On the functions of wagon (zither) in saibara and togaku

Observations in light of an analysis of sources of the Ayanokoji family

Abstract

The wagon _??__??_, the Japanese indigenous six-stringed zither, is often said to have been used only in Japanese native genres such as mikagura _??__??__??_, azuma-asobi _??__??_, and the like. However, from the 10th century, the wagon was introduced into togaku _??__??_ and saibara _??__??__??_ in the context of private concerts, called gyoyu _??__??_, held by a small number of high ranking nobles. Neither this fact, nor the nature of the wagon's musical practice at that time are well known. Fortunately, several sources on the wagon compiled or copied during the Edo period by the musicians of the Ayanokoji family _??__??__??__??_ and others are available. The source Gakurin-gosho _??__??__??__??_ is of most importance in the following regards; 1) It could be dated back to the 15th century which means it represents the old performance tradition, from the time before the saibara tradition's loss in the late Muromachi period. 2) It contains a detailed scores of the wagon as used in both saibara and togaku. An analysis of these sources has made the followings apparent; First, in saibara, the wagon repeats two fixed patterns called sugagaki _??__??_ and katagaki _??__??_ regardless of the vocal melodies. The former pattern is used in go-hyoshi _??__??__??_ or 8 unit pieces and the latter in sando-byoshi _??__??__??__??_ or 4 unit pieces. The wagon part's lack of a close relationship with the vocal part is a characteristic shared with other native vocal genres such as mikagura and azuma-asobi. The basic techniques included in sugagaki and katagaki patterns in saibara can in fact be found in various native genres, so it is possible that sugagaki and katagaki were constructed from these already existed techniques. In this sense, the wagon as used in saibara can be seen as part of a unified lineage of the wagon practice in Japanese native court songs including mikagura.
In the case of mikagura, however, a periodical cyclic structure is lacking (except in a small number of exceptional pieces) and the wagon is not played in a periodic patternized manner. On the other hand, periodical repetition is a characteristic of the wagon part in saibara which bears similarity to the rhythmic structure of togaku. In saibara, the wagon actually played in a clear rhythmic role, with unequivocal accents marked with the plectrum pattern in a cycle.
Unlike in saibara, the wagon in togaku has developed a more melodic dimension that follows the wind instruments' fundamental melody line. In order to highlight its distinction from other long zither, so or koto, in togaku ensemble, the wagon was always played using plectrum patterns that produced a unique sound and strong accents in a periodical cycle.
Although, the wagon was used in a highly patternized way in togaku, different arrangements of a single piece in the sources examined show considerable variety in their detail. This suggests a flexibility in arrangement of individual melodies. In this regard, the wagon had more scope for musical development in the context of togaku than it did in saibara, for the latter case the wagon played only two fixed patterns. In togaku, then, the wagon's style was in closer accord with the ideals of gyoyu which allowed a large amount of improvisation or personal arrangement of melodies.