Shiroyama / 城山 by SUDA Seishu

SUDA Seishu (1947–) is a master of the Satsuma-biwa and Heike-biwa, traditional Japanese instruments. He was born in Tokyo and studied Satsuma-biwa with Tsuji Seigo and Heike-biwa with Kindaichi Haruhiko. In 1970, he won the Biwa Music Competition and has been a leading performer in the biwa world for over 50 years.

The biwa is a Japanese string instrument with a long history. It came to Japan during the Nara period (710–784 AD) and is thought to have originated in Iran. It is related to instruments like the lute and oud. There are several styles of biwa, such as Gagaku-biwa and Heike-biwa, but this recording features the Satsuma-biwa. This type was created about 500 years ago in Satsuma (modern Kagoshima prefecture) under the orders of a samurai lord, Shimazu Tadayoshi. He asked a blind monk named Fuchiwaki Juchoin to develop it. The Satsuma-biwa grew as the music of the Satsuma samurai class and is known for its strong, simple, and bold style.

須田誠舟(1947-)は東京都出身の薩摩琵琶・平家琵琶奏者。薩摩琵琶を辻靖剛に、平家琵琶を金田一春彦に師事。1970年に琵琶楽コンクールで優勝。その後、約半世紀以上、琵琶界の一線を走ってきた。

琵琶は奈良時代ごろ日本に伝わったという長い歴史を持つ楽器で、起源はイランといわれる（リュートやウードと同源）。雅楽琵琶、平家琵琶など、いくつもの種類、流派があるが、今回の録音は薩摩琵琶という種類の琵琶。戦国時代の薩摩(現在の鹿児島県）の武将で島津家中興の祖、島津忠良が盲僧の淵脇寿長院に命じて作曲させたのがそのはじまりといわれるから、その頃から数えると500年程の歴史がある。薩摩の武士階級の音楽として発展してきた。その為、質実剛健を主とし、豪放さ、自由闊達さを特色とする。
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