The hayashi of the Houka-boko, the Gion festival of Kyooto
TAl Ryuuichi
This is based on a fieldwork survey undertaken in 2006-2007 on the hayashi music of the Houka-boko festival float of Kyooto's Gion festival.The float today is a hoko type, a large, wheeled, shrine-like structure on which gong, drum, and flute players ride, the whole structure surmounted by a mast-like decorative pole, the hoko.
The structure of this report as follows: a general overview of hayashi music; the bearers of the music tradition; the repertoire and its structure; the schedule of rehearsals and performances; the instruments, the performing ensemble, and the arrangement of the instruments on the float; performance practice (performance techniques; special body movements made by the drummers; kakegoe (signaling calls) and hayashi-kotoba which function as calls of encouragement, often with rhythmic and mnemonic significance; techniques for shifting from one piece to another and stopping the performance); kuchi-shooga (mnemonic solmization) and notation; the transmission process and training; recent changes in the hayashi music; the significance of participation in performance of the hayashi music; and the special characteristics of the hayashi music of the Houka-boko.
Outstanding characteristic in the Houka-boko is the basic tune is "Jibayashi" as same as some places of the Gion festival of Kyooto and most pieces are consisted of a pair of pieces.There is similarity to be observed in the Kanko-boko, Niwatori-hoko and Minamikannon-yama of Kyooto's Gion festival such as the importance of "Jibayashi" and a pair of pieces.Comparative study will provide valuable insights into the transmission of this music.
Other outstanding characteristic of Houka-boko is the original pieces such as "Nagahato", in which players beat gongs in concavity and the high frequency of use of hayashi-kotoba.
We must make special mention of high consciousness of the bearers of the hayashi music of the Houka-boko, that is, the pursuit of pleasure of the festival and the hayashi music.They also have a firm belief that they must faithfully transmit the hayashi music and they exactly need reforms to realize it.It is a sigh of the belief that the intention of open in the festival and the hayashi music in the Houka-boko.
Key Words: Gion-bayashi, festival music, festival floats
