Katou-bushi

The name of a school of Joruri. It is known as an ancient song along with Itchu-bushi, Miyazono-bushi, and Ogie-bushi. It is a type of Edo Neoi music that Edo Dayu Kawato (also called Masumi Kawato) started in 1717 (Kyoho 2), and is collectively called "Edo-bushi", including the now extinct Hizen-bushi and Handayu-bushi. The founder of the school, Kawahigashi (1684-1725), was the son of Tenmaya Tozaemon, a wealthy merchant in Nihonbashi, Edo, and was known as Tojuro. He was a disciple of Edo Handayu, but he softened his teacher's style and was influenced by the refined musical styles of "Shikibu-bushi" (an elegant form of Joruri established by Hirose Shikibu-dayu around the Jōkyō and Genroku periods (1684-1704). It no longer exists, so its details are unknown) and "Tejinabushi" (an elegant form of Joruri established by Tejinashi Ichizaemon around the Genroku period (1688-1704)), adding a touch of rhythm to it and founded a school of its own. The shamisen player was Yamahiko Genshiro I, and it is believed that his distinctive style became evident after 1722 (the 7th year of the Kyoho era). Initially, it was welcomed as something for the common people, but later, it continued to exist with the support of literati and the wealthy classes, and as a result, both its content and form tended to become rigid.

The name Kato was passed down from the founder to 11 generations during the Taisho period, but from the 8th generation onwards it was a posthumous bestowal. Looking at the generations, the 2nd (?-1734) was succeeded by the founder's senior disciple Kajo, the 3rd (?-1745) by the 2nd's disciple Kashu, and the 4th (?-1771) by the 3rd's nephew Dennosuke. This 4th Kato performed "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Sakura" at the Ichimura-za in 1761 (11th Horeki), which became the definitive version of Sukeroku Joruri and has been passed down to this day as a representative piece of Kato-bushi. Even today, among the 18 Kabuki plays, the "Sukeroku" of Narita-ya (Ichikawa Danjuro family) is closely associated with Kato-bushi. The 5th (?-1776) was succeeded by Sashu, a disciple of the 3rd, and the 6th (1727-96) by Ranji, a fellow disciple. The heyday of Kato-bushi was about 60 years from the 3rd to the 6th. The 7th (1762-1825) was succeeded by the 6th's disciple Sashu III (who retired in 1812 to be succeeded by Toun II), and the 8th (1780-1817/20) was succeeded by a disciple of the 7th. The 9th (1806-72) was Kinjiro, a disciple of the 4th Yamahiko Karyo, who took the title of head of the school, but after complaints from members of the school he shaved his head and changed his name to Kakei, and was posthumously titled the 9th. The 10th is said to be the wife of Kakei, but it is unknown. The 11th aristocrat (1841-1919) was Kake's son Hidejiro (later known as Shuo). Meanwhile, Eishi, a disciple of the 9th aristocrat (Kake), played a central role in passing on the tradition during the Meiji period under the name of the Fujioka school. During this period, under the guidance of physicist Tanaka Shohei, Yamada Shunpei (Yoshizumi Kojuro) composed the traditional pieces of Shuo and Eishi on musical notation. After the death of Shuo (the 11th aristocrat), instead of appointing a head of the school, they organized the "Jisunmikai" (Jisunmikai) to preserve the school. After the Second World War, Yamahiko Yoneko changed her name to Bunshi II (?-1959) and became the first head of the school, and the 6th aristocrat, Yamahiko Kawayoshi (1915-80), was chosen as the second aristocrat in 1971 (Showa 46).

The distinctive feature of the piece is the interest of the yuri-bushi style, which adds swaying intonation to the narration, and the shamisen is played with a thin neck. It is endowed with a unique style and rhythm, with skillful use of sukuibachi and hajiki. It is also notable that it had a great influence on the compositions of Yamada Toyoichi, the founder of the Yamada school of koto music, during the Kansei and Bunka eras (1789-1818).

[Kiyohiro Hayashi and Yukinori Moriya]

"Machida Keisei, 'Appreciation of Japanese Music on the Radio' (1950, Japan Broadcasting Publishing Association)" ▽ "Takeuchi Michitaka, editor, '250 Years of the Kawato-bushi' (1967, Dosho Publishing Association)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

浄瑠璃(じょうるり)の流派名。一中節(いっちゅうぶし)、宮薗(みやぞの)節、荻江(おぎえ)節とともに古曲とよばれている。江戸太夫(だゆう)河東（十寸見(ますみ)河東とも称す）が1717年（享保2）に始めた江戸根生(ねおい)の音曲で、廃絶した肥前(ひぜん)節、半太夫(はんだゆう)節をも含め「江戸節」と総称する。流祖河東（1684―1725）は江戸日本橋の豪商天満屋藤左衛門の子で藤十郎といい、江戸半太夫の門弟であったが、師の節を柔らげ、「式部節」（貞享(じょうきょう)・元禄(げんろく)時代（1684～1704）ころ、広瀬式部太夫が始めた上品な浄瑠璃。現存しておらず、実態は不明）「手品節」（元禄時代（1688～1704）ころ、手品市左衛門が始めた上品な浄瑠璃）の上品な曲風に影響を受け、節付けに加味して一流を創始した。その三味線方は初世山彦源四郎で、特色が顕著になったのは1722年（享保7）以降とみられる。当初は庶民的なものとして迎えられたが、のちには文人や富裕階級の支援のもとに存続された結果、内容・形式ともに固定化の傾向に陥った。

　河東の名は流祖以後、大正期の11世まであるが、8世以降は死後の追贈である。その代々をみると、2世（？―1734）は流祖の高弟河(かじょう)が、3世（？―1745）は2世の門弟河洲(かしゅう)が相継ぎ、4世（？―1771）は3世の甥(おい)伝之助が襲名した。この4世河東が1761年（宝暦11）市村座で語ったのが『助六所縁江戸桜(すけろくゆかりのえどざくら)』で、これは助六浄瑠璃の決定版となり、河東節の代表曲となって今日まで伝えられている。現在でも歌舞伎十八番のうち、成田屋（市川団十郎(だんじゅうろう)家）の「助六」といえば河東節がつきものである。5世（？―1776）は3世の門弟沙洲(さしゅう)が、6世（1727―96）は兄弟弟子の蘭示(らんじ)が継いだ。3世から6世に至る約60年が河東節の全盛期である。7世（1762―1825）は6世の門弟3世沙洲（1812年隠居して2世東雲(とううん)）、8世（1780―1817／20）は7世の弟子と受け継がれた。9世（1806―72）は4世山彦河良(かりょう)の門弟金次郎が家元を名のったが、社中の苦情から剃髪(ていはつ)して可慶(かけい)と改め、没後改めて9世を追号された。10世は可慶の妻女ともいうが、不明。11世（1841―1919）は可慶の子秀次郎（後の秀翁(しゅうおう)）である。他方、9世（可慶）の門弟栄子が中心となり、明治時代に藤岡派と称して伝承に尽力した。この時代に物理学者田中正平の指導により山田舜平（吉住小十郎(よしずみこじゅうろう)）が秀翁、栄子の伝承曲を五線譜に作成した。秀翁（11世）没後は家元をたてず、「十寸見会」を組織して流派の保存を図った。第二次世界大戦後は山彦米子(よねこ)が2世文子(ぶんし)（？―1959）と改名し初代の技能総代となり、ついで6世山彦河良（1915―80）が1971年（昭和46）に2代目に選ばれた。

　楽曲の特色は語りを揺らせて抑揚をつけるユリ節の興味を本体とし、三味線は細棹(ほそざお)を用いる。スクイバチやハジキを巧みに活用し、独得の風韻が備わっている。なお、寛政(かんせい)～文化(ぶんか)（1789～1818）のころ、山田流箏曲(そうきょく)の流祖山田斗養一(とよいち)の作曲に多大の影響を与えたことが注目される。

［林喜代弘・守谷幸則］

『町田佳聲著『ラジオ邦楽の鑑賞』（1950・日本放送出版協会）』▽『竹内道敬編『河東節二百五十年』（1967・同書刊行会）』

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