Dan-no-Ura by Junko Ueda satsuma-biwa in Caunes Minervois, France
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Live recording of the Japanese satsuma-biwa player / singer Junko Ueda performing "Dan-no-Ura" (from the Heike Monogatari) at the Abbey Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul in Caunes Minervois (Aude) France on 3rd September 2011 as part of the "6th Festival Troubadoures chantent l'Art Roman".
Dan-no-Ura: Japanese traditional biwa music
This story represents the climax of Heike Monogatari (The Story of Heike, Japanese famous epic story of 13th century) and describes the last scene of the war between the Heike clan and the Genji clan at the Dan-no-Ura inlet, near Shimonoseki.
On this sea, the battle is reaching its end. Here, both clans show their last energy and courage. The inlet of Dan-no-Ura is fully covered by the boats of Heike and Genji. This scene reminds one to a little waving stream carrying fallen autumn leaves. As Heike is being defeated, the commander of the Heike is still encouraging their warriors, saying "This battle will decide our destiny. Don't grudge your life!" Heike is defeated completely. Most boats of Heike are sunk. The others are floating aimlessly in the Dan-no-Ura inlet. The Heike women, dressed in heavy costumes, commit suicide together with the children by jumping from their boats. Among them are a little boy and his grandmother Nii-dono (the wife of Kiyimori, who is the head of Heike). Before they jump into the water, Nii-dono explains her grandchild (who is the actual present emperor) there is a beautiful capital waiting for him at the bottom of the sea.
Junko Ueda
A musical performance of Junko Ueda extends Japanese ancient sound into modern times. Both the satsuma-biwa story-telling tradition as well as shomyo Buddhist chanting are unique musical treasures which have been passed on from generation to generation.
Junko Ueda, born in Tokyo, Japan, is Japanese singer and satsuma-biwa player, presenting Japanese traditional biwa music (story-telling) and shômyô Buddhist chanting. Ueda studied satsuma-biwa with the famous Kinshi Tsuruta and Buddhist shômyô-chanting with Kôshin Ebihara. She studied composition (under o.a. Jôji Yuasa) at the Tokyo College of Music. Ueda is based in Europe/Japan and has presented her concert, shômyô vocal workshop and other collaborations at music festivals all over the world (e.g. with flutist Wil Offermans; cellist Yo Yo Ma; the Dutch Nieuw Ensemble; and composers Jean-Claude Eloy, Akemi Naito, Keiko Harada). Ueda is also specialized to perform the pieces of Japanese composer Tôru Takemitsu. Her traditional biwa music CDs 'Heike Monogatari' (CD650 VDE/AIMP Geneva) and 'Satsuma Biwa' (ARN64577 Arion, Paris / Ethnomad, Geneva) received several prizes e.g. the Grand Prix du Disque, Academie Charles Cros, Paris and Choc Le Monde de la Musique, Paris.
More info: www.junkoueda.com
More video by Junko Ueda on Heike Monogatari: • Yoshitsune by Junko Ue...
i was lucky enough to hear this piece played in Nara on a full moon night in autumn, in a shrine, it was unbelievably intense i don't think i moved a finger during the entire performance
Wow. Shocking. Emotional. Overwhelming.
Her sliding slightly under the note at 1:57 "Dan no ura ni ite~~~~~~~~" and then back up again. Not a semi-tone, not even a quarter tone. A beautiful effect done beautifully.
Amazing acoustic too. There are some vocal runs she does that harmonise with each other in the echo. Makes you realise that stone churches had a lot to do with the development of polyphony, and also how the Japanese of the same era had little access to such acoustics. But this is such an amazing performance!
I was thinking the same sort of thing while listening to this, Japanese musicians of old would not have had these kind of acoustics to draw inspiration from, as this performance shows the music is most definitely affected and modified by the surroundings, and the whole atmosphere, effect, and emotion of a piece can be changed. Very interesting to think about music how music developed due to surroundings and circumstance.
This is probably the most powerful performance I've ever seen/heard by a single artist. If you know the story of this great sea battle and its tragic ending while listening to this,you WILL be moved! When she drags the plectrum across the string of her instrument, it heightens the effect. I agree with the previous comments. It is eerie and haunting.
She plays with such style and intensity!
Magnificent performance
Thank you for posting. This is beautiful, different from but just as great as Kinshi Tsuruta. Anyone who likes this music should see the film 'Kwaidan' where one of the segments deals with the story told here, the Battle of Dan-no-Ura. The soundtrack features Kinshi Tsuruta's performance of this work, and its electronic manipulation by Toru Takemitsu, and music and image are exquisite indeed.
one hell off a pick!
The tale of Hoichi the Earless brought me here.
I just finished watching "Kwaidan", and being a musician myself, "Hoichi the Earless" was my favorite story of the four in the film. This piece is so beautiful, and I wish I had someone to better explain this style of musical-storytelling to me!
Same. This traditional song is so metal. How has no one performed this on electric guitar?
Great movie, but I didn't have an idea about biwa when I watched it so came here after "Zatoichi 's Vengeance" with the charismatic traveling blind biwa priest
I was just reading Kwaidan by Lafcadio Hearn. which I picked up at the library. Now I hear there is a movie!? Going to check it out!
Me to. I find that story very interesting.
Gives me chills...... Incredible performance
My god. This so beautiful and haunting.
Beautiful !! i like the eeriness
This is beautiful.
Daaamn, it's amazing!!
THE REVERB IS SERIOUS HERE! LOVE IT!
THE PERIOD OF WARRING STATES!
@pinz2022 The style of the satsuma-biwa originated from the Satsuma region in southern Japan, the present-day Kagoshima prefecture in Kyûshû. In the 16th century, Lord Shimazu encouraged the warriors of the Satsuma clan to learn songs with a didactic content and to play a type of biwa related to the ancient môsô-biwa. To produce a louder and more masculine sound, the instrument's body was enlarged and made of a harder wood - a making which was survived in the present-day satsuma-biwa.
Még kislegény-koromban olvastam a Fületlen Hojcsi történetét, aki biwán játszotta a szellemeknek a Hejke-legendát... nem hittem volna, hogy évtizedek múlva ez az élmény visszaköszön... :) Hálás vagyok érte! (Thank you very much!)
@WINDYSOUNDS
Awesome! Thank you.
"we shall have our capital beneath the waves..."
wow that's very deep
@pinz2022 However, by the end of World War II the biwa had become scarce. In the middle of 20th century, Ms. Kinshi Tsuruta restored the satsuma-biwa to favor, for example by interpreting Tôru Takemitsu's famous composition for biwa, shakuhachi and symphonic orchestra, "November Steps". Also, the traditional repertories are carefully chosen, for example emphasizing universal human feeling in the tragic episodes of Heike Monogatari, which can be understood world wide.
@pinz2022 This seems to be a more often thought misunderstanding. The satsuma-biwa does can also be performed by women. It is however understandable one may think it should be performed by men, since if we look to the extensive history of the satsuma-biwa, often its history has been dominated by male players. Let's take a closer look to its history (see next reply)
As a Chinese, Japanese music sounds always darker, gloomier and kind of scary comparing to Chinese music.
Dan-no-ura is about a sea war and most biwa songs are about war and sacrifice so it's understandable that they're more depressing
it's an intense story. The boy Emperor and his grandmother who jumped off of the ship to their deaths after losing a major battle. Not a light-hearted story.
一族皆殺しになった話で陽気にはなれないでしょう
It's eerie but it are depicts the tragic battle of Da-No-Ura
RIP Taira no Tomomori
I heard this in Battlefield 5, I didn't know this is the original sound
Why did the fates bring Canada & Nippon to the old awful war? Such things must never happen again. Respect to people of Nippon.
What type of music would this fall under? I love the singing style that she uses
Folk music i think, especially to know the history of biwa player in old japan.
Satsuma-biwa music.
@pinz2022 At first, this instrument spread among the warriors who enjoyed recounting their heroic deeds. Around the turn of 20th century this regional genre has spread out and was practiced everywhere in Japan. It is said that there were about 30 biwa instrument makers in Tokyo at that time. It became popular more as an entertainment aspect than as a didactic purpose. Probably women players have appeared a little by little at that time.
Battlefield V bring me here. After i hear this song i run just with Axe in the Map. GREAT SHIT
battlefield V also brought me here too
能 暗黒舞踏 薩摩琵琶。日本が誇る文化だと思います。
고스트 오브 쓰시마 게임하다가 감동받았습니다.
鶴田流ですね
so the japanese invented metal 🤔
I thought it had to be performed by man?