Ishimura Kengyo

Date of birth and death unknown. He is said to have switched from being a biwa priest to a shamisen player in the late Muromachi period (late 16th century). He was blind. The following records state that Ishimura Kengyo was the first person to use the shamisen.

The "Itochiku Shoshinshu" records that he traveled to Ryukyu (Okinawa) during the Bunroku period (1592-96) and created the shamisen after returning to Kyoto. The "Ryukyu Nenki" states that Umezu Shosho, who was cast ashore in Ryukyu, learned the gekkin, and after returning to Japan in 1562 (Eiroku 5), his son Ishimaro (who later became a blind official and became Ishimura Kengyo) improved the gekkin to create the shamisen. The "Nogawa Kengyo-ryu Sansen Tokei Jo" also states that Ishimura Kengyo, who lived in Nakakoji, Sakai during the Bunroku period, improved a two-stringed snakeskin string that was brought over from Ryukyu and named it the sanshin. This also appears in other books such as "Kairoku."

He is also said to be the first composer of shamisen kumiuta.

[Kiyohiro Hayashi]

"Tokuta Tokutarou, 'The License of the Shamisen' (included in 'East Asian Music Theory', 1943, Yamaichi Shobo) " "Eiji Yoshikawa, 'A Study on the Transmission of the Shamisen' (included in 'Shamisen and its Music', 1978, Ongaku No Tomosha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生没年不詳。室町末期（16世紀後半）に琵琶法師(びわほうし)から三味線演奏家に転じ活動したといわれる。盲人。石村検校を三絃(さんげん)の最初の取扱い者としたものに次の諸記録がある。

　文禄(ぶんろく)年間（1592～96）琉球(りゅうきゅう)（沖縄）に渡り、京都へ帰ってから三味線をつくりだしたという『糸竹初心集』の記述。琉球へ漂着した梅津少将が月琴を学び、1562年（永禄5）帰国後、その子石麻呂（のち盲官を得て石村検校）が月琴を改良して三味線をつくったとする『琉球年代記』の説。そして文禄のころ堺(さかい)中小路に住む石村検校が琉球から渡来した二絃の蛇皮線を改良して三線と名づけたとする『野河検校流三線統系序』の記述。ほかに『海録』などの諸書にもみえる。

　また、三味線組歌の本手の最初の作曲者といわれる。

［林喜代弘］

『藤田徳太郎著『三絃の免許状』（『東亜音楽論叢』所収・1943・山一書房）』▽『吉川英史著『三絃伝来考』（『三味線とその音楽』所収・1978・音楽之友社）』

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