Viols in Japan – Edo era to Today- for web proceedings
Faculty Forward at Conclave of VdGSA on Sunday, 22 July 2007
University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WAPan-Pacific Gamba Gathering on Thursday, 2 August 2007
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI

Yukimi Kambe, Yokohama, 20 Aug. 2007
In 2000, I gave a paper on “Viols in Japan in the Sixteenth and Early
Seventeenth Centuries”, in the Journal of VdGSA. There I reported the descriptive
evidence which proved viols had been brought by Portuguese missionaries in 1561
and used in consort form mainly for sacred purposes for about fifty years in Japan.
This history shows surprisingly similarity with that of Europe. Today I present thesequel, up to the present, about 400 years later.
During the Baroque era in Europe, Japan was isolated from European culture
by the strong government in Japan. In 1587, when the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi
detected that Portugal and Spain had approached Japan with territorial ambitions,
he immediately restricted diplomatic relations. He not only prohibited Christian
missionary activities, but also prohibited Japanese from traveling and returning fromabroad during the Edo era for 265 years. People who violated the law wereexecuted. European music and related musical instruments were totally destroyed.
Therefore, Baroque, Classic and early Romantic music could not be heard in Japan.
However, Japan wanted to trade with other countries, and opened a gate to theDutch and Chinese. For the Dutch it was a little peninsula called Dejima of which
we have a picture with a viol. Because of the disconnection from European culture,
Japanese original music and musical instruments had evolved differently.
Traditionally, we had plucked string instruments, coming from central Asia
via the Silk Road since the 8th century, but there was no bowed string instrument inJapan. Interestingly, the description about the Japanese only bowed string
instrument “Kokyu” appears at just the same time with description of viol making at
Nagasaki. So there is a hypothesis about the origin of “Kokyu” coming from theviol. But there is scholar who thinks this is wrong; this is not yet clear.
Edo era (1600-1868)
Edo is today’s Tokyo. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) lived in Edo
castle and made Edo the most important city in 1603. Generally, the Edo era was apeaceful era as the Pax Romana had been. Concerning records on viols are thefollowing matters:
1) Namban Byobu: “Southern barbarian” folding screen, - Italian/Portuguese/Japan
connection 1) Yojin-sogaku Zu Byobu: Unknown, fl. 1600. MOA Art Museum, Atami.
Painting, color on paper; 112.4x302.4cm each.

1a) Detail of above: Lute? is next to a long-neck bowed string instrument.
1b) Detail of another Yojin-sogaku Zu Byobu: Unknown, fl. 1600, Eisei Bunko
Collection, Tokyo. Painting, color on paper.
1c) Detail of 1b): long-neck bowed string instrument.
A certain Italian, P. Giovanni Cola came from Rome to Nagasaki to teach at anart school of a Christian seminary and college in 1582. Under his instruction,
Japanese Christian students made many namban byobu for to sell as gifts to feudalloads. These paintings imitate European styles from around 1600, depicting
European musical instruments. The subjects were usually pastoral and everyday life
in panoramic views. It is said that he taught also instrument making. The thirdbishop of Japan, Luis Cerqueira, a Spaniard, wrote in 1603: Japanese Christianstudents also made biguelas de arco besides organ and cravo, with which theycelebrated the divine offices. These activities are reported from Nagasaki but thehistorical investigation of instrument and picture are 100 years gap. This instrument
is long-neck style, no separate fingerboard as we find in the Iberian Peninsula before
1500.
2) Description of Dictionary –Portuguese/Japan connectionVocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam, Nagasaqui 1603-4, uses again the words viola,rabeca and viola de arco to explain Japanese musical instruments. This dictionary
was intended for Portuguese to learn Japanese, edited by Jesuit missionaries underlicense of Padre General of Rome and approval of the bishop at Nagasaki. The
explanations are, “Instrumento musico como rabeca” for Vagon, “Certo (certain inEnglish) instrumento musico como viola de arco” for Azzumagoto. Vagon andAzzumagoto are 6-string plucked instruments which could be used by only imperialfamily members, in other words, God’s instrument in Japan from the 8th century. It
may not only be me who is reminded of the description by Johannes Tinctoris (14451511), De inventione et usu musicae, c.1470.
3) Nagasaki Rankan Zu –Indonesian/Dutch/Japan connection 2) Map of Kyushu Island-Nagasaki
2a) Dejima: little artificial peninsula of 13,117 square meter, used from 1636-1860,
Kawahara Keiga, Leyden National Ethnological Museum, colour on silk,
27.8x41.4cm.
2b) Nagasaki Rankan Zu: The Dutch Factory at Dejima, detail, Unknown, fl.1700,
Kobe City Museum. Handscroll, color on paper; 36.0x400.3cm.
2c) Detail of 2b). Six string bass viol with f-hole. Players’ costume and dark
complexion suggests Indonesian.
This is picture of the Dutch trading house with bass viol, harp and violin
played by Indonesian servants who came with the Dutch to Dejima in about 1700.
Indonesia was a Dutch colony, and the Governor of the East India Company had a
trading house at Jakarta (Batavia) since 1619. Indonesia had the Islamic rabab, andits players might have easily played viols.

A German doctor Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716, stayed in Japan 1690-92),
came via Indonesia to Dejima. He wrote a two-volume History and Description ofJapan. It is an important document for knowing the reality of Japan. He describes
inconveniences of daily life, and the uneasy trip by the Captain of the trading houseto Edo. In Dejima sacred music was prohibited even though secular music wasallowed.
4) Information of Drift people –information from Russia
Despite the strict rule are that prohibited Japanese from voyaging abroad,fishermen sometimes encountered storms and drifted helplessly far away. Two
fortuitous instances brought Japan the latest information from Russia. After comingback to Japan these persons were put in prison and interrogated. Daikokuya
Mitsudayu received an audience with Ekaterina II (reigned 1762-96). He came backin 1792 and reported a bowed string instrument Igyrishyka, Katsuragawa Hosyu,
Hokusa Bunnryaku, 1794. The illustration indicates 6 strings. Tsudayu came back in
1804 and reported another bowed string instrument Kerepuko, Ootsuka Gentaku,
Kankai Ibun, 1807. The illustration indicates frets but the bow shape is that of theKokyu. This is not a record of what happened in Japan, but it is a PPGG matter, I
believe. These are the traces of viols in the Edo era.
After the Edo era
In 1868, Japan opened its ports and began diplomatic and trade relations withmany other countries. It rushed to import all European culture to cover the longblank period. But viols were not used as Europeans did during the Meiji era (18681912) and Taisho era (1912-1926) for 56 years.
Around 1930, we have three matters reflecting the European boom. Kenji
Miyazawa mentioned the tenor viol in his Second Collection of poems “Haru toSyura”: ”Therefore, you should stop choosing the plan to take piano, but you shouldplay the middle size of viola da gamba” in Soraakari to shoui 1924.2.20. Keiichi
Kurosawa (stayed England 1924-29 had an active musical life singing English
madrigals and playing violoncello besides studying mathematics and psychology atTrinity college at Cambridge University. Kurosawa brought back a bass viol madeby Dolmetsch in 1929. Yoshitaka Sakamoto (1898-1968 saw a viol at the eleventh
Olympic games at Berlin in 1936. In his report, “Fifteen or sixteen young students of
the wind and string orchestra of the Ginter School played a work of Orff. This Bandconsisted mainly of many kinds of recorders, viol, guitar…”
After the World War II (1939 – 45)
Viol introduction in Japan followed the recorder’s progress along theEuropean revival until today. The focus was the personal encounter and viol
consort.

In 1946, Mr. Leo Mario Traynor Jr. (1918-1986, stayed until 1983) came toJapan as part of GHQ (General headquarters of the Supreme Commander for theAllied Powers). He is well known for initiating the composition contest for viol
consort music. He played recorder, harpsichord, shakuhachi, sho and after 1963 alsothe viol. He was involved in various musical activities in Japan and was a foundingmember of the VdGSJ.
1950-60
Encounter of the first generation. Mr.Traynor met Toshinari Ohashi (55,number indicate the year), who was the teacher for the second generation. NorikoTakano began viol playing (55). She was a previous president of Kunitachi Collegeof Music, Tokyo, where I now teach. The Musashino College of Music bought a viol
from Mittenwald, which was played by a student, Shunichi Kikuchi (56). He taught
later. Musashino College of Music now has an Amati bass viol. Takano and Ohashi
had a fateful encounter with Karl Wendelstein, music teacher at Oomori German
primary, Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo (62-4), who brought viols fromGermany. This was the beginning of the recent history of viols in Japan. Nihon
Hoso Kyoukai, (National Radio) has broadcast a Baroque music hour in the earlymorning every day since 62 and still continues now. Junior and Senior high schools
and colleges of music near Tokyo began early music classes and introduced earlymusic to academic societies. Ohashi came back from Basel and Yale University (67).
Ueno Gakuen Junior High School began a viol class (67). Two years later, they
opened an early music course for viols as main subject (69). Musashino College ofMusic began a class for performance practice (70). Kunitachi College of Music
opened a viol class (70). Summer camp and consort increased population ofamateurs. Instruments, music and strings are imported by traders. Japanese began
to make viols and bows.
1970-80
The Second generation went Belgium and Switzerland to study. A.
Wenzinger, HL. Mueller gave concerts in Japan (72). VdGSJ was founded with 37
members in the cause of the spread of viol in 1973. They planned seasonal
newsletters, extension course, summer course, Journal Consort playing gathering.
The second generation came back from Europe. Viol activities such as amateur
consorts, ensemble club at non musical Universities spread nationally wide fromNorth to South. Domestic professional players graduated. Oberlin BaroqueEnsemble visited Japan (75).
The second generation of professionals was active giving recitals, concerts,broadcasting, Articles in newspaper, but the VdGSJ was dormant, lacking new ideas
or innovation but reactivated afterwards. Traders of instruments, music and strings
increased. Toho Gakuen College of Music opened a viol course as main subject(83?). Contemporary musical trends expanded by the first Traynor competition heldby VdGSJ, first in 84 and the second in 86. VdGSA continues. World famous players

came from abroad such as W. Kuijken (87, 89 and frequently since). Early musicmagazine started (87). Historical literature, Jean Rousseau, Traite de la viol, Paris 1687(88) was published in Japanese.
1990-Today
Foreign players visited Japan. According to the record of VdGSJ, Alison
Crum gave extension course at VdGSJ (91). Fretwork came (91). Jordi Savall gave
master course at VdGSJ (92). David Hatcher gave lecture on dance music at VdGSJ(92). Paolo Pandolfo gave master class at VdGSJ (01) Phantasm (03). Foreigncomposers compose specifically for Japanese viol players. Early examples include
the American David Loeb (72), the French Marc Tallet (84) and the Swiss Rudolf
Kelterborn (92). Japanese composers began writing for viols. The most prominent
include Tsutomu Mizuno (84), Ryouhei Hirose (90), Kikuko Massumoto (94).
Music festivals and summer courses took place. Historical literature translated intoJapanese. Ch.Simpson, Division Viol (96, 02), M.Marais, Avertissements (97-9), S.
Ganassi, Regola Rubertina and D.Ortiz, Trattado (07). Now, we count about 250
members in VdGSJ including professionals, 30 active Japanese professional
performers, who studied in Japan, England, Switzerland, France, Belgium and theNetherlands, including 8 living abroad. About half of them have given recitals.
JPPGG attempted to introduce these members by showing Sheets at this exhibition.
Concerning to recordings, we have uncountable numbers which include viols.
Albums of viol solo and ensemble are about 10.
Summary
We saw how the history on viols in Japan paralleled the contemporary
histories of Japan and the world. In the early seventeenth century, viols disappeared
after about 50 years usage, and now it has continued for about 50 years since afterWorld War II. What kind of new experiences will Japanese have with viols, this isthe question.
Geographically, Japan is an island country sited far to the east from Europe.
Traditionally, Western culture did not have an entry to Japan. Even after we began
to accept it, we mixed it up to our taste and inevitably created original hybrid
cultures. Two examples: our writing uses Chinese characters Kanji and Japanesescript Hiragana together, or Japanese Buddhism which has changed very muchcompared to the Indian original form or the Chinese version which first reachedJapan.
Thinking about viols in Japan today, we do not have churches made of stone,
nor patrons, instruments, religion, nor the custom to hear European languages, all ofwhich the viol environment had in the 16th to 18th centuries. I feel today thatJapanese hear European music with very different reactions than Europeans do. It is
not strange for me to create music styles which Japanese want to hear, as
contemporary people of the baroque era created a new style rather than adjustingthe style of the Renaissance to their taste. I see my task as contributing to creating
and realization of much appealing viol music which has originality conserving
characteristic of viol.
On the other hand, Japanese put importance on conserving culture once thestyle has been made. Again this is because we are an island country. We are
guarded from foreign enemies who might threaten us across oceans. So it is likelythat authentic early music playing styles, if they exist at all, may be conserved inJapan. And perhaps you can study them in Japan one hundred years from now!
It seems to me the answer of how to keep viols alive is to have two facets:
both early and contemporary repertoires. With the Pan-Pacific Gamba Gathering asa starting point, I am personally very interested in having discussions about viols in
the 16-17th centuries with researchers from other Pacific locations such as India,Macao, Manila, Jakarta and Mexico. And I also find significance in exchanging
information on how you enjoy viols in your way as you speak your own language,
like the apostles who began to speak different languages after the Descent of theHoly Spirit.
It is my great pleasure if you get any hints from this Gathering.
Thank you very much for listening.
PS: I present the paper without illustrations until I receive permission from the museums which own
the originals.