Transmission of Japanese Jiuta Sokyoku for Shamisen and Koto : Negotiating Musical Identity

This book explores the musical genre that has developed into diverse repertoires from the seventeenth century to the present day, transforming its context from blind male performers’ tradition to the most cutting-edge contemporary art.

Transmission of Japanese Jiuta Sokyoku for Shamisen and Koto: Negotiating Musical Identity offers a rich and compelling exploration of Japan’s refined chamber music tradition for voice, shamisen (3-string lute), and koto (13-string zither). Tracing the genre's evolution from the seventeenth century to the present, the book reveals how jiuta soyoku has continually reinvented itself, moving from a tradition rooted in blind male performers to a vibrant field of contemporary artistic expression. At the heart of this study is the question of how musical identity is formed, maintained, and transformed. Through close examination of transmission practices such as teaching and learning processes, master-disciple relationships within the iemoto (house-head) system, and the dynamics of change, variation, tradition, and innovation, the author illuminates the complex negotiations that shape this living musical heritage. Grounded in in-depth ethnographic research, including firsthand learning experiences and interviews with leading musicians, the book offers a rare insight into the perspectives of performers at the forefront of the genre today. Bridging historical depth with contemporary practice, Transmission of Japanese Jiuta Sokyoku for Shamisen and Koto is an essential reading for students and scholars of ethnomusicology and Japanese studies, and an illuminating resource for anyone passionate about Japanese music and its ongoing transformation.