Horai - Horai

Japanese: 蓬萊 - ほうらい

In China, Horai is a sacred mountain located in the eastern sea, said to be a land of immortality where immortals live, and decorations in the shape of Mount Horai were used as New Year's gifts. The display stand is called the Horai stand and the decorations are called Horai decorations. Horai decorations are made by spreading white rice all over the three sides, placing pine, bamboo, and plum in the center, and then piling up daidai, mandarin oranges, tachibana, kachiguri chestnuts, hondawara, persimmons, kelp, and shrimp around them, and decorating with yuzu-riba and urajiro. Sometimes, celebratory figures of cranes, turtles, and wei-yu are added to these. In Kyoto and Osaka, Horai was placed as a New Year's alcove decoration, but in Edo, it was also called Kuitsu-mi, and it was customary to present it to guests at the beginning of the year, who would then accept it briefly, bow, and place it back in its original place.

Horai [Horai]

Titles of shamisen music. (1) Nagauta. Composed by Kineya Rokusaburo IV (Rokuo) towards the end of the Tenpo era (1830-44). A piece in which the brothels are likened to fairyland and the prostitutes to fairies. A short, elegant melody with excellent honcho rhythm. Also used as a celebratory piece. (2) Kato-bushi. Originally a Handayubushi piece, it was adapted to Kato-bushi, and features auspicious themes such as the crane and turtle and pine and bamboo. (3) Jiuta. Said to have lyrics by Matsuu and music by Jokiku and Hirose Koto. Written during the Tenpo era, it depicts scenes from the brothels of Kyoto.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

蓬萊は中国で東方の海上にあって仙人が住む不老不死の地とされる霊山をいうが，この蓬萊山をかたどった飾りを正月の祝儀物として用いた。その飾台を蓬萊台，飾りを蓬萊飾という。蓬萊飾は三方の上に一面に白米を敷き，中央に松竹梅を立て，それを中心にダイダイ，ミカン，タチバナ，かちぐり，ホンダワラ，カキ，コンブ，エビを盛り，ユズリハ，ウラジロを飾る。これに鶴亀や尉姥などの祝儀物の造り物を添えることもある。京坂では正月の床の間飾として据えおいたが，江戸では蓬萊のことを〈喰積（くいつみ）〉ともいい，年始の客にまずこれを出し，客も少しだけこれを受けて一礼してまた元の場所に据える風があった。

ほうらい【蓬萊】

三味線音楽の曲名。(1)長唄。天保年間(1830‐44)の末ごろ，4世杵屋（きねや）六三郎(六翁)作曲。廓を仙境に，遊女を仙女に見立てた作品。短い，上品な曲調で，本調子の節付けが優れている。祝儀曲としても用いられる。(2)河東節。もと半太夫節であったのを河東節に移したもので，鶴亀，松竹などめでたい主題を歌った作品。(3)地歌。松卯作詞，城菊と広瀬勾当作曲と伝える。天保期の作で京都の廓の情景を描いた作品。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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