Hey there guys,I was surfing the net,when I found 2 tsugaru jamisen song names
They were
Jonkara Kudoki
Kudoki Mondo
Anyone has any idea how this song is played?
I didn’t actually find any videos
Oh god,i miswrote one of the songs,its Jonkara Kudoki and Suzuki Mondo.
They seen to be narrative songs.
Kevin, Or anyone else. Did anyone of you ever heard or play this song?
Lol,bugged post number.
Some posts are 500 -
and this one is 8064
Hi Shinji
Sony used to sell a good recording of Chikuzan laying out the lineage of the ‘big three’ Tsugaru songs. The first two tracks were “Kudoki bushi” (also called “Suzuki Mondo”) and “Jonkara kudoki”. I checked Amazon Japan, and it looks like that CD isn’t available right now, so I’m posting the first track here:
Here’s the explanation I posted with the video:
The text in the video is from the liner notes, which come from a conversation between Chikuzan and Satou Sadaki. He starts by saying that it seems that “Kudoki bushi” (i.e. “Suzuki mondo”) feels kind of like a missing link between “Jonkara bushi” and the older songs that the Echigo goze (blind female itinerant musicians from Niigata) sang, like “Shimpo koudaiji.” From the rest of the conversation we get that Chikuzan performed “Kudoki bushi” as he traveled around playing at people’s front gates (kadozuke), and that he learned it from his teacher in about 1924. By that time, he says, no one was really playing it anymore, having moved on to “Jonkara bushi.” People played “Jonkara bushi” while singing the lyrics to “Suzuki mondo,” and this was called “Jonkara kudoki.” After that, solo shamisen Jonkara became popular. The reason that solo shamisen developed (at least according to Chikuzan here, who, given that he thought himself a bad singer, is probably half joking) is that even people with bad voices could make a living doing it.
Great info from Mr. McGoldrick! (as always).
Gerry, I don’t know if you’ve caught the many little hints I’ve dropped here and there on the forum but hey! Now that there is a place for articles I think it’s time for the curtains to open on the G.McG show!
You’re much more of a writer than me so I’d look forward to it! Also it won’t make the first article seem so lonely!
Still remember the copy you gave me of your thesis (was it a thesis?) very well written and researched!
I agree with Kevin! Your posts are always very interesting to read Gerry!
Gerry! Superb information! I really enjoyed your post and I really appreciate your tireless efforts in uncovering the history and tradition of Tsugaru Shamisen! Your are truly a boon to us all in the community.
Thanks for uploading the video too.