Outline

A performance of the saibara Koromogae

Koromogae (‘Changing Clothes’) is well-known saibara song in the ritsu (minor) mode, tonic hyōjō (E).

The fourth and tenth months of the lunar calendar were the traditional months for seasonal changes of clothes. At around the tenth, in the autumn to winter season, the song was sung with the text as given below (hagi no hana suri, ‘[dyed with dew] from the hagi flowers’), and in the spring to summer season this was replaced with the phrase hagi no ha no suri (‘[dyed with dew] from the hagi leaves’). Hagi, or bush clover (Lespedeza bicolor), is one of the seven plants of autumn, and most varieties flower in that season.

The phrase koromogae has another, more suggestive meaning, implying the exchange of clothes between lovers.

The song was well known at the Heian court, and quotations from its text are used effectively in scenes in Genji monogatari (‘The Tale of Genji).

The lead singer plays the clapper shakubyōshi. One each of the winds, mouthorgan shō, reedpipe hichiriki, and transverse flute ryūteki,, as well as multiple players (usually two each) of the lute biwa and zither sō make up the accompaniment.

Form of the piece (text and translation)

Points for appreciation

The melancholy melody of this piece is said to be the most outstanding of the saibara repertoire.

The refrain ‘sa kindachi’ is a hayashi-kotoba (rhythmical phrase of encouragement used in songs) deriving from a second-person term of address for a noble person. It is said to have been common to saibara with origins in folksongs of regions to the northeast of Kyoto.

Koromogae and Ise no umi are the only ritsu (minor) mode pieces in the current saibara repertoire.