Groupe Yonin No Kai
Japon 4 - Jiuta
Ocora (France) 1986
558 575 (LP) gatefold sleeve.
sleeve : VG+(some wear on edge and corner, light dirts.)
media : EX/VG+(some slightly noise. B1 has intermittent light click noise caused by slightly hairline.)
Released in 1981 as the fourth installment of Ocora’s prestigious Japon series of ethnographic/field recordings, this album features performances of jiuta (traditional Japanese chamber music) by Hōgaku Yonin no Kai (The Four Players of Japanese Music). The group was founded in 1957 by second-generation shakuhachi master Hōzan Kitahara II and has since performed extensively both in Japan and abroad, continuously sharing the beauty of Japanese music with the world. The ensemble on this recording consists of Hōzan Kitahara II (shakuhachi), Sumiko Gotō (koto, shamisen), Mitoko Takahata (koto), and Setsuko Kakui (vocals). Side A presents one of the most frequently performed tegoto-mono in the jiuta repertoire. Beginning with koto and shamisen evoking the sounds of insects while the voice drifts serenely above, the piece moves into a faster-paced middle section before gradually returning to a gentle conclusion. Side B features a jiuta composition by Kengyō Mitsuzaki with lyrics by Gammon Makita, based on a Japanese translation of a Chinese poem by Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi (Bo Juyi). Here too, the graceful koto lines and richly expressive singing create a deeply evocative atmosphere.
A1: Yaegoromo
B1: Akikaze no Kyoku