Kuroda Bushi

This is a folk song from Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. It has been sung as a drinking song in the region and was originally called "Chikuzen Imayo". "Imayo" means "modern, contemporary song". In the late Edo period, a pastime of Japanese literature scholars composing poems in the Imayo style, which has 48 rhymes, with 7-5 rhythm repeated four times, became popular in various provinces. At that time, in 1822 (Bunsei 5), a Confucian scholar named Futagawa Sukechika of the Kuroda Domain in Chikuzen Province presented 56 poems to the domain's lord, Kuroda Narikiyo, to commemorate his 56th birthday. However, the domain's lord, who was only 28 years old at the time, became engrossed in the song, and eventually a martial arts instructor named Yoshitomi began singing it to the tune of gagaku music "Etenraku". In the midst of this, the feudal samurai Takai Tomosada wrote the poem, "Drink, drink, drink sake. If you drink enough to take away the best spear of the day, then you are a true Kuroda warrior." The poem is based on a story about Mori Tahei, who was once famous as one of the 25 Kuroda riders, who bet Fukushima Masanori the famous spear "Nihon-go," given to him by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his exploits in the siege of Odawara Castle in 1590 (Tensho 18), and drank it. This gradually spread and became a song at drinking parties. Later, when NHK broadcast the song in 1928 (Showa 3), they parodied the final line to make it "Kuroda Bushi," and in 1943, Akasaka Koume recorded it, spreading it throughout Japan.

[Tsutomu Takeuchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

福岡県福岡市の民謡。同地方で酒席の酒盛り唄(うた)として歌われてきたもので、本来は「筑前今様(ちくぜんいまよう)」とよばれていた。「今様」とは「今めかしき当世風の歌」という意味。江戸時代後期に、諸国で、国文学者が七五調を4回繰り返す48韻の今様形式で作詩する遊びが流行した。そのおり、筑前国黒田藩でも二川相近(ふたがわすけちか)という儒学者が、1822年（文政5）に56歳を記念して56首の歌詞を藩主黒田斉清(なりきよ)に献上した。ところが藩主も28歳の若さながらこれに熱中、ついには武術指南役の吉富某が雅楽『越天楽(えてんらく)』の曲にのせて歌い始めた。そうしたなかで藩士の高井知定が、「飲め飲め酒を　飲み込みて　日(ひ)の本(もと)一のその槍(やり)を　取りこすほどに飲むならば　これぞまことの黒田武士」とつくった。かつて黒田二十五騎の一人として名声をはせた母里(もり)太兵衛が、福島正則(まさのり)から、1590年（天正18）の小田原城攻めの手柄に豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉より賜った名槍(めいそう)「日本号」を賭(か)けて飲みとった故事をもとにしたもので、これがしだいに広まって、酒席の唄になっていった。その後、1928年（昭和3）NHKがこの唄を放送するにあたり、しまいの文句をもじって『黒田節』とし、1943年赤坂小梅によってレコード化され、日本中に広まった。

［竹内　勉］

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