Michio Miyagi

Ikuta-ryu koto performer and composer. His real surname was Suga. His previous stage name was Nakasuga Michio. Born on April 7th in Kobe. He lost his sight at about age 7, and at age 8, he became a disciple of the second Nakajima Kengyo in Kobe. Two years later, his teacher died of illness, and he studied under the third Nakajima Kengyo, and at age 11, he was awarded the full master's degree. At age 13, he traveled to the Korean peninsula to support his family, and became a koto master in Incheon, where his father lived. He left his teacher halfway through his training, but was not satisfied with just repeating the songs he had already learned, and decided to become a composer, composing "Mizu no Hentai" in 1909 (Meiji 42). The following year, he moved to Keijo (now Seoul), and in 1913 (Taisho 2), he married a man, changed his surname, and gave up his stage name, taking his real name, Miyagi Michio. In 1914, he met the shakuhachi player Yoshida Seifu, who became his lifelong friend. Miyagi often visited his former teacher Nakajima in Kobe and the master of jiuta (traditional Japanese folk song) Nagatani Kouki in Kumamoto during his time in Korea to further his studies, and in 1916 he received the title of Daikengyo. In 1917, he was summoned by Yoshida, who had already come to Tokyo, and went to Tokyo. In 1919, he held the first presentation of his works at the Hongo Central Hall in Tokyo, and the second and third presentations at the Tokyo Music School Concert Hall. His talent was noticed by Western composers, critics, and scholars such as Kuzuhara Shigeru, Takano Tatsuyuki, Yamada Genichiro, and Tanabe Hisao, who gave him advice and support. In 1920, he collaborated with Motoori Nagayo to hold a new work presentation entitled "New Japanese Music." He was active in broadcasting and recording, and in 1923 he toured around Japan with the first shakuhachi player Nakao Tozan, and his fame spread nationwide. French violinist René Chemet arranged Miyagi's "Spring Sea" (1929) and performed it with Miyagi, recording it on a record, making it a world-famous piece. In 1930 (Showa 5), ​​he became a lecturer at the Tokyo Music School, and in 1937 he became a professor at the same school. In 1948, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. In 1950, he received the 1st NHK Broadcasting Culture Award. In 1953, he represented Japan at the International Folk Music and Dance Festival in France and Spain, where he received rave reviews. On June 25, 1956, while on a concert tour in the Kansai region, he fell from a night train near Kariya Station on the Tokaido Line and died.

Miyagi's achievement is that he created a new style of Japanese music by incorporating Western music while remaining rooted in the traditions of the koto. He composed over 300 pieces, from large-scale ensemble pieces using the 17-string koto, which he invented in 1921, to children's songs. His representative pieces include "Autumn Melody" (1919), "Dance of Falling Leaves" (1921), "Sakura Variations" (1923), "Etenraku Variations" (1927), "Musashino of Insects" (1932), "Dokan" (1936), and "Nichiren" (1953).

His successor was Miyagi Kiyoko (1905-1991, Michio's niece and later adopted daughter. A holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property), who served as the leader of the Miyagi Society of Koto music, which was organized in 1951. In 1978, after Michio's death, the Miyagi Michio Memorial Museum (Nakamachi, Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo) was established.

[Keiko Hirayama]

"The Life of Miyagi Michio" by Yoshikawa Eiji (1979, Hogakusha)" ▽ "The Complete Commentary on Miyagi Michio's Works" by Yoshikawa Eiji and Kamisango Sukeyasu (1990, Hogakusha)" ▽ "The Music of Miyagi Michio" by Ono Mamoru (1987, Ongakunotomosha)" ▽ "Catalogue of Miyagi Michio's Musical Works" by Chiba Junnosuke and Chiba Yuko (1999, Miyagi Michio Memorial Museum)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

生田流(いくたりゅう)箏曲(そうきょく)演奏家、作曲家。本姓菅(すが)。前芸名中菅道雄(なかすがみちお)。4月7日神戸市に生まれる。7歳ごろ失明し、8歳で神戸の2世中島検校(けんぎょう)に入門。2年後師匠が病没し、3世中島検校に師事、11歳で免許皆伝となる。13歳のとき、一家の生計を支えるため朝鮮半島に渡り、父の在住する仁川(じんせん／インチョン)で箏(こと)の師匠となる。修行なかばで師のもとを離れた彼は既習曲の反復だけでは飽き足らず、作曲を志し、1909年（明治42）『水の変態』を作曲。翌年京城（現ソウル）に移住、1913年（大正2）入婿して改姓し、芸名をやめて本名の宮城道雄を名のる。1914年、尺八家吉田晴風(よしだせいふう)に会い生涯の親友となる。宮城は朝鮮時代にもたびたび神戸の旧師中島や熊本の地歌(じうた)名手長谷幸輝(ながたにこうき)を訪れて修行を積み、1916年大検校の称号を受ける。1917年、先に上京した吉田に呼び寄せられて東京に赴き、1919年第1回作品発表会を東京・本郷中央会堂で、第2、第3回を東京音楽学校奏楽堂で開く。彼の才能は葛原(くずはら)しげる、高野辰之(たかのたつゆき)、山田源一郎、田辺尚雄(たなべひさお)ら洋楽系作曲家、評論家、学者などに注目され、助言や後援を受ける。1920年、本居長世(もとおりながよ)と協同で新作発表会を「新日本音楽」と銘打って開く。放送やレコード活動、さらに1923年から尺八家の初世中尾都山(なかおとざん)と組んで各地を演奏旅行し、その名声は全国的に広まった。またフランスのバイオリン奏者ルネ・シュメーは宮城の『春の海』（1929）を編曲して宮城と合奏し、それをレコードに吹き込み、世界的名曲ならしめた。1930年（昭和5）東京音楽学校講師、1937年同校教授となる。1948年芸術院会員。1950年NHK第1回放送文化賞受賞。1953年フランス、スペインの国際民族音楽舞踊祭に日本代表で参加し、絶賛を浴びた。昭和31年6月25日、関西への演奏旅行の途上、東海道線刈谷(かりや)駅付近で夜行列車から転落し、死亡した。

　宮城の功績は、箏曲の伝統に根ざしつつ洋楽を取り入れ新しい日本の音楽を創始した点にある。1921年に考案した十七絃(じゅうしちげん)を用いた大編成の合奏曲から童曲まで、作曲作品は300曲を超える。代表曲に『秋の調(しらべ)』（1919）、『落葉の踊り』（1921）、『さくら変奏曲』（1923）、『越天楽変奏曲(えてんらくへんそうきょく)』（1927）、『虫の武蔵野(むさしの)』（1932）、『道灌(どうかん)』（1936）、『日蓮(にちれん)』（1953）などがある。

　後継者に宮城喜代子(きよこ)（1905―1991。道雄の姪(めい)で、のちに養女。重要無形文化財保持者）があり、1951年（昭和26）に組織化された箏曲「宮城会」の主宰者を務めていた。また道雄没後の1978年には、宮城道雄記念館（東京都新宿区中町）が設立された。

［平山けい子］

『吉川英史著『宮城道雄伝』（1979・邦楽社）』▽『吉川英史・上参郷祐康著『宮城道雄作品解説全書』（1990・邦楽社）』▽『小野衛著『宮城道雄の音楽』（1987・音楽之友社）』▽『千葉潤之助、千葉優子著『宮城道雄音楽作品目録』（1999・宮城道雄記念館）』

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