Keywords

Kishimoto, Gagaku, modernization

Abstract

Kibigaku is the name given to a musical tradition which arose in western Japan during the early years of the Meiji period (1867-1912). It was created by a Gagaku musician of the recently abolished Ikeda fief at Okayama, Yoshihide Kishimoto, who sought to blend elements of the Imperial Court music with those of more popular genres to create a new form of music which would be appropriate for a modernized Japan. Inherent in his thinking was the idea that while Gagaku was the only music having the power to fully evoke and express the Japanese spirit, it was too austere for the tastes of the general population. Therefore, the new music must be infused with the spirit of Gagaku but be in more easily apprehended forms.

Kibigaku is basically a vocal genre which is accompanied by the instruments of the Gagaku ensemble (minus the Biwa). The koto is the most prominent of the instruments with the usual melody instruments, ryūteki and hichiriki, taking the minor roles of providing support for the vocal line. The music has been divided traditionally into three categories, Entertainment music, Home use music, and Ritual music. Entertainment pieces are essentially history pieces related to historic episodes in which warriors exhibited great valor. Dance is an integral part of entertainment music and the performers wear elaborate costumes. As the name might suggest, entertainment music is presented to the public on special occasions. Home use music, on the other hand, is essentially conceived of as being more for one's personal pleasure at home or in the company of close friends. There are dances connected with pieces in this category but they are based more on abstract movement than on any story line and are not essential to the performance of the music.

In its early days Kibigaku was used in both Buddhist and Shinto rituals. Two neo-Shinto sects, the Kurozumi-kyō, and later the Konkō-kyō officially adopted the music for use in their rituals.

Kishimoto himself composed numerous pieces to be used for their ceremonies. Kibigaku began to decline in the early twenties and it was largely due to the patronage of these two sects that it has been preserved. Nowadays their festivals are the only places where this music may be heard.

The performance styles and the use of instruments differs in each category. However, there is a pervading unity in the structural make-up of the songs in all categories. This unity is based on the use of fifteen stereotyped melodies of varying length which for the purposes of this study may have been termed "fixed melodies". A fixed melody may appear in its complete form, in one or more variant forms, or as a fragment. Each melody is subject to variation and these variant forms may be divided into two categories, (a) those which alter the melody structurally for a given number of beats and (b) those which alter the melody and its ornaments within the framework and requirements of different performance styles. When a fragment of a melody appears it also may be in a variant form.

While the surface structures of the music appear infinitely varied the deep structures remain essentially unchanged. The surface changes occur according to well defined principles of variation. These become vitalizing factors in the music and brings sense of variety and change which tends to counteract the monotony that is always possible in a structurally homogeneous genre.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of "Doctor of Philosophy - University of Washington, 1974"