著者

宮崎 まゆみ

出版者

宮崎大学教育文化学部

雑誌

宮崎大学教育文化学部紀要 芸術・保健体育・家政・技術 (ISSN:1345403X)

巻号頁・発行日

no.6, pp.62-46, 2002-03

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A Koto Yamashitamizu owned by the Kishu-Tokugawa House in the old times, is now stored at the National Museum of Japanese History. This Koto has a passed down tradition claiming that it has been made by the Kishu-Tokugawa House in 1788, in imitation of the Ya,nashitamizu owned by the Shogunate. It may safely be said that this beautifully decorated Gakuso (Koto for Gagaku, Japanese traditional music) features the essence of all Koto decorating techniques in Edo (Tokugawa) period. Furthermore, the elaborate designs and techniques applied to this Koto include gold and silver lacquer works of crab-image and gold and silver inlayed works at the instrument's head and tail, and ebony plate and inlayed decoration works of autumnal colour leafs, rocks and flowing water images at its side. That is to say, this Koto is not only beautifully decorated, but also displays several rare and significant characteristics - elaborate crab-image design rarely seen on a Koto, rare gold inlayed work techniques, and side-decorations very rare for a Gakuso during Edo period. The author was appointed a member of the museum's Experts' Appraising Committee when the museum purchased this Koto in January 1991. And at the time, from the above reasons, the author presumed that there exists special reasoning regarding the making of this Koto, but the details remained uncovered. However, Professor Mitsumasa Yamamoto of the museum reported at the committee that there is a short description on the Koto Yamashitamizu owned by the Shogunate in Tankai (1776- 1795) by Tsumura-Souan. ###Then a while later, by coincidence, the author discovered descriptions on the Koto Yamashitamizu derived from Kino-Tsurayuki's waka (Japanese traditional short poems) entitled Yamashitamizu, in Mimibukuro (1781-1815) by Negishi-Morinobu, Ichiwa-Ichigen (1779-1820) by Ohta-Nanpo, and archive documents (1975) by Imaizumi-Chiaki (a member of Saga feudal clan, and also the traditionist of Tsukushi-Goto). By analyzing and organizing the contents of these descriptions, and studying over the matter together with the existing Koto Yamashitamizu that was owned by the Kishu-Tokugawa House in the old times, it was ascertained that during the Edo period, there existed at least three Yamashitamizu Kotos in relation to the same one tradition. ###The following assumption may be made on the first Koto - It was brought along with Kazuko, the daughter of the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada, when she married to become Chugu (Empress) of Emperor Gomizunoh in 1620. Later, it was given by Kazuko to the daughter (a Princess) of Fushiminomiya Sadakiyo, when the Princess married the fourth Tokugawa Shogun, Ietsuna. Thus it was again brought to Edo with her. However, it's whereabout was lost when the Princess passed away in 1676. Then at around 1712, it was found in an antique ware shop in Ueno. Kuroda-Naokuni, who later became a Roju (Shogunate's Council of Elders), purchased the Koto from the shop-it is uncertain whether he knew about its background history - , repaired it, and seeing its outstanding beauty, presented it to the eighth Tokugawa Shogun, Yoshimune. Thus the Koto was restored to the Shogunate, and presumably owned by the wife of the tenth Tokugawa Shogun, Ieharu, at around 1771 . ###The second Koto was made by the Kishu-Tokugawa House in 1788, in imitation of the above masterpiece Koto handed down in the Shogunate. The Koto was then made a family treasure. ###The third Koto is said to be Kino-Tsurayuki's Yamashitamizu Koto that Imaizumi-Chiaki saw at the antique ware shop in 1875. However, after analyzing the observational reports by Chiaki, a presumption is derived, that it is unlikely that this Koto is the traditional instruments handed down in the Shogunate or the Kishu-Tokugawa House.###This paper consists of the study leading to the above conclusion, a research report on the Koto Yamashitamizu owned by the Kishu-Tokugawa House in the old times now stored at the National Museum of Japanese History - the report was re-examined in order to complete this article - , a Japanese translation of lchiwa-Ichigen originally written in classical-Chinese, and a reproduction of Imaizumi-Chiaki's record archives, etc.