Kojo no tsuki
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese song
written in the Meiji period
.
Japanese pianist and composer Rentarō Taki composed the music as a music lesson
song without instrumental accompaniment in 1901. The song was included in the songbook for Junior High School students. The music of the song was inspired by the ruins of Oka Castle (ja) built in 1185. The lyrics were written by Bansui Doi, who came from Sendai. The lyric of the song was inspired by the ruins of Aoba Castle
and Aizuwakamatsu Castle
.
Taki's original version of the song is a B minor
song, but Kosaku Yamada
's slow-paced nostalgic D minor
version is also popular as an accompanied song. Taki's original version of the song uses E♯ on the second bar
, but the modern version usually uses E
probably because the original version did not fit the traditional Japanese music
.
Japanese tenor
singer Yoshie Fujiwara
put his singing of the song on a record in 1925. He was the first Japanese singer to popularize the song throughout the world.
A jazz arrangement was recorded by Thelonious Monk
under the title "Japanese Folk Song" on his 1967 album Straight, No Chaser.
The song was sung and recorded live in the form of a power ballad by the German heavy metal
band Scorpions
, during a concert at the Nakano Sun Plaza
in Tokyo
. It was released on their 1978 live album Tokyo Tapes
. The band's version was one of rare tracks following Taki's original version quite well.
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...
ese song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written in the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
.
Japanese pianist and composer Rentarō Taki composed the music as a music lesson
Music lesson
Music lessons are a type of formal instruction in playing a musical instrument or singing. Typically, a student taking music lessons meets a music teacher for one-on-one training sessions ranging from 30 minutes to one hour in length over a period of weeks or years...
song without instrumental accompaniment in 1901. The song was included in the songbook for Junior High School students. The music of the song was inspired by the ruins of Oka Castle (ja) built in 1185. The lyrics were written by Bansui Doi, who came from Sendai. The lyric of the song was inspired by the ruins of Aoba Castle
Aoba Castle
', also known as Sendai Castle , was the castle of the Date family. Built by Date Masamune atop Mount Aoba, it commanded a highly defensible strategic position overlooking the city of Sendai. The castle was one of the nerve centers of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War, when Date...
and Aizuwakamatsu Castle
Aizuwakamatsu Castle
, also known as Tsuruga Castle is a traditional castle in northern Japan, at the center of the city of Aizuwakamatsu, in Fukushima Prefecture.- History :The castle was constructed by Ashina Naomori in 1384, and was originally named...
.
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A. Its key signature has two sharps .Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major....
song, but Kosaku Yamada
Kosaku Yamada
was a Japanese composer and conductor.In many Western reference books his name is given as Kósçak Yamada. During his music study in the Imperial German capital of Berlin from 1910-13 he hated the times when people laughed at him because his "normal" transliteration of his first name "Kosaku"...
's slow-paced nostalgic D minor
D minor
D minor is a minor scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. In the harmonic minor, the C is raised to C. Its key signature has one flat ....
version is also popular as an accompanied song. Taki's original version of the song uses E♯ on the second bar
Bar (music)
In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...
, but the modern version usually uses E
E (musical note)
E or mi is the third note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle E is approximately 329.628 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.-Designation by octave:...
probably because the original version did not fit the traditional Japanese music
Traditional Japanese music
Traditional Japanese music is the term used to describe historical Japanese folk music, or traditional music.-Rhythm:One of the characteristics of traditional Japanese music is a sparse rhythm. It also doesn't have regular chords. In Japanese music, one cannot beat time with one's hands because...
.
Japanese tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
singer Yoshie Fujiwara
Yoshie Fujiwara
was a Japanese tenor singer. He took part in 5th and 6th Kōhaku Uta Gassen.He was born in Osaka. His mother Kinu Sakata was geisha, who worked in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. His father Neil B. Reid was Scottish, however, he was not raised by his father. Tokuzaburō Fujiwara adopted him,...
put his singing of the song on a record in 1925. He was the first Japanese singer to popularize the song throughout the world.
A jazz arrangement was recorded by Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer considered "one of the giants of American music". Monk had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "Epistrophy", "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser"...
under the title "Japanese Folk Song" on his 1967 album Straight, No Chaser.
The song was sung and recorded live in the form of a power ballad by the German heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, during a concert at the Nakano Sun Plaza
Nakano Sun Plaza
is a hotel in Nakano, Tokyo. The hotel includes a concert hall, the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall.- Nakano Sun Plaza Hall :Built in 1973, this concert hall seats 2,222 people and attracts performers from around the world...
in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. It was released on their 1978 live album Tokyo Tapes
Tokyo Tapes (album)
Tokyo Tapes is a live album by German heavy metal band Scorpions."Tokyo Tapes" was Scorpions' first live album, recorded at Nakano Sun Plaza on April 24 and 27, during the band's Japanese tour in 1978....
. The band's version was one of rare tracks following Taki's original version quite well.
External links
- Lyrics, translation and background information
- YouTube, Rentaro Taki, Kojo no Tsuki, "The Moon over the Ruined Castle" - Kojo no Tsuki, YouTube
- YouTube, Rentaro Taki, Kojo no Tsuki(with lyrics) - Kojo no Tsuki(with lyrics), YouTube