Appreciate
72nd Gagaku Concert, Small Hall, National Theatre, Tokyo
Performance by musicians of the Music Department of the Department of Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency
Outline
Ise no umi (‘The Sea of Ise’) is well-known saibara song in the ritsu (minor) mode, tonic hyōjō (E).
The Ise of the title refers to the old province of Ise, modern Mie prefecture, which was known for the waves that roll continuously onto its long eastern shoreline. The nanoriso of the text refers to the type of seaweed now called hondawara in Japanese (Sargassum fulvellum), while tama (‘bead’) refers to pearls. Songs like this, depicting episodes from the daily life of the people, were collected and sung at court as an expression of loyalty to the ruler, and especially popular ones became saibara songs.
This song was often performed at gyoyū concerts held by emperors and retired emperors, and seems to have been popular with the Heian nobles. Its performance tradition died out in the medieval period, but it was revived in the early 17th century.
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)
Ise no umi belongs to the metrical type go-hyōshi (shakubyōshi struck 5 times in each cycle), with a total of 10 cycles.
| ise no umi no | At the sea of Ise, |
|---|---|
| kiyoki nagisa ni | On the pristine beach, |
| shiogai ni | When the tide is out, |
| nanoriso ya tsuman | Let’s gather seaweed. |
| kai ya hirowan ya | Let’s gather shells. |
| tama ya hirowan ya | Let’s gather pearls. |
Points for appreciation
Ise no umi has an alternative beginning that is used when the song is repeated in performance.
Heian-period sources tell us that Ise no umi shared its melody with the tōgaku (‘Tang music’) dance Jissuiraku no ha. This piece was composed and choreographed on the occasion of the succession of Emperor Ninmyō (r. 833–50), when it was performed in front of the Burakuden, site of the court’s formal banquets. The garden was decorated to simulate a seashore, with trees, hillocks, and sand around a light blue cloth representing the sea. Seaweed was strewn on the sand, boats were placed on the shore, and dancing children represented seafolk gathering seaweed. This is a perfect realization of the text of Ise no umi, so it is clear that the image of the song text came first. It seems possible to surmise that a folk song (with its own melody) was arranged in the fashion of the music imported from the Asian continent, and that this, without the song, became the tōgaku piece Jissuiraku.
