Japanese Peasant Songs/Foundation Pounding Songs

by by John F. Embree with Ella Embree and Yukuo Uyehara

Foundation Pounding Songs
(Dotsuki or Jitsuki)

In rural Japan, when a building of any size is to be constructed, the earth which is to underlay the foundation is subjected to extensive pounding to harden and solidify the ground. This is done by means of a heavy log pounder held vertically in a frame attached to which is a series of ropes. These are alternately pulled and let slack by the workers. The rope pullers are as a rule women of the village or hamlet working on a coöperative basis.

There are many songs to accompany this work, some of them rather long. The verses are sung by a male song leader who does not pull at the ropes himself, while the recurrent refrain is sung as a chorus by the pullers. This organization of the singing is similar to that at a Bon dance (see p. 50).

The steady rhythmic character of the refrain alternating with the verses helps to keep the people pulling regularly, while the stories, probably well known to most, are a relief from the monotony of the work. This would be especially true of the melodramatic tales of Jusuke’s marriage (81) and the obscene remedies of the last song of the series (85).

The following songs were collected in Fukada, a village next to Suye, during the pounding of a foundation for a public building by the women of the village. The song leader, a man who knew the songs well, dictated the texts given here during a rest interval in the work. The order of the songs is of no special significance, being simply the order in which they were dictated. It is probable that after a long ballad one or two short songs would be sung by way of contrast.

Bonneau, in Folklore japonais, Vol. 3, Nos. 41–43, includes three short pounding songs from Kyūshū, two of which have the same opening line as No. 79.

In form, songs 79, 80, and 81 are a simple series of seven-syllable lines, songs 84–5 an alternating series of five- and seven-syllable lines, and songs 82–3 irregular dodoitsu.

Fig. 8 (top)

Foundation Pounding (Dotsuki).

Fig. 9 (bottom)

A Group of Women Bouncing a Man They Rushed between Spells of Foundation Pounding.

A Good Day Is Here

This short song (over twice the length of its text when the refrain is included) is something of a spell to insure good fortune to the building to be built and to those who use it. This is characteristic of rural Japan where a ritual of some kind is always performed at the commencement of a new building, bridge, or road to insure good fortune to the people who will use it when completed.

79

Kyō wa hi mo yoshi[1] Yoi yoi[2] Kichijitsu gozaru Yoi, yoi, yōiya nya Ara nya, kora nya tose[2] Kichijitsu yoi hi ni Dotsuki nasaru Kin no dotsuki Kogane no yagura Kore o hiku no ga Daikoku Ebisu Irete tsukaruru Ōban koban

Today is a good day, A good day is here. A good day, on a good day Pound the earth— A golden pounder, A golden frame— They who pull this are Daikoku, Ebisu.[3] Placed and pounded Big coin, small coin.

The Plum Tree

80

Nitan batake no[4] Sono nakagoro ni Sh’totsu komakana Koume ga gozaru Sono ya komme ga Wakamatsu tsurete Sokode komme ga Kudoki ga gozaru Washi ga kommai totte Anadorya suru na Kosho ya sanshō wa Komai hodo karai Seki no kogatana Mi wa hosokeredo Aya mo tachimasu Nishikimo orosu Seta no karahashya Miriage no kobashi Soko de watashi mo Choito kiri agete Ato o wakanoshu ni Otanomimasu

In the center Of the two tan[5] field One very little Plum tree stands. This plum tree Brought the young pine tree. The small plum tree Has this to say: “Because I’m small Do not look down on me; Pepper and sansho[6] The smaller they are, the sharper they are. The pocket knife of Seki, Although the blade is thin, It can cut silk And cut brocade. Although the bridge of Seta[7] Is a small short bridge Here I too Will cut short To the young people[8] The rest I’ll leave.”

Jusuke and Oiro

81	Tokoro mōsaba Usa Higo no Kuni Sono na mōseba Seizaemon Hitori musume no Oiro to yūte Kiryō no yoi koto Jūnin sugure Hana ni tatoete Mōsunareba Tateba shakuyaku Suwareba botan Ayumu sugata ga Yuri keshi no hana Ono-no-Komachi mo Sayoteru-Hime mo Oyobazaru to no Hyōban musume Kiryō yokereba Mina hito-san ga Ware mo ware to Morai ni kakaru Kesa mo jūnin Mata jūgonin Sanjū-go nin no Moraishu naka de Kaku no Jusuke-san Yakusoku de Saraba Jusuke ni Yaranakya naranu Hanashi kimareba Iwai to kimaru Asu wa Oiro no Iwai to kimaru Mura no wakaishu wa Sonemi ga gozaru Mura ni yori yori Kyōgi o itashi Oiro iwai no Sono hito nareba Shikaku-gan niwa	There is in Usa Of Higo province A man named Seizaemon. He has an only daughter Called Oiro Whose beauty surpasses Even ten. Likened to flowers, I’ll say She stands an herbacious peony And sits a peony And walks A lily, a poppy. Even Ono-no-Komachi,[9] Or Sayoteru-Hime[10] Are not a match To her. Being such a beauty The young men Crying “Me too, me too!” Scramble to woo her. Ten more this morning, Again fifteen— Of thirty-five men Among the suitors Jusuke of Kaku Gets the promise. When thus promised to Jusuke Oiro must be given away. When thus decided A celebration is in order. Tomorrow will be Oiro’s Wedding feast. The village young men Are jealous of it And, group by group, They plot a plan At Oiro’s feast. These men In a square coffin
	Tsubame o hanashi Rokuji-gami oba Mae harimashite Jusuke iwai to Zashiki ni ireru Kyō wa torikomi Asu kite tamore Sono hi iwai mo Hodo yoku sunde Asu wa wakanoshu no Iwai de gozaru Asa wa hayo kara Iwai to kiyaru Arame kizande Umeboshi soete Agari kudasare Wakashu gata yo Sokode wakanoshu Hara tatemashite Konna sakana de Nomareru mono ka Sakana nakereba Ryorite toran Soko de Jusuke Hitoma ni sagari Netoru Oiro wa Yusuri te okoshi Kyo no wakaishu no Shisshi o mireba Isso futari o Koroso no takumi Koko de futari ga Wakanoshu gata ni Korosaremashitara Sosen ni sumanu Saraba korekara Shinju wo shimasho Kokode futari ga Shinju o shite wa Mura no wakanoshu ni Teishu ga oranu	Let some swallows go, A six character paper[11] Pasted in the front As a gift to Jusuke. They bring it into the room. “We are very busy today So please come tomorrow.”[12] The wedding feast is over Very successfully, And the next day is The feast for the village[13] young men. They come from early morning On that day— The sea-weed cut With pickled plums is served. “Please have some, Our village friends.” Then the boys Become angry. “With such relish How can we drink If there isn’t any fish? We’ll get someone who can prepare a dish!” Whereupon Jusuke Goes into another room The sleeping Oiro Shakes out of bed— “Today’s young men, As I see their hatred, Both of us They plot to kill.” “If we two By men like these Should be killed, What shall we say to our ancestors? Then we might as well Die together.”[14] “If we two Should die together now For the village young men There will be no host—
	Saraba watashi o Hito ashi sakini Oiro yō yuta Yō yute kureta Oya no yudzuri no Masamune gatana Nugute misezuni Oiro o koroshi Shinda Giro o Hadaka ni nashite Nashita Oiro o Manaita nosete Sashimi bōcho ni Murabashi soete Agari kudasare Wakanoshu gata yo Sokode wakanoshu ga Odoroki-mashite Takai en kara Tobu no mo areba Takai dote kara Tobu no mo gozaru Sokode Jusuke Koniwa ni orite Ura to omote no Gomon o shimete Nyōbo no kataki Kakugo wa yoika Mura no wakanoshu Mina kirikorosu Kaesu katana de Waga nodo tsuite Jitsu ni hakanaki Saigo de gozaru Sore de minna ga Moto yūkotoni Hito ni sugareta Yoi ko wa motsuna Hito no kirau yona Yomego mo konna.	Please finish me Before you go.” “Well said, Oiro My thanks to you.” The Masamune sword Inherited from his father (Jusuke took out) Quickly he puts an end To Oiro. Dead Oiro He stripped, The stripped Oiro He put on the chopping board, He placed the kitchen knife and chopsticks At her side: “Please have a feast, My friends.” Hereupon the young men Are surprised; From high veranda Some jump down. From high wall Others jump down. Thereupon Jusuke Goes down to the yard, Closing the gates Both back and front “I will avenge my wife On you.” (Thus saying) The village youths All of them he kills. Then, turning to himself, He thrusts his sword into his throat. And this quick death Is indeed the end. Thus by all It is said, Never have a son Who far surpasses others. And such is the end Of a bride envied by others.[15]

Come Come Sparrow

This song is given as a masquerade song in Tanabe’s Folksongs of Kuma; it is also given in Gesammelte Werke der Welt Musik as a foundation pounding song.

82

Chuchu[16] ke manju[17] kashiu Natane no mi kashu Yagate daikon-bana no Mi wo kuwasho

Come, come, sparrow— I’ll give you some cake, I’ll give you rape-seed, Then I’ll give you radish seeds to eat.

During the Day

83

Hiru wa tango tango no no no dokkoi Oke no wa wo shimuru Yoru wa Shōsama no Koshi shimuru

During the day the pail, the pail— Put the hoop on the bucket; At night. Tighten the waist of Shō-sama.[18]

Kanshirō Wants a Wife

84	Kanshirō to yū hito wa Aru koto nai koto Nozomareta Aru koto nai koto Nozomi nara Aru koto nai koto Yūte miro Kanshirō dono ga Wakai toki Ammari nyonbo ga Mochitasa ni Shihō no kamigami Gan tatete Ichi niwa Idzumo no Ōyashiro Niban Ise no Daijingū San de Sanuki no Kompira san Shihō no kami e Gan tatete Kami no gojihi ni Sugatte mo Yoi yōna nyonbo wa Orimo senu Shikoku mawari o Omoitachi Shikoku hachijū Hachi kasho wo Ura to omote o Sagasedomo Yoiyōna nyonbo Orimasenu Saraba kore kara	A man named Kanshirō, Of things there are and things there are not, Was asked, Of things there are and things there are not, If you wish, Of things there are and things there are not Let’s name them.[19] When Kanshirō Was young He wished to have A wife so badly That to the gods of four directions He prayed. First to Idzumo’s[20] Ōyashiro Shrine, Second to Ise’s[20] Daijingū Shrine, Third to Sanuki’s[20] Kompira Shrine. To the gods of four directions He offered prayers. To the mercy of the gods Though he had appealed, Still a suitable wife He could not find. Of a pilgrimage to Shikoku Then he thought. Of Shikoku The eighty-eight places Through and through He searched; A suitable wife He could not find. Then he went
	Saikoku ni Chikugo no kuni o Hajime to shi Hizen Higo kara Satsuma made Sagashite miredo Nao orazu Higo no kuni ni to Tachikaeri Higo no Kumamoto Tōru toki “Kore a mōshi Kanshirō sama Anata wo atashi wa Itsukaramo Shitai mōshitezo Koko mitoshi Anata no idokoro Sagase domo Anata no sugata wa Miemasenu Koko de ōtaga Kyō kunenme Dōzo korekara Nyobo ja to Yūte moraeba donoyōni Watashya konomama Shinurutomo Nande yononaka Urami mashō Wakai dōshi no Kotonareba Sugu ni hanashi mo Matomatte Shibashi machiyare Kanshirō san Watashi ga choito Kozashiki wo Tsukurimasu kara Machinanse Soko de onna ga Suru koto nya Tatami o sammai Hikidashite	To the western provinces Beginning with Chikugo; From Hizen and Higo[21] As far as Satsuma He searched, Still he could not find. To the region of Higo He returned again And as through Kumamoto of Higo[21] He was passing “Pray, Sir Kanshirō For you I have For a long time Been longing— For the past three years Your whereabouts I tried to find, But your figure Has eluded me. After many years Today I have met you. Please, if from now on You call me your wife Then, Here and now I should die. Why should I have a grudge Against this world?” Since they were Both young The question was Soon settled. “Wait a minute, Kanshirō I am going to make A small room (For us two,) Wait a while.” Then the woman Without more ado, Three pieces of tatami Took out,
	Rokumai byōbu ni Mitsubuton Moshi mo no kami no Kawari niwa Mushiro o shigo-mai Hikidashita Kore o mite toru Kanshirō Tote mo kanawanu Nyobo zoto Idaten hashiri ni Hashiriyuki Kore o mite toru Sono onago Onore Kanshirō Nigasuka to Izen no kozashiki Katatsukete Shiro uma ippiki Hikidashite Sore ni bagu o mo Hikidashite Sono ya uma ni Uchinotte Otte kimasu yo Kanshirō Yōyaku Kanshirō Nigenonde Kawashimo atari ni Nigenonde Mō wa kore nite Daijōbu Omō ori kara Ōarashi Ame ya arashi to Narimasuru Choito kokorade Amayoke o Itasu ori kara Yūdachi mo Hareta tenki to Narimasuru Soreni tokoro no Nōmin wa Hoko wo katagete Kusa kari ni	A six piece folding screen, And three quilts And instead of paper In case of emergency, She produced Four or five straw mats. Seeing this Kanshirō thinks: A terrible woman This wife is. And he ran. He ran as fast as he could. When the woman Saw this: “How can I let you go” She yelled. She put the small room In order, A white horse Pulled out, And trappings She pulled out. This horse Riding She chased After Kanshirō. At last Kanshirō, Escaping To the down stream Ran away. But before he could say “I am safe” A heavy Storm With strong wind and rain Came down. While he stopped there briefly The rain Ceased And storm too, And it Became clear. Then of this region The farmers Carrying implements Were out to cut grass.
	Tochū yūdachi Aimashita Niwakani dekita Ohotoke-iwa Kokoni amakage Itasō to Omō ori kara Hotoke-iwa Iyō na oto de Taoremasu Kyōten itasu Nōmin wa Nigeba ushinai Sono iwa no Shitani narite zo Kega o suru Mura no yakunin Kikitsukete Tazei nimbu o Hikitsurete Kyūjo kyūjo to Dekakemasu Mikka miasa no Nezushigoto Iwa wa katazuke Ato mireba Sanjū gonin no Shisha gozaru Naomo Kanshirō Nozomi kana Nozomi nareba Mata yaroka yoi	In the meantime the storm They also met, When suddenly there appeared The Buddha-rock. Here the farmers Tried to find shelter, But alas! The Buddha rock Made a queer sound And fell. The astounded Farmers Lost their way, Were rolled Under the rock And were hurt. The village official Heard this And many workers Brought to help. And to help They all came For three mornings Without rest. When the rock was cleared, Behold! Thirty-five dead There were Even with this Kanshirō Wants (a wife) If he wants We’ll do it again yoi.

The Difficult Bride

85

Yombe gozatta Hanayomego Asu wa itoma to Yūtokini Bombo[22] ga kusai ka Ke ga naika Mochiage yō ga Taranaika Mochiage yō ga Taran nara Futon no ichimai mo Shiitemiro Sorede mada Taran nara Hachi gatsu jibunna Kuri no iga demo Hirote kite Sore o oshiri ni Shiitemiro Sore demo mada Taran nara Osan kakete Bui agero Sonoyoni mochiage ga Taran nara Kondo wa kusaito Nao koete Sonoyoni bomba ga Kusainaru Sonoyoni kusai Bombo nara Sore ni hōho o Yūte kikasho Shiodara yaite Aku shimete Sentaku dari de Tatetemiro Sore demo mada Taran nara Koshō to sanshō Kona ni shite Sore o imbu ni Tsumetemiro Taite no kusasa wa Torete shimau.

The one gotten last night The bride, The next day, When possessing her Does the c––t stink? Or hasn’t it any hair? Can she not Raise herself high enough? If she cannot Rise high enough, A quilt underneath Try to place. Even if with that It is not enough, During the month of August Some chestnut-burrs Pick up And these under her buttocks Try to place. If even that Is not enough, With a frame Hoist her up. If all of that Is not enough, This time if it smells To the limit. If to that extent The c––t stinks, If it stinks that much. The c––t, I will tell you a way To avoid it. Cook some salted cod-fish, Leach it, And put it In a washing tub. Even if this Is not enough, Grind some spice and pepper Into powder And this into the private part, Try putting. Nearly all the odor Will disappear.

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1. Cf. the opening line of Song 67—cf. also this text of Bonneau, given in Folklore japonais, Vol. 3, No. 43:

   Kyō wa hi mo yoshi Ishi-zuki nasare Gin no ishi-bō ni Nishiki no te-nawa Te-nawa toru no ga Shichi-Fukujin

   Today is a good day. Pound the stone A silver powder. Ropes of brocade— And those who pull Are the seven gods of Good Fortune

2. The refrains are sung by the pullers as choruses, that after the first line alternating with that after the second line after every line in the song. The same alternating choruses are used in most of the other foundation pounding songs as well.
3. Daikoku and Ebisu are two popular deities of good fortune. Small wooden images of the pair are to be found in the houses of most farmers.
4. For refrains see song 79, note 2.
5. One tan is about a quarter of an acre.
6. A sharp spice used in pickling.
7. Very famous is understood.
8. “To sing” is understood. For the sort of abrupt ending used here cf. Song 62.
9. A woman poet of old Japan considered one of the most beautiful of all women.
10. Probably Sayo-Hime, legendary beauty of old Japan.
11. Na mu a mi da butsu or Namu Amida Butsu (Glory be to Buddha), which are the six characters pasted on the coffin at a funeral.
12. Jusuke’s family speaking.
13. It is a wedding custom to give feast food and a drink to neighbors the day following the banquet for relatives.
14. Literally: “commit love suicide.”
15. The ideal in rural Kuma is a cooperative man. All social groups provide for rotated responsibility of leadership so that no one man continuously stands out. Envy is not only feared, it is believed to have supernatural power, so that a man or woman may die of it. (Cf. Murasaki’s Tale of Genji, chapter 7 of Waley’s translation.)
16. A local term for sparrow.
17. For: manjū.
18. The idea is that during the day a bucketmaker puts hoops on buckets, while at night he tightens the waist of (hugs) Shō-sama.
19. The general meaning of these introductory remarks is that there was once a man named Kanshirō and the things told of him may be true or may not be true; at any rate let us relate them.
20. Place name.
21. Higo is the old name for the present Kumamoto prefecture; cf. Song 87.
22. This is a variant form of ‘bobo,’ used in Song 8.