Kuma Rokuchōshi
Kuma Rokuchōshi is the most famous local song of Kuma county and no party is complete without it. Judging by the universal knowledge of the song throughout the district, it is probably rather old. Tanabe in his Folksongs of Kuma estimates it to be not more than three hundred years old. It is so famous indeed, that there is even a recording of it in a Japanese commercial series of folksongs.[1] This recorded version is somewhat different from that of Suye, and it is sung in the high shrill voice of a geisha, worlds removed from the hearty voice of the farmer’s wife. In addition to the more or less standard verses there are many others sung to the same tune, some of which are given in the next section. The rokuchōshi type of song with a similar tune is also found in the neighboring prefecture of Kagoshima, according to Kodera. The term rokuchōshi itself is rather widespread being found in other prefectures of Kyūshū.
The term rokuchōshi means six-tone song. This may refer to the way in which the samisen strings are adjusted for the melody, but no one in Suye is very certain of the derivation of the word nor is the folklorist Kodera. The Suye manufacturer of shōchū, a rice liquor, has named his product Rokuchōshi Shōchū, thus reflecting the popularity of the song and at the same time enhancing the sale and prestige of his product. The song as sung in the villages of Kuma serves as a strong sentiment-arousing symbol of provincial unity.
The form of Kuma Rokuchōshi is the regular dodoitsu twenty-six syllables in 7-7-7-5 order except for the first stanza which has an irregularity in that the second line has nine syllables instead of seven.
The three stanzas given as Songs 1, 2, and 3 together with Song 4 form the standard verses and hayashi of Kuma Rokuchōshi as sung in Suye. The text of Song 1 is also given in the Kuma County Reader and in Kodera’s collection. Tanabe in his Folksongs of Kuma gives all the first three songs as well as four others not heard in Suye. For the text of these four see Appendix I, Songs 117–20. The commercial recording gives stanzas 1 and 3 as given here, but has a different text for stanza 2 as noted in Song 2, note 9. A version of the hayashi (Song 4) is given in the Kuma County Reader and on the commercial recording.
Kuma Rokuchōshi
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