waves (sei kai ha), plucking
mulberry old man, King of Jin breaking camp,
divine merit, great settling great peace, returning
castle music, turning cup, congratulation king
benevolence. Three pieces for sword-dancing:
great peace, general music, the palace of Komon;
beating ball, music of (?) Ringin Koku. "A wild
duck curving her foot is the dancing of Bosatsu
mai." Kariobinga bird,[1] barbaric drinking wine,
dinner drinking, "Inyang"[2] castle peace. Music
of Tenjiku,[3] in which the dancers are masked to
look like sparrows, scattering hands, pluck off head,
Princess of So, perfumed leaves, 10,000 autumns'
music.