Unosuke Miyamoto, a president of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten
We talked with Unosuke Miyamoto, a president of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten. This interview was conducted in September 2014.
Q : Could you talk about the large Kaen Drums used at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964?
I graduated from a university in March 1964, and worked as a live-in apprentice at a drum maker for one year. The Tokyo Olympic Games were held in October 1964. I was not directly involved in the large drums. My father, the 6th descendant of the founder, supervised and made the drums. Although I have not heard the details from my father, they worked hard, sometimes working all night, in order to complete it before the opening ceremony. They made smaller drums before making the large drums. We have preserved a pair of the smaller drums. I think my father and his team had the knowledge and know-how, so they thought they could meet the deadline.
Q : Currently, where are the large drums for the opening ceremony placed? They are considerably large, aren't they?
We have preserved the drums. They are eight meters high when assembled. My father did not receive an order for making the drums, but he spontaneously made the drums, and then donated them to the Tokyo Olympic Games committee. The drums became useless and obstructive after the Olympic Games, so they were kept in a warehouse for about 10 years. At that time, although the Imperial Household Agency had the music department, there were few ceremonial court music orchestras. However, NHK has used the large drums most frequently when they hold ceremonial court music concerts. Recently, the drums were used at the Edinburgh International Festival in England and the Floriade, World Horticultural Exposition, held in Amsterdam in 2012.
Also, the drums were brought to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The World Cup was the first World Cup to be held in Asia. It was jointly hosted by Korea and Japan. We thought that the most suitable music played at the World Cup was the Japanese ceremonial court music, so we brought the drums to Seoul and Pusan. The drums were also played at four venues, including the National Theater of Japan in Tokyo and the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka. Some musicians came to Japan from Korea, and played at those theaters. Korean court music is significantly different from Japanese one, but Korean and Japanese court musicians took turns to play instruments, and cultivated cultural exchanges.
Q : Drums are placed on the right and left sides. What is the difference between the right and left ones?
In the Japanese court dances and music, there are two types of dances: One is "Saho-no-Mai," or dance performed in the left side, which is derived from China and uses crimson or red costumes, decorations with dragon patterns and a sun-shaped object, and the other is "Uho-no-Mai,” (continued in the right column)
or dance performed in the right side, which is derived from the Korean Peninsula and uses yellow costumes, decorations with phoenix patterns and a moon-shaped object. When Saho-no-Mai is performed, only the left drum is beaten. When Uho-no-Mai, which is said to have been introduced from Koryo, is performed, the right drum is beaten.
Q : Are there music similar to the Japanese ceremonial court music in Korea or China?
Although the Japanese ceremonial court music is originally derived from China, at the present day, there is no such music in China. There is ceremonial court music in Korea, but it is slightly different from Japanese one. Vietnam also has ceremonial court music. I went to Vietnam and saw a performance of it, but it was entirely different music. However, it is written in Chinese characters, "Gagaku," that are the same as the ones used in Japan.
Q : In which region of Vietnam was the ceremonial court music performed? Was it sponsored by the nation? In Japan, are there any ceremonial court music players other than ones who belong to the Imperial Household Agency?
I would say the ceremonial court music was performed in Hue. It was not held in the Imperial Court. It was a kind of event. I did not went to Vietnam in order to see it. I just happened to see it in the course of my trip. At that time, I heard that Vietman had Gagaku, and the event was held under a title Gagaku. However, it was a different type of music. The music was played by local people. Ceremonial court music is sponsored by the state in Korea. However, in Japan, it has been operated mainly by the Imperial Household Agency since the Nara and Heian Periods. At the present day, some private organizations sponsor the ceremonial court music in Japan. There are the Japan Gagaku Society and the Tokyo Gakuso in Tokyo, and the Osaka Gakuso in Osaka. Chinese characters "Gakuso" are comprised of Chinese character "Gaku,"or music, and "Sho," or place. Also, there are Heian Gakuso in Kyoto, Nanto Gakuso (Nanto means Nara) in Nara and Chikushi Gakuso in the Kyushu region.
Nishi-asakusa Store, Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten
Unosuke Miyamoto, a president of Miyamoto Unosuke Shoten