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Sakura Gari

桜狩

[Genre]Sokyoku
[Style]Uta mono
[School]Yamada Ryū - 山田
[Composed]Yamada Kengyō - Koto

History (Tsuge Gen'ichi):

Sakarugari ('Cherry Viewing') was composed early in the nineteenth century at the zenith of Yamada Kengyo's career. With its exciting instrumental interludes, it is considered the most brilliant of Yamada's composition. This song is traditionally classified into the naka-yurushi ('intermediate diploma') category.

The text, written by a certain princess of the Echizen clan, describes a peaceful cherry blossom viewing excursion of nobles in past times.

Poem (translated by Tsuge Gen'ichi)

Peacefully
The Second Month has come
Full upon us.
Mountains, far as the eye can see,
Enshrouded in mist;
The light green filament boughs
Of the willow weaving

A spring brocade
Unknown in the capital.
White clouds?
Blossoms?
Let us follow
The cherry blossoms,
Our hearts full
With anticipation.

Departing from the blue,
Geese fly back
To Koshiji
In the north
To their mates;
Their wings
Fragrant with blossoms,
They vanish in the clouds
Leaving a plaintive cry behind.

We halt for a moment,
Reluctant
That they should leave us.
Carriages in procession,
One after another
To view the first blossoms.
Those who have met
Those who have not met
All are friends of the blossoms.
Acquainted,
Unacquainted -
All sit together
Under the blossoms.
Heedless of passing time
We spend
The long spring days
In listless abandon.
The flowery sleeves
Of our long-loved robes
Are fragrant with cherry blossoms.
The fields, the hills -
Nor valley nor vale
Do the flowers
Not reach.
Tumbling
Down the mountain ledges,
A fall

Of one thousand streams
Like strands puppeted
By the Goddess of Spring.
Were there no falls
We would cross over
And cut the blossomed branches
Before the temple bell
Brings sunset.
Let the mists not hide the blossoms
Even if the wind blows.
(maebiki)

Nodoka naru
koro mo kisaragi
oshinaete
miwatasu yama mo
uchikemuri
yanagi no ito no
asamidori
(ai)
haru no nishiki ka
ayanaku mo
miyako ni shiranu
shirakumo no
tateru ya shirube
sakuragari
hito no kokoro mo
akogaruru
(ai)
Sora wo misutete
koshiji ni wa
matsuran mono wo
yuku kari no
kaoru
kaoru kaoru tsubasa wa
kumo ni kie
koe wa aware ni
kikoyu nari

(ainote)

Yukue shitaite
tachidomari
nagori wa shibashi
wasurenedo
Hatasuhana-guruma
meguru hi no
nagae tsuranete
mizu mo arazu
mi mo senu hito ya
hana no tomo
shiru mo shiranu mo
hana no kage
aiyadori shite
suganone no
nagaki haruhi wo
itazura ni
hikazu sugoshite
hana-goromo
nareshi tamoto mo
ka ni somite
nobe mo yamabe mo
nama yue ni
itaranu kuma wa
nakeredo mo
yama no
yama no iwane wo
tomete otsuru

(ainote)

chisuji momosuhi
saohime no
tebiki no ito no
taki nakuba
taorite
yukan
iriai no
kane yori saki ni
harugasumi
tachi no kakushi so
kaze wa fuku tomo

Sakura Gari appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Sankyoku Gassō Dai Zenshū vol. 12 (三曲合奏大全集12) Voice : Takaba Yōga
Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
Voice : Fujii Chiyoga II
Koto : Ikari Mitaga
Koto : Kishibe Michiga II
Shamisen : Kishibe Momoyo

Sokyoku Jiuta Taikei 50 Koto : Nakanoshima Kin'ichi
Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko
Play ButtonUehara Masaki - Number 2 Koto : Uehara Masaki II

Yamada - 01 Voice : Takahashi Eisei III
Shamisen : Takahashi Eisei III
Voice : Uehara Masaki II
Koto : Uehara Masaki II
Voice : Yamase Shōin III
Koto : Yamase Shōin III

Yamada Kengyo o Utao Disk 2 Koto : Fujii Chiyoga II

Yamada-Ryū Sōkyoku no Shirabe volume 6 Voice : Nakanoshima Keiko
Koto : Nakanoshima Keiko
Voice : Torii Tonami V
Shamisen : Torii Tonami V
Voice : Ichimura Ayano
Koto : Ichimura Ayano