Kyoto City University of Arts
It is a well-known fact that many members of the Taira clan were skilled poets and musicians. Tsunemori, the brother of clan-leader Taira no Kiyomori, had two musician sons, the biwa (lute) player Tsunemasa, and the fue (flute) player Atsumori. Their respective talents have become widely known thanks to their depiction in the Heike monogatari (The Tale of the Heike), but we know little of the facts of their musical activities, since they appear to have been largely struck off the historical record.
In this lecture-concert, two episodes from Heike monogatari centering on Tsunemasa will be performed in the original heike biwa style. An introductory lecture will discuss Tsunemasa, both as a person and as a musician, through examination of a variety of written source materials. There are many questions still unanswered: when he was born, whom he studied the biwa with during his years as a page at the Kyoto temple Ninna-ji, why he was given the precious biwa named Seizan, etc. It is hoped that this discussion of Tsunemasa as a musician will throw light on the role of musicians of the Taira clan in the music culture of late-twelfth-century Japan.
The lecture will be given in Japanese, but materials in English will be prepared for those who prefer to have them.
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