Isobushi - Isobushi

A folk song from the Sanpin region of Ibaraki Prefecture. Sanpin refers to the three beaches on the Pacific coast: Minato, Hiraiso, and Isohama. Originally, it was a boat song sung by boatmen rowing off the coast of Sanpin during the Edo period. It eventually found its way to brothels in Iwaimachi (Higashiibaraki County) near Sanpin, and became a zatai song accompanied by a shamisen. Nakaminato was the outer port of the Mito domain and was bustling with ships arriving and departing, but in the Meiji period, a bathing beach was built in Oarai, south of Sanpin, and the number of people coming and going increased, and Isobushi began to be sung in Oarai. The lyrics are now, "The famous spot at the beach is Oarai, I can see the pine trees, heartwarmingly...", but the original version was, "The curved pine trees at the beach, the female pine trees at the port, the male pine trees in Iwaimachi...". The person who popularized "Isobushi" was a blind acupuncturist named Sekine Anchu, who had a beautiful voice and would play the song for people as he treated them. Another person who popularized the song was the 19th Yokozuna, Hitachiyama Taniemon, who was from Mito. The song is characterized by its easygoing yet mellow sound, which is reminiscent of a song born from the tide.

[Akira Saito]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

茨城県三浜(さんぴん)地域の民謡。三浜とは、太平洋沿岸の湊(みなと)、平磯、磯浜の三つの浜のこと。もとは江戸時代この三浜沖で櫓(ろ)をこぐ船頭たちの舟唄(ふなうた)だった。それがいつか三浜近くにある祝町（東茨城郡）などの遊廓(ゆうかく)に入り、三味線伴奏のお座敷唄になった。那珂湊(なかみなと)は水戸藩の外港として出船入船でにぎわっていたが、明治時代に、三浜の南の大洗(おおあらい)に海水浴場ができて人の出入りが激しくなってから、『磯節』は大洗で歌われ出した。そこで歌詞も「磯で名所は大洗さまよ　松が見えますほのぼのと……」となるが、もともとは「磯で曲り松　湊で女松(めまつ)　中の祝町男まつ……」である。『磯節』を世に広めたのは、美声の盲人関根安中(あんちゅう)という鍼医(はりい)で、求めに応じて治療しながら聞かせたといい、もう1人は水戸出身の第19代横綱常陸山(ひたちやま)谷右衛門である。おおらかさのなかに渋さもあり、いかにも潮のなかから生まれた唄らしい響きが特色である。

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