Abstract
Tsuzumi, which is used in accompanying music for nogaku and kabuki, is a type of hand drum with sandglass-shaped body. Tsuzumi used in nogaku, including smaller size kotsuzumi and larger size otsuzumi, is said to have developed from tsuzumi used in gagaku. As the shape of nogaku tsuzumi is different from that of gagaku tsuzumi in details, the author supposed that there were some transitional types. Conducting a study of ancient musical instruments owned by temples and museums throughout the country, the author discovered several transitional tsuzumi. This paper shows how the shape of tsuzumi changed from that used in gagaku to that used in nogaku.
Three names have normally been used to distinguish tsuzumi used in gagaku: ikko, the smallest; ni-no-tsuzumi, the medium sized; san-no-tsuzumi, the biggest. But as a result of investigation, it was found that the shape and size of tsuzumi bodies were not standardized, as was understood until now, and that there was a gradual transformation. For instance, bowl-shaped parts of the body became narrower, thus resembling tsuzumi used in nogaku.
In the course of investigation, several black-lacquered tsuzumi were discovered at Araki Shrine, Isonokami Shrine, Taji Shrine, and Kandani Shrine. Compared with tsuzumi used in gagaku, they are not decorated with imaginary flowers and their two bowl-shaped parts are decorated with three carved lines instead of double-strand bands. Without the lines carved on the bodies, they would look like tsuzumi used in nogaku. In addition, almost all of them have very similar bodies, as if they were standardized. These discoveries coincide with the tradition which says that the size and shape were determined by craftsmen in the Tonomine District during the Kamakura Period. However, there are differences in the way the inside of the body is carved. For example, the tsuzumi of Isonokami Shrine is closer to gagaku tsuzumi, while those of Taji and Kandani Shrine are closer to nogaku tsuzumi. These tsuzumi seem to have been used in gagaku or medieval performing arts other than nogaku. Two tsuzumi of Araki Shrine seem to have been used in gagaku, for the Araki area was a territory of a gagaku musician, Ohno Yoshikata, in the Kamakura Period. Four tsuzumi are said to have been used in a festival at Isonokami Shrine. At Taji Shrine, four tsuzumi are used in a dance called “Kakko-suri” which has been continued since the Muromachi Period. The tsuzumi of the Kandani Shrine, whose interior was carved for tuning, was perhaps used in nogaku or medieval performing arts.
Another tsuzumi, more similar to tsuzumi used in nogaku, was discovered at Nunakuma Shrine. Three carved lines remain on the body, but the body is decorated with makie just like a nogaku tsuzumi. This is by tradition the work of Chigusa, an early craftsman of masks and instruments. It is clear that this tsuzumi was first coated with black lacquer and used to accompany some medieval performing art. Makie was later applied when the tsuzumi began to be used in nogaku. This tsuzumi is the very missing-rink that connects gagaku, medieval performing arts and nogaku.
Another interesting fact about this tsuzumi discovered at Nunakuma Shrine is that its size is that of kotsuzumi even though it has the shape of otsuzumi. According to a catalogue of nogaku-players called “Yoza Yakusya Mokuroku”, kotsuzumi player, Ko Gorojiro, transformed otsuzumi into kotsuzumi. In addition, the discovery of the tsuzumi of Nunakuma Shrine suggests that the shape of kotsuzumi
