The Gion festival of Kyoto:
The hayashi of the niwatori-boko
TAl Ryuuichi and MASUDA Takeshi
This is a report on a fieldwork survey undertaken in July 2000 on the hayashi music of the niwatori-boko festival float of Kyoto's Gion festival. This float is of the hoko type, a large wheeled shrine-like Structure on which gong, drum, and flute players ride, with the whole structure surmounted by a mast-like decorative pole, the hoko.
This report is structured as follows: general overview of the hayashi music and its origins: the carriers the music tradition; repertoire; structure of the repertoire; schedule of rehearsals and performances: actualities of performance; the instruments, the performing ensemble, and how the instruments are arranged on; the performance techniques; special body movements made by the drummers; kakegoe (signaling calls) and hayashi-kotoba (calls of encouragement, often with rhythmic and mnemonic significance); kuchi-shooga (mnemonic solmization) and notation; the transmission process and training; techniques for shifting from one piece to another and stopping the performance; the significance of participation in performance of the hayashi music; recent changes in the hayashi music; and the special characteristics of the hayashi music of the niwatori-boko.
Of the special characteristics, three may be mentioned here. Firstly,
the flute playing of the niwatori-boko hayashi is distinctively
loud and high-pitched. Secondly, the flute players use a distinctive
broad vibrato technique when playing pieces of the ikishi repertoire,
which are performed from the start of the parade until the float
reaches the intersection of Shijoo and Kawaramachi streets. Thirdly,
in some pieces in the repertoire, one of the two drummers plays
distinctive rhythmic patterns while the other repeats an ostinato
pattern. This practice is not followed by all of the hayashi groups
on the other floats. In comparative terms, the music of the niwatori-boko demonstrates
similarities with that of the kanko-boko, another hoko of
the Gion festival. There are also many similarities to be observed
in the hayashi music of the Ueno Tenjin festival of Ueno,
Mie Prefecture, which is thought to derive from the music of the
Gion festival. Comparative study will provide valuable insights
into the transmission of this music.
Key Words: Gion-bayashi, festival music, festival floats
