Genealogy of musical instrument makers and their business in the early modern Kyoto

A study from topographical resource

Abstract

This research is focused on makers of musical instruments in Kyoto and their business in the Edo period. I tried to clarify the lineage of those makers and their business from records in genealogical materials. At present, we have many questions about the traditional musical instruments in the Edo period both from the historical viewpoints and of the profile of the people who make and modify those instruments, and how they do it. On these points, many things still remained open questions.
We are nearly impossible to image up an instrument made early in the modern period in a specific genre of the music. And it also difficult to find the authentic instrument from the Edo period. This is just a milestone of the research for these problems.
I would like to point out and emphasize the importance of such an old topographical book, “Kyoto Edo Osaka meisho-annai” (guide book for famous place in Kyoto, Edo and Osaka) or “Kyo-habutai” or “Kyo-habutai Taizen” which include important informations of musical instrument makers as historical resources.