Shigin - Reciting poetry

Reciting Chinese poetry with a melody. Some people distinguish between "shigin" which refers to the reciting of Chinese poetry in Japanese reading, "gin'ei" which refers to the reciting of Japanese readings of waka and Chinese poetry that were originally part of biwa-uta poetry, and "roei" which refers to the reciting of other poetic forms such as haiku, imayo, and shintai-shi, but they are often used synonymously.

The custom of reciting poetry is ancient, and in the mid-Heian period, "roei," a form of court song with lyrics based on Chinese poetry or Japanese poetry, became popular, and later "utahiko," a form of reading Japanese poetry aloud, also took place. As Confucianism and Japanese classical literature became popular around the mid-Edo period, many Chinese poems were written and recited by students. This became popular as "shigin" in the late Edo period. There were schools of shigin, such as the Jishukan school in Higo (Kumamoto Prefecture) and the Seido school in Yushima, Edo. In the Meiji period, these schools declined, and instead, with the popularity of sword dancing from the end of the Edo period, the lively rhythm of shigin, which was performed in conjunction with sword dancing, became widely popular, and the recitation parts of biwa poetry with a tone of sadness, indignation, and grief, also became popular among the general public. After the Taisho period, the Kinshin school, a style of elegant and elegant shigin combined with biwa, also appeared. In the Showa era, many women switched from the various schools of modern biwa to shigin, which resulted in a heightened artistic element. Today, although accompaniment instruments such as the flute and shakuhachi are sometimes used, it is generally unaccompanied. When performed within a biwa song, the biwa is used as an interlude. In recent years, the number of shigin enthusiasts has been increasing as a way to improve health.

[Ryūji Uta]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

漢詩に節をつけて吟ずること。人によっては、漢詩の訓読を吟ずることを「詩吟」、本来琵琶歌(びわうた)の一部であった和歌や漢詩の訓読を吟ずることを「吟詠」、そのほかの俳句、今様(いまよう)、新体詩などの詩型をも含めて吟ずることを「朗詠」として区別することもあるが、これらは同義的に用いられることが多い。

　詩歌を吟ずる習慣は古く、平安中期には漢詩や和歌を歌詞とする宮廷歌謡「朗詠」が盛んになり、のちには和歌を読み上げる「歌披講(うたひこう)」も行われた。江戸中期ごろに儒学や国学が盛んになるにつれて、多くの漢詩がつくられ、学習者の間で吟じられるようになった。これが江戸後期に「詩吟」として流行するに至る。流派には、肥後（熊本県）の時習館流、江戸・湯島の聖堂流などがあった。明治になると、これらの流派ものは衰退し、それにかわって幕末からの剣舞の流行とともに、剣舞にあわせて行われた活発なリズムの詩吟が広く好まれるようになり、また琵琶歌のなかの悲憤慷慨(こうがい)調の吟詠部分も一般に支持されるようになった。大正以後には錦心(きんしん)流琵琶と結び付いた優雅艶麗(えんれい)のものも現れた。昭和になると、多くの女性が近代琵琶の諸流派から詩吟に転向し、芸能的な要素が高められる結果となった。現在では、ときには笛、尺八などの伴奏楽器が用いられることもあるが、基本的には無伴奏である。琵琶歌のなかで行われる場合には琵琶は間奏に用いられる。近年では、健康増進の方法の一つとして詩吟愛好者が増えている。

［卜田隆嗣］

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