Dragon flute - Ryuteki

A typical flute in gagaku. It is also called the outeki or omobue. It plays the main melody together with the hichiriki in the left-wing Togaku, and pairs with the komabue in the right-wing Komagaku, but it is also used as an accompaniment (tsukemono) for saibara, roei, and Shinto-based Ōnaobi no uta, yama uta, ōuta, and kume uta. It is made of bamboo, with a total length of about 40 centimeters and an outer diameter of about 2.5 centimeters. It has seven finger holes, from the tail of the flute: Ji (next), Kan, Go, Jo, Shaku, Chu, and Roku (the Ji is also called Ding and is not found on the six-hole Koraibue and Kagurabue). It has a wide range of about two octaves, with the lower notes played through the same finger holes being called "Fukura" and the higher notes being called "Seme". The melody is learned through oral songs such as Tora-ro-ru-ro, and there are decorative musical forms such as "Kake-fuki" and "Yuri" that use the brilliant sound of the Seme. According to Chinese legend, it was created by the Qiang people of the Western Regions to imitate the sound of a dragon, and is also called "Qiang flute", "Ryu-mei" or "Ryu-gin". In Japan, the Ryuteki is considered to have originated with Owari Hamanushi, a gagaku musician from the early Heian period.

[Yoko Hashimoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

雅楽の代表的な笛。横笛(おうてき)、主笛(おもぶえ)ともいわれる。左方唐楽で篳篥(ひちりき)とともに主旋律を奏し、右方高麗(こま)楽の高麗笛(こまぶえ)と対をなすが、催馬楽(さいばら)、朗詠(ろうえい)や神道(しんとう)系の大直日歌(おおなおびのうた)、倭歌(やまとうた)、大歌(おおうた)、久米歌(くめうた)の伴奏（付物(つけもの)）にも用いる。竹製で、全長約40センチメートル、外径約2.5センチメートル。指孔は7孔で管尾から冫(じ)（次）・干(かん)・五(ご)・亠(じょう)・夕(しゃく)・中(ちゅう)・六(ろく)（冫は丁(げ)ともいい6孔の高麗笛や神楽(かぐら)笛にはない）。約2オクターブの広い音域をもち、同じ指孔で鳴る低い音を「和(ふくら)」、高い音を「責(せめ)」といって区別する。旋律はトラロルロなどという口唱歌(くちしょうが)で覚え、責の輝かしい音色を用いた「かけ吹き」や「由(ゆり)」などの装飾的な音型がある。中国の伝説では西域(せいいき)の羌人(きょうじん)が竜の声を模してつくったとされ、「羌笛(きょうてき)」「竜鳴」「竜吟」ともいう。日本では平安前期の雅楽家尾張浜主(おわりのはまぬし)を竜笛の祖とする。

［橋本曜子］

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