Yuya
熊野
| [Genre] | Sokyoku |
| [School] | Yamada Ryū - 山田 |
| [Composed] | Yamada Kengyō - Koto |
History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):
| Together with Aoi no ue, Chokonka no kyoku and Koho no kyoku, Yuya forms the 'Four Greatest Works,' composed by Yamada Kengyo. The song text is taken from the latter half of the no play Yuya, which is attributed to Zeami (1363-1443). The story is based on an episode in Book Ten of 'The Tale of the Heike.' Yuya, the daughter of a tavern-owner at a way station, won the favor of Taira no Munemori (1147-85), the powerful keeper of the seals at court, and is summoned to Kyoto, the capital. Yuya's old mother, who was left in the distant eastern province, becomes seriously ill. Yuya asks Munemori for leave, but he will not grant it because of his selfish love. |
Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)
| The voice of the bell At Kiyomizu Temple Echoes the evanescence of all things, The ephemerality of this world, As the Gion Monastery bell Might have sounded. At the Jishu-Gongen Shrine, The color of the cherry blossoms Tells us the nature Of the Twin Sal Trees. These are several Of many illustrations Of the principle of morality, Of the way of the world. Buddha too, once Renounced the world - Leaving behind The name of the Mount of Eagles, The scene of his austerities Half invisible above the clouds, At Katsurabashi Temple Which we see in the distance Among the 'Laurel Bridges' Of clouds on its summit, Is that heavenly mist Or new cherry-blossoms at The nearby Gion Grove? And these banks Of the Shimogawara. When we look Far to the south, The Ima-Gumano Shrine In the spring haze - Yuya-Gongen newly enshrined, His grace and benevolence Mighty as in Kumano Of Kishu Province (1). Autumn On Mount Inari: Lightly tinged maple leave Which once were green, And in flowery spring At Kiyomizu Temple Where sits Kanon The Merciful Bodhisattva, The blossoming of Thousands of spring cherries! Despite the mountain's names - 'Sounding Wings' and 'Storm' A snow of flowers falls silently. Who can know The depth of my sorrow? Yuya: May I have the honor Of serving you some wine? Munemori: Why not, Yuya. Show us a dance, Will you? Y: Who knows My deep sorrow? Oh, look! All at once A passing shower has come, Scattering the blossoms - How unexpected. M: Indeed, The blossoms Are scattered By this shower! Y: Alas, What a heartless shower! 'Spring rain Falling - is it tears? Falling - is it tears? Is there anyone Who would not regret The fall of the cherry blossoms?' M: Such a significant tone To your words! What do you mean? If I take it up and read it - 'What shall I do? Though it seems a pity To miss spring in the capital. My old blossoms in the east May have already fallen.' M: Indeed, you are right! I am sorry for you. You may take your leave At once. Go to your home In the east Y: What!? Would you grant me Permission to leave? M: By all means. You must be on your way Immediately. Y: Oh, how happy I am! This is more than I deserve. This is entirely due to The divine favor of Kannon. Everything is settled - How glad I am! Everything is settled - How glad I am! If I were there to accompany you To the capital, Sir, You might conceivably Change your mind. Allow me to say farewell here As I am. The evening birds Are calling. On the road east, On the way home, Yuya stops to rest At the barrier of Mt.Osaka. The barrier keeper also Takes care of her, And he lets her through - She has left the mountains behind The wild geese Who forsake the blossoms of the capital Fly to the north I, too, am going home Back to my home in the east - Farewell... Back to my home in the east - Farewell. (1) The god Kumano-Gongen of the Kishu Province (present Wakayama Prefecture) attracted many pilgrims, including the imperial family, because of his powerful divine grace. In 1160 for convenience of imperial pilgrimage, the object of worship was moved to the capital, enshrined in a new sanctuary to the south, and its new shrine was called Ima-Gumano ('New Kumano' or Kumano in Kyoto'). The Chinese character for Yuya are also pronounced as 'Kumano.' So the characters 'Kumano-Gongen' can also be pronounced 'Yuya-Gongen. | (maebiki) Seisuiji no kane no koe gion-shooja wo arawashi shogyoo-mujoo no koe yaran jishu-gongen no hana no iro sarasooju no kotowari nari shooja-hitsumetsu no yo no narai geni tameshi aru yosooi Hotoke mo moto wa suteshi yo no nakaba wa kumo ni ye mienu washi-no-oyama no na wo nokosu tera wa katsura no hashi-bashira tachiidete mine no kumo hana ya aran hatsu-zakura no tion-bayashi shimogawaraminami wo haruka ni nagamureba daihi-oogo no usumomiji no aokarishi ha no aki mata hana no haru wa kiyomizu no tada tanome tanomoshiki haru mo chiji no hanazakari (ainote) yama no na no otowa-arashi no hana no yuki fukaki nasake wo hito ya shiru Warawa oshaku ni mairi sooroobeshi Ikani yuya hitosashi maisoorae Fukaki nasake wo hito ya shiru noonoo niwaka ni murasame no shite hana wo chirashi sooroo wa ikani Geni tadaima no murasame ni hana no chiri sooroo yo Ara kokorona no murasame yana (ai) Harusame no furu wa namida ka furu wa namida ka sakurabana chiru wo oshimanu hito ya aru Yoshi arigenaru kotoba no tane toriagemireba Ikani sen miyako no haru mo oshikeredo nareshi azuma no hana ya chiruran Geni doori nari aware nari haya haya itoma torasuruzo azuma ni kudari soorae Nami oitoma to sooroo ya Nakanaka no koto tookutoku kudari tamoobeshi Ara ureshiya tootoya no kore kannon no gorishoo nari koremade nariya ureshiya na Kakute miyako ni otomo seba matamo ya gyoi no kawaru beki tada konomama ni oitoma to yuutsuke no tori ga naku azumaji sashite yuku michi no yagate yasuroo oosaka seki no tozashi mo kokoro shite akeyuku ato no yama miete hana wo misutsuru karigane no Sore wa koshiji ware wa mata azuma ni kaeru nagori kana azuma ni kaeru nagori kana |
Yuya appears on the following albums
| Album | Artist | |
| Hirai Sumiko no Sekai |
Voice : Hirai Sumiko Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō Shamisen : Yamase Shōin III Koto : Yamase Shōin II Koto : Yamasei Fusei | |
| Hōgaku Taikei Vol. 3 - Sōkyoku - Shakuhachi 1 (LP 2) |
Shamisen : Tanaka Sakihide Voice : Uehara Masaki II Koto : Uehara Masaki II Voice : Fujii Chiyoga II Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II | |
 | Musical Anthology of the Orient, Unesco Collection Vol 1 |
Koto : Yonekawa Fumiko I |
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Yuya is one of the most representative compositions by the founder of the Yamada School, the artist Kengyo Yamada (1757-1817), in Edo, the present day Tokyo. Kengyo Yamada used as the basis for his text an excerpt from the No play of the same name which is attributed to the great No master Zeami Motokiyo (1363-1444). Contrary to the Ikuta School, which cultivated instrumental techniques, the Yamada School gave prominence to the performance and the shaping of songs and recitation. A listener without previous knowledge of the No play Yuya, could hardly understand the musical situation. The story: Yuya, a young peasant girl, is the mistress of the powerful keeper of the seal at the Emperor's court, Taira-no-Munemori (1147-1185), Yuya's mother, who lives in a distant eastern province, is very ill. Yuya has begged Munemori for leave, but he would not grant it because of his passionate and selfish love. Even when a message from the sick mother arrives, Munemori is unwilling to let Yuya go. Instead, he arranges an excursion to see the cherry blossoms. (scene and song) Following a description of the blossom-filled landscape on Mount Otowa, on which the temple of Seisuiji (Kiyomizudera) is situated, a banquet begins during which Yuya is supposed to dance. As she dances, a shower of rain falls and many of the cherry blossoms are dashed to the ground. Yuya compares the falling blossoms to the fragile condition of her mother and composes a poem which fills Munemori with emotion. He then grants Yuya her long desired leave. The theme of the No play Yuya and its literary variants are adapted from the tenth chapter of the monumental epic Heike Monogatari (The Song of the Decline of the Taira Clan) which dates from the middle of the 13th century. The work is clearly divided, according to mood, into three distinct parts. The first part expresses the peaceful atmosphere in front of the Buddhist temple; the second part portrays the sadness of the heroine during the banquet and at the falling of the cherry blossoms; the third part reflects the joyful surprise felt by Yuya at the granted vacation. The players, who also recite the text, are: First Koto: Eisho Koshino Second Koto: Hiroyuki Nakada Shamisen: Shoko Murooka The text: The sound of the bell of the Kiyomizu Temple proclaims the transitoriness of all existence, just as that of the Gion Hermitage does. The splendour of the cherry blossoms at the Shinto Shrine Jishu-Gongen teaches us the transitoriness of all life, just as did the twin Sala trees that wilted at Buddha's death. No creature on this earth can escape transience. Even Buddha realised this, became an ascetic and preached his teachings on Mount Eagle. In memory of this event the Laurel Bridge Temple is called Temple of Mount Eagle. We are now in front of the Kiyomizu Temple and survey the surroundings. The cherry blossoms are so marvelous that one wonders whether they are clouds or real cherry blossoms. Nearby can be seen the Gion Grove - and the Yasaka Shrine, which reminds us of the Gion Fete and its music - in the neighborhood of Shimogawara. When we look to the south, we can discern in the spring haze the Imagumano Shrine where Yuya-Gongen is worshipped, who protects all mankind with his grace and benevolence. In the distance, the lightly coloured foliage of the maple-trees on Mount Inari is to be seen. The spring landscape (near the Kwannon) at Kiyomizu Temple, often praised in poems, is now in full bloom. What a beautiful sight! The cherry blossoms are wafted away as is hinted at in the names of both mountains, Mount Otowa and Mount Arashi (which means: in the sound of the wind or in the storms); and then fall like snow flakes, scattered here and there. Yuya: I am very sad, does no one pity me? (controlling herself) May I pour you some wine? (she presents Munemori with a cup of sake) Munemori: Yuya, would you like to dance for us? Yuya: No one understands my sorrow. (She begins to dance. It starts to rain.) Suddenly a downpour comes and scatters the blossoms. How can that happen? Munemori: A downpour is really coming and scattering the blossoms! Yuya: Oh, this heartless rain! These spring rain-drops; are they not tears of pain over the falling cherry blossoms? This would make anyone sad. Even the heavens are crying! (Yuya composes a poem, writes it down on a tanzaku (tablet) and shows it to Munemori.) Munemori: You are presenting me with a poem? It will have a deep meaning. Let us see! "What should I do? The departure from the Emperor's City (and from you) in the middle of spring is too difficult for me." Yuya: "And I am anxious lest the blossoms dear to me (the sick mother) in the East may already have fallen!" Munemori: You are right. I understand you now. You may take your leave at once and return to your home! Yuya: What? You would kindly grant me leave? Munemori: As I said, be on your way! Yuya: Oh, how glad I am! All this comes from the infinite mercy of the Kwannon in the Kiyomizu Temple. Then I would now like to take leave. Oh, how happy I am! If I should accompany you on your return to the city, you could change your decision; therefore, I will already take leave here. Farewell then. Chorus: On the way to the East, she pauses for a while on Mount Osaka. The frontier guard, moved by the faithful Yuya's account of her sick mother, opens the frontier gate immediately. Yuya's farewell from the Emperor's City is sad. "Indifferent to the beauty of the cherry blossoms, the wild geese leave the Emperor's City and fly towards the North. . . I turn to the East and even as they do leave the Emperor's City." How sad this is! | ||
| Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 21 (三曲合奏大全集２１) |
Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō Voice : Yamase Shōin III Shamisen : Yamase Shōin III Voice : Yamase Shōin II Koto : Yamase Shōin II Voice : Yamasei Shunsei Koto : Yamasei Shunsei | |
| Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 46 |
Voice : Uehara Masaki II Koto : Uehara Masaki II Voice : Fujii Chiyoga II Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II | |
| Yamada Kengyo o Utao Disk 2 |
Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II | |