What’s In a Dance? Part 14
On The Eight Day Of Fun I present... another returning feature! It’s baaaaack! I got a few requests for new songs past few months, so I chose one that’s very fitting right now with the new year upon us. However things are not always what they seem.
Ume Wa Saitaka (梅は咲いたか) - Did The Plum Blossoms Bloom?
This song is really beautiful, but there’s one glaring issue: there are two different versions performed in the karyukai. Sometimes they can be divided by kagai, but the reasons for such a divide aren’t clear
Lyrics
Ume wa saitaka, sakura wa madakaina, yanai nayonayo kaze shidai,
梅は咲いたか, 桜はまだかいな, 柳なよなよ風次第,
Did the plum blossoms bloom? Are the cherry blossoms still there? The willow bends depending on the wind,
Yamabuki ya uwaki te, iro bakkari, shongai na,
山吹や浮気で, 色ばっかり, しょんがいな,
The fickle mountain rose is only its color, shon gai na,
Ume ni shō ka, sakura ni shiyo kaina, iro wa midori no matsu ga eda ni,
梅にしようか, 桜にしよかいな, 色は緑の松が枝に,
The color, there on the verdant pine, will it be plum blossom or cherry?
Ume to sakura wo sakasetai shongai na,
梅と桜を咲かせたいしょんがいな,
I want to make the plum and cherry blossoms bloom, shon gai na,
Kinō kitakaze, kyō wa minamikaze, ashita wa ukina no tatsumikaze,
昨日北風, 今日は南風, 明日は浮名のたつみ(巽)風,
Yesterday, the north wind, today, the south wind, tomorrow, it is rumored to be the southeast wind,
Koi no kaze nara, irobakkari shongai,
恋の風なら, 色ばっかりしょんがい,
If love is in the air, it is only color, shon gai,
Yanagibashi kara kobune de kyū gase, fune wa yurayura nami shidai,
柳橋から小舟で急がせ, 舟はゆらゆら波次第,
From Yanagibashi I rush in my small boat, carried by the waves,
Fune kara agatte dote Yachō, Yoshiwara e goannai,
舟から上がって土手八町, 吉原へご案内,
From the ship we go up to the embankment of Yachō as we enter Yoshiwara,
Sakura sakura to ukareteiru waina, yayoi sangetsu hanamigetsu,
桜さくらと浮かれているわいな, 弥生三月花見月,
Many cherry blossoms float along, the third month that heralds spring and the fourth month of flower viewing,
Anata wa hana yori, sake bakkari shongai na,
あなたは花より, 酒ばっかりしょんがいな,
My love for you is more than those of the flowers, yet I am already drunk, shon gai na,
Asari toretaka hamaguri madakaina awabi kuyokuyo kata omoi,
浅蜊取れたか蛤まだかいな鮑くよくよ片想い,
Have the steamer clam been harvested? Are there still sushi clams? The abalone broods over unrequited love,
Sazae wa rinki de, tsuno bakkari shongai na,
栄螺は悋気で, 角ばっかりしょんがいな,
The turban shell is no more than the horns of jealousy, shon gai na,
Ginza hatchō ikō janai kai na, yama no kitsune ga shibake te,
銀座八丁行こうじゃないかいな, 山の狐が七化けて,
Let’s go to Ginza and see the mountain foxes change clothes quickly like the stage actors,
Kuroi mayu hiku, sode wo hiku shongai na,
黒い眉引く, 袖を引くしょんがいな,
Drawing black eyebrows, drawing down their sleeves, shon gai na,
Koi no Asakusa futari de iko kanai, nani wo Kototoi miyakodori,
恋の浅草二人で行こかいな, 何を言問都鳥,
Shall we go to beloved Asakusa, like the miyakodori of Kototoi,
Sue wa chidori de Namida Bashi shongai na.
末は千鳥で泪橋しょんがいな.
Or, in the end, will it be the plovers of Namida Bashi? Shon gai na.
The Breakdown
First off, you may have noticed that a good chunk of the lyrics were italicized; this is because each kagai tends to pick and choose which of those verses it adds on, so you won’t find a single version with all of the lines. The regular verses are the mandatory ones and the italicized verses are the optional ones. You may have also seen the addition on the end of many verses of “shon gai na,” which is kinda like our good friend “yoi yoi yasa” as in it’s there to add that bit of emphasis and rhythm. This is actually an old bit of colloquialism as it was almost like a type of slang when the song was written over 100 years ago. In its simplest terms, it’s an archaic way of saying “sou desu ka,” which means “is that so?”
The four types of plants elude to four different types of women in the karyukai. The plum blossoms refer to the young geiko as plum blossoms are the first to bloom in the spring. The cherry blossoms, on the other hand, represent more mature geiko who wait longer than the plum blossoms to bloom. Willows represent women who change to meet their various situations, but that makes them inconsistent and fickle. Mountain roses are a bit more nefarious as they represent women who are unfaithful and lie. Their yellow color is a symbol of frivolity when it comes to money, which usually then leads to heartbreak. Next, we're asked to wonder what color will bloom on the pine branch. The pine in this case is representing longevity and strength, and most likely a male customer, so they wonder whether a young geiko or a mature geiko will begin a relationship with them.
That being said, from reading the rest of the lyrics you may have been able to tell that this song predominately takes place in Tokyo and not Kyoto. Each of the places it mentions are popular spots in and around Tokyo. To begin, the term “tatsumi” is a play on words that actually represents the Tatsumi Geisha (辰巳芸者) who were found in the Fukugawa district. Next we’re lead around the city, from the famous Yanagibashi, which was once the most prestigious district in Tokyo, to Yachō, another district, and onto Yoshiwara by means of a small boat. The way that the narrator talks about Yoshiwara lets us know that they have a certain fondness for the area and are more of a connoisseur than a casual visitor. They make merry during March and April, the third and fourth months respectively, although when this was written it would have referred to the third and fourth months in the traditional Asian calendar. The narrator remarks about how their enjoyment is fleeting, just like the floating world in which they spend their time.
The inclusion of marine invertebrates seems really random, but it all serves a singular purpose. By harvesting the animals in turn you actually follow a cyclical calendar that takes you through an entire year. Being more specific, the steamer clams and sushi clams are both used for Kai Awase (貝合わせ), which is a shell matching game. Abalone and turban shells does not have a partner, so they stand alone and are looking for love. The turban shell may also elude to Tsunokakushi (角隠し), which are traditional head covers worn by brides to hide their “horns.”
Finally, we continue our trek around Tokyo, first by visiting Ginza to see fox spirits, also known as kitsune, transform like kabuki actors and even witness how their makeup runs down their cheeks and onto the sleeves of their kimono as they try to hide their sadness. From there, we go to Asakusa and then Kototoi, which is another name for Mukojima. Miyakodori, not to be confused with Miyako Odori, are a type of seagull that usually represent winter. Plovers, on the other hand, represent summer, so the narrator is once again talking about time flowing. In the end, they end up at Namida Bashi, which actually means “Bridge of Tears” and likely refers to the floating bridge of dreams in The Tale of Genji. The narrator is quite melancholy yet content as they reflect on their relationships.
Each Kagai’s Version
Gion Kobu (祇園甲部) Version - Inoue School (井上流)
Sorry Inoue fans, but I can’t find their version being danced.
Pontocho (先斗町) Version - Onoe School (尾上流)
Same issue here Onoe fans!
Kamishichiken (上七軒) Version - Hanayagi School (花柳流)
Even Hanayagi is left out!? Yep.
Miyagawa Cho (宮川町) Version - Wakayagi School (若柳流)
Finally, some actual performances! Right from the start this dance is full of quick movements that only slow when speaking about the contemplation between the flowers. It uses a mai ōgi almost as much as it does hand movements, so it’s a feast for the eyes throughout its short duration. This version is performed by Kosen (小扇) of Kaden (花傳).
Gion Higashi (祇園東) Version - Fujima School (藤間流)
Compared to the Wakayagi version, the Fujima one seems a bit slower in pace for the song, but it still has a fair amount of movement compared to other Fujima dances. Some of the frozen kata poses are downright gorgeous and I feel that they really add to the dance. A mai ōgi is also used, but it’s present in the hand of the dancer for the entire duration of the dance, minus a few seconds. This version is performed by Tomitsuyu (富津愈) of Tomikiku (富菊).
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The lyrics provided were translated by myself with the help of a friend and gathered from multiple sources; I began with multiple sets, such as those from here, here, here, and here, and figured out which made the most sense when written out as some versions just wrote the hiragana versions of a few kanji and it made the meanings a bit more ambiguous to people who are not fluent in Japanese. In the original version some older forms of common kanji were used so I updated them as this may also confuse people.
