目次
Voice Introduction.
Listen to the contents of this page in MORINORI’s voice
*Please note the volume
Today, we would like to report on the small concert “On the Sea off Nachi” that was held on Tuesday, August 27, 2024. This concert was held on two days, August 27 and September 24, in Yokohama.
Click here for the concert guide page for September 24
https://morinorijapan.com/lecture-and-performance/20240924
Event Report:
Tuesday, August 27th, off the coast of Nachi
A concert you can listen to while you sleep
This time, we were kindly given the use of kt.Space, which we used as a venue for the Yokohama Triennale Support Program from March to May this year. The spacious studio, which is usually used for fitness and other activities, seems to help you concentrate better when the lights are dimmed. The venue also has good acoustics, as it is next to the music bar kt.Bears (https://kt-bears.webnode.jp/).
This time’s outfit
Light purple plain-colored kimono, iron-blue half-width obi, and unbleached hakama
The story of each journey
The theme of this concert, “Off the Coast of Nachi”, is the liberation from the suffering of this world and spiritual sublimation, as depicted off the coast of Nachi. The Heikyoku “Yokobue” and “Koremorijusui” are performed. The Tale of the Heike has three stories between ‘Yokobue’ and ‘Koremorijusui’: ‘Kouyanomaki’, ‘Koremorishukke’ and ‘Kumanosankei’, but for reasons of time, we have chosen to perform two of these stories.
In the Heikyoku (a recitation of the Tale of the Heike accompanied by Heike biwa), the scene where Takiguchi Nyudo gives a sermon before Koremori jumps into the water is very impressive. As I tell the story while playing the Heike biwa, the words of the teachings I am reciting make me feel as if I am being taught by Takiguchi Nyūdō, or as if I am a follower watching over him, or as if I am Takiguchi Nyūdō telling the story to Taira no Koremori. It’s strange how many different feelings come flooding in. The Tale of the Heike switches perspectives so quickly that you may find yourself noticing different things depending on where you are in the story.
The Heike Monogatari that revolves around the waters off Nachi is something I was studying when I was learning the Heike biwa, so it is also a song of departure for me. In the future, when my studies deepen, I would like to change the content of the Heikyoku that I compose, such as “At the Waters off Nachi – Kumanosankei Edition”.
Thank you to kt.Space and to all the customers who came to see Kiso Yoshinaka, who continued to look back.
Sound:
From the Heikyoku “Yokobue”
Please be careful of the volume.
Time: 4 minutes 28 seconds
Recording: August 27, 2024 (live)
As the sound of the venue has been left as it is, there are some parts that are difficult to listen to.
Narration (The recitation is spoken in a plain voice, as part of the concert’s structure)
Yokobue Hearing this, how can I abandon myself and change my ways? How bitter it is! Even if I disobey the world, I must tell you of this somehow. I thought about my resentment once more, and one evening I secretly left the palace and longed to go to the direction of Saga. It was the 10th day of the second month, and the spring breeze in the village of Umezu made me nostalgic for other places.
Synopsis:
Tale of the Heike, Volume 10
‘Yokobue’ and ‘Koremorijusui’
Summary of the Tale of the Heike, Volume 10, “Yokobue
TairanoKoremori’s thoughts turn to his family back in the capital, and he secretly slips away from Yashima, where the Heike clan are staying. However, he struggles with the idea that he must not go to the capital and be captured, and heads for Koyasan. There he met Takiguchi Nyudo (Saito Takiguchi Tokiyori), a man who had once loved a woman called Yokobue, but who had gone on to become a Buddhist priest after his family opposed their relationship.
Full modern translation of “Yokobue”
https://morinorijapan.com/tale-of-the-heike/yokobue-nachinookinite
Summary of the Tale of the Heike, Volume 10, “Koremori Jyusui
After visiting the three Kumano Shrines, Tairano Koremori and his party head for the sea. Before Koremori jumps into the water, Takiguchi Nyudo, who sees Koremori’s distress at the thought of his family, wipes away his tears and, feigning composure, tries to persuade him. The story describes Koremori’s final moments, as he cuts off his lingering attachments and chooses the path of enlightenment.
Koremorijusui Complete Synopsis in Modern Japanese Translation
https://morinorijapan.com/tale-of-the-heike/koremorijusui-nachinookinite
Next time:
Information on dates and times
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 (Doors open at 12:40)
Capacity: 6 people
Program: The Tale of the Heike, Vol. 10 “Yokobue” and “Koremorijusui”
Type: Concert (After a short modern-language commentary at the beginning, you will listen to the performance.
Please take off your shoes before entering this venue. Yoga mats are available.
Fee: 2,200 yen (tax included)
Payment: Pre-payment (credit card payment via the reservation site)
Application deadline: Monday, September 23, 2024
Apply here: https://select-type.com/ev/?ev=toxi6BQDJCE
Venue
kt.Space
Dai-ni Toshou Building B1F, 1-15 Aioi-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa
7-minute walk from Kannai Station on the Blue Line
5-minute walk from Nihon-odori Station on the Minatomirai Line
The entrance is on the left-hand side of the building, facing the large road and the Hotto Motto restaurant.
Please note that there is also an entrance in a narrow alley, but you cannot enter or exit from there.
Why not come along?
I look forward to seeing you at the venue.