Kawachi ondo
Encyclopedia
Yao, Osaka
is a city in Osaka, Japan.As of 2009, the city has an estimated population of 271,454 and the density of 6,510 persons per km². The total area is 41.71 km².Yao is home to a general aviation airport, Yao Airport.The city was founded on April 1, 1948....
City in the old Kawachi
Kawachi Province
was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province...
region of Japan
Japan
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...
, now part of modern-day Osaka Prefecture
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
. This song's style and melody are said to have evolved from another folk song called Gōshū Ondo
Goshu ondo
The is a type of ondo , a traditional Japanese dance song. It originated in Shiga Prefecture which was formerly known as Gōshū. It is believed to have been perfected around the Meiji Era.- Form :...
from Shiga Prefecture
Shiga Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, which forms part of the Kansai region on Honshu Island. The capital is the city of Ōtsu.- History :Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established...
, known as Goshu in earlier days. Kawachi Ondo accompanies the Bon dance (also known as Bon Odori) in the Osaka/Kawachi region of Japan, however, this song has recently grown in popularity and is often played at other major Bon dances, even in Tokyo.
Form
"Kawachi Ondo" is actually a fluid form of traditional folk music. It has a common melodyMelody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
and a returning chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, but the lyric itself is fluid. This folk tune is used to tell epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
tales, usually about historic people, lore, and/or geography, even yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
. It can also be used to talk about current events, and expert singers are able to improvise lyrics on the spot, as well as sing words directly from a newspaper. There is varying instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
for Kawachi Ondo, though the staples are always a 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...
drum and the shamisen
Shamisen
The , also called is a three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The Japanese pronunciation is usually "shamisen" but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix . -Construction:The shamisen is a plucked stringed instrument...
. Sometimes modern day instruments are used in the Kawachi Ondo ensemble, such as electric guitars
Electric Guitars
Electric Guitars were formed early in 1980 by Neil Davenport and Richard Hall who were both studying English at Bristol University. The band soon increased to a five-man line-up, with Andy Saunders , Matt Salt and Dick Truscott , they also later added two backing singers: Sara and Wendy...
and electric bass
Electric Bass
Electric bass can mean:*Electric upright bass, the electric version of a double bass*Electric bass guitar*Bass synthesizer*Big Mouth Billy Bass, a battery-powered singing fish...
es.
Singers
It is considered an art to be able to put lyric to Kawachi Ondo. It takes years of observation and study to become a singer. Expert singers, known as "ondoOndo
Ondo is the name of:* Ondo , a style of Japanese folk music* Ondo, Hiroshima, a town in Japan* Ondo City in Nigeria* Ondo State in Nigeria* Ondo Phone in Europe...
tori", become renowned in the area, or in parts of Japan where Kawachi Ondo is famous. Connoisseurs of Kawachi Ondo keep watch of where their favorite singers will sing next, and often travel to hear them. There is a festival called "Kawachi Ondo Matsuri in Yao City, the birthplace of Kawachi Ondo. The festival celebrates the song, and a massive Bon Odori is held where many famous singers go and perform. The most famous singer of Kawachi Ondo is Kawachiya Kikusuimaru
Kawachiya Kikusuimaru
Kawachiya Kikusuimaru is a Japanese musician and singer. He is a singer of Kawachi ondo folk music.-Career:Born in Yao, Osaka, he started studying Kawachi ondo with his father, Kawachiya Kikusui, at the age of nine...
of Yao City.
Dance
In actuality there is a myriad of ways to dance to Kawachi Ondo. The most famous dance is called "mamekachi". The dance proceeds clockwise around the yaguraYagura
Yagura is the Japanese word for "tower" or "turret." The word is most often seen in reference to structures within Japanese castle compounds, but can be used in a variety of other situations as well. The bandstand tower erected for Bon Festival is often called a yagura, as are similar structures...
, though a few steps go in the opposite direction, and it is marked by a succession of three claps before the dance sequence begins again. It may be the most standard of Kawachi Ondo dances, but even this dance will vary slightly from region to region.
There is an alternate dance called "teodori," literally, "hand dance." This is probably because most of the movement is in the hands. In contrast, the mamekachi involves a lot of foot work. The teodori dance proceeds counter-clockwise around the yagura and the dancers clap twice before beginning the dance sequence anew. Oftentimes to change things up, dancers will switch between the mamekachi and teodori dances half-way through a Kawachi Ondo performance, as performances can last up to 30 minutes or so.
Like the song Kawachi Ondo itself, the dance is always changing and people are always coming up with new ways to dance to it. Guilds will often take an existing dance, such as one of the two mentioned above, and add their own particular flare to it. For example, taiko troupes that decide to join in a local bon odori will often bring their bachi
Bachi
Bachi is the name for the straight, wooden sticks used to play Japanese taiko drums, and also the plectrum for stringed instruments like the shamisen and biwa....
(drum sticks) and incorporate taiko drumming motions into the dance. Martial arts groups will incorporate chopping and kicking moves, etc. Sometimes groups may even come up with an entirely new dance altogether. Enka
Enka
is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...
singer Mitsuko Nakamura is famous for singing Kawachi Ondo, and a derivative of the song called Kawachi Otoko Bushi; she is credited for inventing a new Kawachi Ondo dance, and loyal fans get together and dance the "Nakamura Mitsuko" at bon dances.
Goshu Ondo
Kawachi Ondo is closely tied to Goshu OndoGoshu ondo
The is a type of ondo , a traditional Japanese dance song. It originated in Shiga Prefecture which was formerly known as Gōshū. It is believed to have been perfected around the Meiji Era.- Form :...
, as it is said Kawachi Ondo evolved from it. The kakegoe
Kakegoe
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...
"ha iya korase dokoise" is found in both songs and is well known to Japanese citizens of Osaka. As in Kawachi Ondo, the lyrics in Goshu Ondo are also fluid, and it takes expertise to become a profecient singer. Singers of Kawachi Ondo are often also singers of Goshu Ondo as well. In some parts of Osaka, both songs are sung alternatively at bon dances.
Kakegoe
Kawachi Ondo has two kakegoeKakegoe
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...
, and they are sung at different times. They are:
"Ha enya korase, dokkoise!"
and
"Sorya yoi, dokoi sa, sa no yoiya sansa!"
Excerpt
Japanese:エエンさてはこのばの
皆様へちょいと出ました私は
お見かけ通りの若輩で
ヨ～ホイホイ
- ハエンヤコラセ、ドッコイセ！
まかり出ました未熟者
お気に召すようにゃ読めないけれど
七百年の昔から歌い続けた
河内音頭に乗せまして
精魂込めて歌いましょう
- ソリャヨイドッコイサ、サノヨイヤサンサ
Romaji:
Een sate wa kono ba no
Minasama e choito demashita watakushi wa
Omikake doori no jakuhai de
Yo- hoi hoi
Makari demashita mijuku mono
Okinimesu you nya yomenaikeredo
Nanahyakunen no mukashikara utaitsudzuketa
Kawachi ondo ni nosemashite
Seikon komete utaimasho
Translation:
Greetings to everyone here
I've come to address you briefly
Though I'm quite an amateur as you can see
Yo- hoi hoi
- Ha enya korase, dokkoise!
I'm a beginner, coming before you takes great effort
And I may not sing in a pleasant manner
However, I will do my best to sing
This song, Kawachi ondo
Which has been sung for nearly 700 years
- Sorya yoi dokkoisa, sa no yoiya sansa!