Kakegoe
Encyclopedia
Kakegoe can be literally translated as "hung voice" or "a voice you hang." The "hanging" part is probably meant to be taken in an abstract sense to mean "ornament" or "decoration," as it is the same Japanese verb used when talk about kakemono
. Kakegoe, therefore, refers to an auxiliary pitched or unpitched call. It can have various meanings depending on the context in which this word is used. It usually refers to shouts and calls used in performances of traditional Japanese music, Kabuki
theatre, and in martial arts such as kendo
.
folk music. It is a custom for people in the audience to insert kakegoe every so often, in praise of the actors on stage. There are special climaxes in kabuki theatre called "mie
," where the actor puts on an extravagant pose and someone in the audience shouts the actor's stage name
or guild name at just the right moment.
Occasionally the shout is not a name, for example "Mattemashita!" ("This is what we've been waiting for!) as the curtain is drawn back.
There are three kakegoe guilds in Tokyo, totalling about 60 members. They receive free passes to the Kabuki-za
. Almost all are mature male Japanese, but there have been examples of women and foreigners.
A great deal of kakegoe are usually unvoiced parts of the repeating chorus of the song. In a famous folk song called "Soran Bushi
" the shout "ah dokisho, dokoisho!" is said at the end of each verse. The verses of the song "Mamurogawa Ondo" always end in "ah dontokoi, dontokoi!" Some shouts are area-specific. In the Hanagasa Odori (Flower Hat Dance) of Yamagata
, for example, the shout at the end of each verse is "ha yassho makasho!" (See Hanagasa Ondo
) This is a kakegoe heard only in this particular song and no others. "Ha iya sasa!" and "A hiri hiri" are shouts specific to Okinawan folk music.
, Taiko
, and Tsugaru-jamisen
. They are used to cue different parts of a musical piece. They can signal anywhere from the beginning or end of a particular rhythm, the beginning or end of an improvisation section for an instrument virtuoso, to cuing different instrument entrances. In Taiko, for example, there are certain rhythms that repeat until the leader shouts the go-ahead. In Tsugaru-Jamisen, a great deal of improvisation is used, and the player has to cue the drum when he is ready to end a session of improvisation. In larger music ensembles such as Hayashi and Nagauta, musicians need to tell each other where they are in a piece, so they use kakegoe to signal the ending/beginning of a section.
, at Kuwana City's Ishidori Matsuri
where the chants of "Korasa" or "Hoisa" are used in the festival. This is shouted out by participants after a sequence of taiko
drumming and hammering of the Kane
on the traditional cart. The city of Kishiwada in Osaka prefecture is also famous for its cart or "danjiri" festival. Participants pulling the rolling shrines all yell "yoi, sa! yoi, sa!" as they pull the danjiri. The list goes on and on, but these shouts generally mean something like the English "heave, ho! heave, ho!" The pitch and inflection changes from district to district based on timing and rhythm.
Kakemono
A , more commonly referred to as a , is a Japanese scroll painting or calligraphy mounted usually with silk fabric edges on a flexible backing, so that it can be rolled for storage....
. Kakegoe, therefore, refers to an auxiliary pitched or unpitched call. It can have various meanings depending on the context in which this word is used. It usually refers to shouts and calls used in performances of traditional Japanese music, Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
theatre, and in martial arts such as kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
.
Kabuki
In the kabuki theatre, the term is used to refer to melodramatic calls from an audience, or as part of call-and-response singing in JapaneseJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
folk music. It is a custom for people in the audience to insert kakegoe every so often, in praise of the actors on stage. There are special climaxes in kabuki theatre called "mie
Mie (pose)
The mie pose , a powerful and emotional pose struck by an actor, who then freezes for a moment, is a distinctive element of aragoto Kabuki performance. Mie means 'appearance' or 'visible' in Japanese, and one of the primary purposes of this convention is to draw attention to a particularly...
," where the actor puts on an extravagant pose and someone in the audience shouts the actor's stage name
YAGO
YAGO was an early LAN startup acquired by Cabletron Systems in the mid-1990s, fueling its growth into Gigabit Ethernet switching and ultimately being re-spun off into the entity Riverstone Networks....
or guild name at just the right moment.
Occasionally the shout is not a name, for example "Mattemashita!" ("This is what we've been waiting for!) as the curtain is drawn back.
There are three kakegoe guilds in Tokyo, totalling about 60 members. They receive free passes to the Kabuki-za
Kabuki-za
' in Ginza was the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form.-Architecture:The original Kabuki-za was a wooden structure, built in 1889 on land which had been either the Tokyo residence of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto, or that of Matsudaira clan of Izu.The building was...
. Almost all are mature male Japanese, but there have been examples of women and foreigners.
Folk music
In folk music some kakegoe are inserted in parts of song at will. Rather than names, kakegoe are usually words of encouragement for the musicians, singers, or dancers performing with the music. A commonly used word is "sore!" The word by itself means "that." But it is meant to be more of "that's the way!," or "just like that!" Another is "dontokoi!" Which means something like "gimme your best shot!" or literally "come quickly/don't hesitate!" "Sate!" means "So then!" Other words are "yoisho!," "yoi yoi yoi!," and "choi choi!" Kakegoe are also used in Buyo dancing, when the stage name of the performer is shouted at key points in a dance.A great deal of kakegoe are usually unvoiced parts of the repeating chorus of the song. In a famous folk song called "Soran Bushi
Soran Bushi
Sōran Bushi is one of the most famous traditional songs in Japan. It is a Japanese sea shanty that is said to have been first sung by the fishermen of Hokkaidō, northern Japan....
" the shout "ah dokisho, dokoisho!" is said at the end of each verse. The verses of the song "Mamurogawa Ondo" always end in "ah dontokoi, dontokoi!" Some shouts are area-specific. In the Hanagasa Odori (Flower Hat Dance) of Yamagata
Yamagata
-Places in Japan:*Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata City, the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata Airport , an airport located in Yamagata**Yamagata Shinkansen, one of Shinkansen lines running between Tokyo Station and Shinjo Station...
, for example, the shout at the end of each verse is "ha yassho makasho!" (See Hanagasa Ondo
Hanagasa Ondo
Hanagasa Ondo is a folk song from Yamagata prefecture, Japan. The name literally means "flower straw-hat song." It accompanies a local community dance called the "Hanagasa Odori."...
) This is a kakegoe heard only in this particular song and no others. "Ha iya sasa!" and "A hiri hiri" are shouts specific to Okinawan folk music.
Traditional music ensembles
Kakegoe are used in traditional music ensembles, such as Hayashi, NagautaNagauta
, literally "long song", is a kind of traditional Japanese music which accompanies the kabuki theater. They were developed around 1740. Influences included the vocal yōkyoku style used in noh theater, and instruments including the shamisen and various kinds of drums.The shamisen, a plucked lute...
, Taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
, and Tsugaru-jamisen
Tsugaru-jamisen
Tsugaru-Shamisen is a genre of shamisen music originating in Aomori prefecture in the northernmost area of the Japanese island of Honshū. It is today performed throughout Japan, though associations with the Tsugaru area of Aomori remain strong....
. They are used to cue different parts of a musical piece. They can signal anywhere from the beginning or end of a particular rhythm, the beginning or end of an improvisation section for an instrument virtuoso, to cuing different instrument entrances. In Taiko, for example, there are certain rhythms that repeat until the leader shouts the go-ahead. In Tsugaru-Jamisen, a great deal of improvisation is used, and the player has to cue the drum when he is ready to end a session of improvisation. In larger music ensembles such as Hayashi and Nagauta, musicians need to tell each other where they are in a piece, so they use kakegoe to signal the ending/beginning of a section.
Matsuri festivals
Kakegoe can also be heard in different festivals or "matsuri." These also vary from region to region. In parts of Tokyo, mikoshi, or float shrines are hoisted by people yelling "yassho! yassho!" The Hamamatsu Matsuri is famous for its enormous kites and large wooden carts called "yatai" that are taken throughout the city. Each kite and cart has their own represented guilds, and each group marches through the streets to the beats of snare drums and bugles chanting "oisho! oisho!" Another example is in Mie prefectureMie Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kansai regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, Mie prefecture was known as Ise Province and Iga Province....
, at Kuwana City's Ishidori Matsuri
Ishidori Matsuri
Ishidori Matsuri can be literally translated from Japanese as "stone bringing festival." It is a festival in Kuwana, located in Mie Prefecture. The festival starts on the first Saturday of August, at midnight, and runs throughout the weekend. Every town within the central part of the city has its...
where the chants of "Korasa" or "Hoisa" are used in the festival. This is shouted out by participants after a sequence of taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drumming and hammering of the Kane
Kane (musical instrument)
The is a type of bell from Japan.Often accompanying Japanese folk music, or Min'yō, is a dish-shaped bell called a . It is often hung on a bar, and the player holds the bell in place with one hand, and beats the Kane with a specialized mallet with the other...
on the traditional cart. The city of Kishiwada in Osaka prefecture is also famous for its cart or "danjiri" festival. Participants pulling the rolling shrines all yell "yoi, sa! yoi, sa!" as they pull the danjiri. The list goes on and on, but these shouts generally mean something like the English "heave, ho! heave, ho!" The pitch and inflection changes from district to district based on timing and rhythm.
External links
For examples of kakegoe used in Kabuki theatre, visit:- http://park.org/Japan/Kabuki/sound.html