弓神楽 Yumi kagura, by 田中重雄 Shigeo Tanaka 田中律子 Ritsuko Tanaka

弓神楽 Yumi kagura

by 田中重雄 Shigeo Tanaka 田中律子 Ritsuko Tanaka

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Deferent Golgi EM Records saves another splendid recording from the oblivion of the archives and does an admirable job of locating it in a global continuum among genres like jazz and techno, encouraging listeners not just to revere it as a relic but to treat it like a living thing that wants to play. Favorite track: 弓神楽：手草祭文 [1991] Yumi kagura: Takusa saimon [1991] Part 1.

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CD version. Standard jewel case, clear tray, obi (cap). 24-page booklet including English / Japanese liner notes and photos.

Includes unlimited streaming of 弓神楽 Yumi kagura via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	田中重雄 Shigeo Tanaka - 弓神楽：手草祭文 [1991] Yumi kagura: Takusa saimon [1991] Part 1 15:47	info	buy track
2.	田中重雄 Shigeo Tanaka - 弓神楽：手草祭文 [1991] Yumi kagura: Takusa saimon [1991] Part 2 14:14	info	buy track
3.	田中律子 Ritsuko Tanaka - 弓神楽：井永八幡神社弓神楽奉納 [2016] Part 1 Yumi kagura: Inagahachiman jinja yumi kagura hōnō [2016] Part 1 19:03	info	buy track
4.	田中律子 Ritsuko Tanaka - 弓神楽：井永八幡神社弓神楽奉納 [2016] Part 2 Yumi kagura: Inagahachiman jinja yumi kagura hōnō [2016] Part 2 17:26	info	buy track

about

民謡探求チーム、俚謡山脈監修。無形民俗文化財に指定された伝説的な音楽「弓神楽（ゆみかぐら）」。

これはエチオピアの音楽ではない。マニュエル・ゲッチングの「E2-E4」ではない。スピリチュアル・ジャズではない。これは広島県に伝わる日本最古の神楽（かぐら）である。信じられないかもしれないがこれは事実です。本物の「弓」に張った弦を細い竹で叩くことで生み出される不可思議な音色とビート、ミニマルに刻まれる手拍子（※注）、それと関係を持たず浮遊する笛の音、そして恐るべき求心力で全てをコントロールする「声」。本作は旭日單光章を戴かれた宮司である故・田中重雄宮司がアーカイブの目的で吹き込んだ1991年録音にリマスターを施したものである。また、弓神楽のただ一人の後継者、田中律子宮司の唱誦の2016年録音も収録。エンタテイメントと神事の境目を越えるこの無比の音楽を、無形民俗文化財の名目で図書館に死蔵させておくわけにはいかない。俚謡山脈とエム・レコードが最大級の敬意と畏れを込めてお届けする作品です。

※手拍子（てびょうし）：鉦（かね）／銅拍子（どうびょうし）／摺鉦（すりがね）とも言われる小型のシンバル。二枚一組で使用する。

「この神楽は、非常に面白くない神楽です。きらびやかに舞うこともないし、華麗な衣装を纏うこともありません。もしこの神楽について知らなければ、つまらん神楽とおっしゃると思います。しかしこの弓神楽を見ようと思えば、日本中何処を廻ってもここ（上下町）しかありません。非常に貴重な神楽です。大変古い神楽です。そして神楽というものの起源と、目的、意味を多分に含んだ神楽です。」 (平成27年5月24日上下町にて、広島民俗学会会長　三村泰臣氏の解説より)

credits

released March 14, 2018

A hotline to the gods! Kagura is a thousand-year-old form of Japanese Shinto sacred music and dance, accompanying the chanting of myths; the word "kagura" can be translated as "god-entertainment". Passed down over countless generations, the music is rare and recordings even rarer. Shigeo Tanaka was a master of the yumi (bow), an uncommon single-string percussion instrument, which is a true bow: arrows are fired off at the end of each ceremony to fend off evil sprits. The instrument is difficult to play; it's hard to draw out the proper sound and maintain the rhythm.

Yumi kagura is the oldest of all the various forms of kagura. The Tanaka family, based in rural Jōge-cho, Hiroshima prefecture, has passed down this yumi kagura tradition for hundreds of years; this lineage continues to this day in the person of his daughter Ritsuko Tanaka. The Jōge-cho yumi kagura, which prays for family well-being, bountiful crops and good fortune, was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1971. The piece featured here, "Takusa saimon", based on the myth "Ama no iwato" (The Rocky Celestial Cave), is mesmeric, reaching back across ages to the time before time, with Tanaka's voice and yumi, accompanied by flute and metal percussion, drawing us closer to the primal activities of the gods. Listeners may find affinities with aspects of musics as diverse as German electronic minimalism like E2-E4, certain Ethiopian music, "spiritual jazz" and more, all tapping into the deep root of forever. Previously available only on a ridiculously obscure 1990 cassette release, Yumi kagura is the first collaborative release by EM Records and Riyo Mountains, a Japanese folk song research team. “Inagahachiman jinja yumi kagura hōnō" is recorded in 2016 by Tanaka's daughter and successor Ritsuko Tanaka.

Riyo Mountains:
Japanese folk song research team formed by Mood Yama and Takumi Saito. They are resident DJs at the renowned party "Soi48" at Be-Wave, Tokyo, featuring music from all over the world. They produce the Japanese folk song mix-CD series entitled "Riyo Mountains Mix" and also direct the reissue series of Japanese folk music on EM Records, including the releases "Yumi-kagura", "Sakai Ishinage Odori”, and "Kizaki Ondo”. Riyo Mountains have appeared as DJs at many events/programs including NTS (London) and Japanese Bon-Odori traditional dance festivals. Their articles about Japanese folk music are now published serially in the Japanese web magazine “boid".

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