EAJRS ConferenceSep­18­2008
CCCM LIsboa

Japanese Voice Recording
Collections Recorded in Europein 1900­1901
Yasuyuki SHIMIZU
Japan Women’s Univ.
清水康行

Academic Use of Recording Machines• In 1890s, the improvement of sound recording
machines enabled scholars to take recordings oflanguages and performing arts for academic use.
• The earliest attempt was made by
an American anthropologist Jesse
Walter Fewkes (1850­1930).
• In 1890, using wax cylindermachine, he recorded a few songs
and narratives of Pasamaquoddy
Indians in Main State.
J.W.Fewkes

Establishment of Sound Archives in Europe• In the end of 19th century,
academic sound archives
were established in Europe.

Founder of the Vienna Archive
Sigmund Exner (1846­1926)
Prof. Univ. of Vienna• In 1899, the first sound archive inthe world, Phonogrammarchiv
in Vienna was founded.
• In 1900, Berliner Phonogramm­
Archiv was established.
• The former had the main focus
on recording the various speechmaterials.
• The latter aimed to record themusical performances in theworld.

Vienna 1901 recordings by Japanese• In April of 1901, Vienna Archive took therecordings, 3 discs as above, of a Japanese medical
doctor, named IMAMURA Shinkichi 今村新吉
（ 1874­1946 ） who was studying in Vienna then.
• No. 115 has a theme of Present ColloquialJapanese, a mock conversation, giving a little bit
unnatural impression.

Berlin 1901 recordings by Japanese

CDs: Wax Cylinders Recording
Japanese Music by the Berlin
Archive• In November of 1901,
Berlin Archive recorded
the performances of
KAWAKAMI Otojirô 川上
音二郎 Troupe, having
public shows in Berlin then.
• Koto performances withfemale singing wereprobably played by theirleading actress Sada­
Yakko 貞奴 (1871­1946)

Musée phonographique project bySociété d’Anthropologie de Paris, 1900
• During the Paris Exposition 1900, la Sociétéd’Anthropologie de Paris planned the project ofle Musée phonographique for recording thevoices of people visiting the exposition from manycountries in the world.
• Léon Azoulay was the advocator and prosecutor.
• He recorded readings of “Parable of the ProdigalSon” in Gospel of Luke, pronunciations of thecharacters, conversations, declamations of thetheatre, and musical performances, on 351 wax
cylinders, in some 60 languages in total.

Rec. equipment s rpm

Rec. Place Date

Recordist

Performer (Name, sex, age, birth place,parents, residence, travelling abroad, literacy,
foreign language ability, profession)

Wax Cylinder No.
Sheet No.
Content (Language­Dialect, Genre,）Document Sheet of Paris 1900 Recordings

Paris 1900 Wax Cylinders stored
by le Laboratoire d’ethnomusicologie

List of Paris 1900 recordings by Japanese
performer
No. duration

dialect

194

2'51

195

contentsex

ageTokyo Reading of "Prodigal Son"F

ab. 40Tokyo

Englisha litleGeishaAug 292'55

Tokyo ditto [syllabic reading]Fab. 40Tokyo

Englisha litleGeishaAug 29196

2'52

Tokyo ditto [, pronunciation of iroha]Mab. 30Tokyo

EnglishTraderJul 23197

1'16

Kyushu dittoMab. 35198

2'52

Shizuoka

199

2'44Tokyo

200

1'35

Tokyo Song: dance song

201

2'52

Ibaragi

202

2'54

Ibaragi Tokiwazu­bungo, nagauta, Gidayu

M

203

2'40

Shamisen: dance song

F17

GeishaAug 21204

2'36

Shamisen: dodoitsu

F17

GeishaAug 31205

2'48

Shinobue solo: song of New YearM

ab. 35

Cook

Aug 31206

2'52

Shakuhachi solo: 2 popular songsMab. 50TraderAug 22207

1’20

Tsudumi solo: popular song

F18

GeishaAug 31

ditto
Pronunsiation of iroha and numbers
Conversation with a woman ab. 40
Declamation of "Chobei" [kabuki]
Kokin­Waka­shu
Dodoitsu

MMFM

trabelabroadotherlanguage

recordingdate
profession

birthplaceFrench
Theof Trader? Jul 20
Kyushunumbers
France(very good)
Documental Sheets
wereab. 45 Shizuoka
Merchant Jul 20
ordered by the content.
ab. 35
TokyoAug 28
Reading> Conversation>
18
Tokyo
GeishaAug 28a little Fr.,Song>
55 Recitation>
Ibaragi
Merchant? Jul 20Eng.
a little Fr.,
55 Instrument
Ibaragi
Merchant? Jul 20
EngTokyoTokyo<Table 2’: List of Paris 1900 recordings> (ordered by the date)
performer
No.

timedialect

content197

1'16

Kyushu ditto

sexagebirthplaceM

ad. 35

Kyushutrabelabroadotherlanguage

FranceFrench(very good)recordingdate
profession

Trader?

Jul 20ditto
All2'52theShizuoka
performersof No. 196,M 197,206,Jul 20
ab. 45 198,
Shizuoka201, 202, andMerchantPronunsiation of iroha and numbers
thndrdKokin­Waka­shy
recordedon
July
20,22and23, aremen. a little Fr., Merchant? Jul 20
201
2'52
Ibaragi
M55
Ibaragi
198

Eng.

Dodoitsu

202

2'54

Ibaragi Tokiwazu­bungo, nagauta, Gidayu

M55

Ibaragia little Fr.,
Merchant?
EngJul 20

EnglishTraderJul 23

GeishaAug 21

2'52 performers
Shakuhachi solo:of
2 popularsongsrecordingsMab. 50TraderJul 22
TheJulyand those of August

206
196

2'52

Tokyo ditto [, pronunciation of iroka]Mab. 30Tokyo

2'40
dance songF
17belongtoShamisen:differentgroupseachother.
Conversation with a woman ab. 40

203
199

2'44

Tokyo

Declamation of "Chobei" [kabuki]Mab. 35

TokyoAug 28

1'35 performers
Tokyo Song: dance song
F18
GeishaAug 28
Theof No. 194, 195,199,Tokyo200, 203, 204, 205,
English194
2'51
Tokyo Reading of "Prodigal Son"
Fab.st40
Tokyo
GeishaAug 29ththlitle st, areand 207, recorded on August 21 , 28 , 29 anda 31
English195 mainly
2'55
Tokyo
ditto [syllabic withreading] only one
F man
ab. 40 (199Tokyo& 205: same man).
GeishaAug 29
women,a litle
204
2'36
Shamisen: dodoitsu
F17
GeishaAug 31All
thesefemale
performers
areGeisha(s).
205
2'48
Shinobue solo: song of New YearM
ab. 35
TokyoCookAug 31
200

207

1’20

Tsudumi solo: popular songF18Tokyo

GeishaAug 31

Identification of Hitomi, the performer of No. 197, July
• Only No. 197 shows
the performer's nameas Hitomi• about 35 years old man• born in Kyushu• having travels to France• speaking French verywell.

Azoulay wrote his gratitude to “M. Hitomi, délégué dugouvernment à Formosa,” Taiwan Sôtoku­fu, as acollaborator for the recording project.

HITOMI Ichitarô 人見一太郎 : The FirstPerformer• A journalist HITOMI Ichitarô
人見一太郎 (1865­1924)
wasfound as the person who met
the above information.
• born and grew up in Kumamoto.
• devoted himself to establishingand managing Min’yû­sha 民友社 .
• visited France in 1899.
• donated Le Japon, own writing inFrench, to the celebrities in theexposition.
• “délegué special du government
deFormoseal‘exposition
universelle de 1900”

Identification of the main speaker of chattering,
the performer of No.199, August• The first half of No. 199 is the most interesting
item as a research material for linguistics••••

a conversation between a man and a woman
woman plays the main rolea natural daily chattering
vivid Tokyo dialectal expressions• A set of words in the conversation becomesa clue to identify the performers.
• O­Tama­san, O­E­san• Panorama, hakurankai• Okumiya­san, Obayashi­sanA Secret Report about Sending Geishas to ParisExposition planned by OKUNOMIYA Kenshi
A secret report kept in theDiplomatic Record Officereveals that they are themembers of Shinbashi
Geisha Troupe appearing
on le Panorama stage at leTour du Monde, a pavilion
in the exposition, planned by
OKUNOMIYA Kenshi andothers.

List of Persons Issued Passports, 1899
Document about IWAMA Kuni
“supervisor” of the Geisha Troupe

By the documents of the Diplomatic Record Office and news paper articles,
all the members of the Geisha Troupe to Paris Expo 1900 can be identified.

Geisha Troupe on illustrated magazine

Geisha Toupe Le
performingat le Panorama “Nikko”
Tour du MondeValues and Characteristics
as the research materials for linguistics• The oldest voice recording materials inJapanese: Every item can be confirmed the date of recording by thedocumental sheet, July 20th­ August 31st, 1900. They are the oldest existing
Japanese sound recordings ever found.

• Discourse material by Tokyoite woman indaily conversation: The most interesting item is thechattering in No. 199. It is an extremely valuable resource because it isperformed by a middle aged Tokyoite woman in daily conversational
style.

• Readings of various speakers holding different
dialectal backgrounds: Recordings performed by persons
from Kyushu, Shizuoka, Ebaraki or Ibaraki, and Tokyo, the oldest voicematerials of each dialect. Several distinctive dialectal pronunciations canbe heard from them.