Ikuta Kengyo

Japanese: 生田検校 - いくたけんぎょう

Year of death: 14th June 1715 (14th July 1715)
Year of birth: 1656
A koto performer from the early to mid-Edo period, and the founder of Ikuta-ryu koto music. He became a kouto before 1685 (Jokyo 2), and lived in Takakura-dori Yahata-cho Shimo in Kyoto at the time. He became a kengyo on December 17 (or 27) in Genroku 9 (Genroku 9), and took the name Ikuta Kengyo Ikuichi. He became a shichiro before 1705 (Hoei 2). He learned koto music from Kitajima Kengyo Joharu, a disciple of Yatsuhashi Kengyo. There are legends that he took the name Ikuta-ryu at the age of 40, created the square-tip koto claw, invented new tuning methods such as Hankunoi-choshi and Nakakuro-choshi, and began playing ensembles with the shamisen and koto, but these are questionable. There is evidence that ensembles of shamisen, koto, and hitoyagiri (shakuhachi) were being played at least before that time. He is said to have composed the koto kumiuta (songs accompanied by the koto) "Omoigawa", "Kagami no Kyoku", and "Shiki Genji", as well as the instrumental koto pieces "Godan no Shirabe" and "Kinuta", but there are many different theories about who composed them. He is also said to have composed the instrumental shamisen piece "Junidan Sugagaki" and the song "Ozasa", so he appears to have performed and composed for the shamisen, but his accomplishments are not well known. As the founder of a school, he has relatively few works, and in fact, there is a legend that his teacher, Kitajima, modified the koto music created by Yatsuhashi and created new pieces to establish a first-class school, but died soon after, so he simply inherited his will. Various branches were born from his disciples, and today the name Ikuta-ryu has become a general term for all koto schools other than the Yamada-ryu that originated in Edo. There is also a theory that he died on the 23rd.

(Kazuko Tanigakiuchi)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：正徳5.6.14(1715.7.14)
生年：明暦2(1656)
江戸前・中期の箏曲家,生田流箏曲の始祖。貞享2(1685)年以前に勾当となり,当時は京都高倉通八幡町下ルに住んだ。元禄9(1696)年12月17日(27日とも)検校となり,生田検校幾一を名乗る。宝永2(1705)年以前に七老。八橋検校門下の北島検校城春に箏曲を学ぶ。40歳で生田流を名乗り,角爪(先端が角張っている箏爪)の創始,半雲井調子・中空調子などの新しい調弦法の案出,三味線と箏との合奏を始めたなどの伝説があるが疑問。少なくともそれ以前から三味線・箏・一節切(尺八)による合奏が行われていたことを示す資料がある。箏組歌(箏伴奏の歌曲)「思川」「鑑の曲」「四季源氏」のほか,箏の器楽曲「五段の調」「砧」を作曲したと伝えられるが,その作曲者については異説も多い。その他,三味線の曲に器楽曲「十二段すががき」と歌曲「小笹」があるとされるので,三味線の演奏・作曲も行ったらしいが,その業績についてはよくわからない。流祖としては比較的作品が少ないといわざるを得ず,実際は,師の北島が八橋の創始した箏曲に改変を加え,新たな創作も行って一流をたてようと志したにもかかわらず間もなく没したので,その遺志を受け継いだにすぎないという伝説もある。その門下からさまざまな分流を生じたが,今日では,生田流という流名が,江戸で発生した山田流以外の箏曲の流儀の総称となるに至っている。没日には23日説もある。

(谷垣内和子)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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