Second Research Recording of the Azuma School Nigenkin, a Two-Stringed Zither
On February 16, 2024, the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage conducted the second research recording of the Azuma school two-stringed zither called a nigenkin, in the recording room of the Performing Art Studio of the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.
The Azuma school nigenkin is a type of Japanese two-stringed zither, an instrument in which two silk strings are stretched over a wooden body and played with a plectrum. The Azuma school nigenkin was founded in Tokyo in the early Meiji era by TOSHA Rosen I (1830-1889) and has been transmitted mainly in Tokyo. However, as there are now only a few people carrying on the tradition and only a limited number of pieces have been recorded on publicly available audiovisual material, we are producing new research recordings.
The first recording highlighted six pieces composed by Rosen I, but the tradition also includes works composed by performers in later generations. The second recording featured six pieces: ‘Kishi no fujinami (lit. Riverside Wistaria Trellis)’, ‘Yatsu no hana (Eight Flowers)’, ‘Kiku no kotobuki (Chrysanthemum Festival)’, ‘Hana no ame (Flower Rain)’, ‘Matsukaze no kyoku (Pine Breeze)’, and ‘Funaasobi (Boating)’. The first piece is said to have been composed by Rosen IV (1869-1941) and the second by Rosen III (?-1931). The fourth piece is a work for which only the lyrics of Rosen I have survived, and later performers had supplemented the melody and resumed the transmission. The recordings, selected from a wide range of periods, demonstrate the diversity of performance techniques and compositions in the repertoire. They were performed by TOSHA Rosen IX and TOSHA Rokou, members of Azuma-kai, the performing group of the Azuma school of two-stringed zither music.
The Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage plans to continue recording rare performances and precious full-length performances.