新潟県民謡の相川音頭の演奏と歌詞、簡単な説明です。A performance of the Aikawa ondo, an Niigata min'yō, with lyrics.
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Meaning of the lyrics:
The waves and wind roared violently, as if laughing loudly.
During the storm, Minamoto no Yoshitsune somehow dropped the bow he was holding into the sea.
The current was strong due to the ebbing tide. Tossed by the waves, the bow drifted far away.
Determined not to let the bow fall into enemy hands, he rode his horse into the sea.
He got close to the enemy ship and tried to retrieve the drifting bow.
The enemy saw this and rowed their boat closer, attacked, trying to snag him with a rake.
It seemed extremely dangerous, but he immediately cut away the rake, and finally grasping the bow. Then he returned to the shore from where he had come.
[In "The Tale of the Heike," Yoshitsune explains that the reason he risked his life to retrieve the bow, despite it being merely dropped, was because if the enemy found out that the general was using such a poor bow, he would be mocked for eternity.]
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Description:
Sado Island, known for its gold production, was directly governed by the shogunate. This song and dance were performed in front of the magistrate who was sent to Sado Island. From the early 18th century, the lyrics began to include tales of the Gempei War. It consists of four lines in a 7-7 phoenic unit, and seems to have evolved from the kudoki ondo of the Kyōto-Ōsaka region. This recording was made when the vocalist was 80 years old.
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Vocalist: Suzuki Toshitsugu
Audio/image editor: Suzuki Shingo