Onmyoji

The evening when Hiromasa heard the sound of the biwa, he was working a night shift at Seiryu-den Hall. It's another story that's told of in the Konjaku Monogatari. This man, Hiromasa, a man quite skilled in the Kangen musical style [1], had given a heavy sigh once he calmed down enough to consider the loss of the Genjou biwa.

Listening from Seiryu-den Hall, he heard the sound of someone playing the biwa, coming from the south. As the sound hit his ears his mind cleared, and he knew for certain it was Genjou, as he had heard it played before. 

Perhaps Mibu no Tadami's vengeful spirit still held a grudge over Emperor Murakami's poetry contest, had stolen the biwa, and even now was playing it around the Suzaku Gate in the south, Hiromasa thought. Maybe he was mishearing it, but it was clear someone talented was playing a biwa in the south.

Hiromasa was a man who'd mastered the art of Kangen music; he couldn't possibly have misheard it. 

Without telling anyone, Hiromasa left his post, taking a single servant with him down the road, dressed only in his naoshi [2] and footwear. They left the palace guard's office [3] and headed south. They arrived at the Suzaku Gate, yet still the sound of the biwa was coming from further south. 

So, Hiromasa walked further south, down Suzaku Avenue, thinking that if the biwa wasn't being played at the gate, then it might be at the watch towers [4]. It seemed the thief - not a ghost after all - had climbed the tower and was playing the biwa atop it.

Still no matter how far Hiromasa walked, the biwa's music still seemed to be playing further south, just as it did at Suzaku Gate. It was very mysterious, and the song did not seem like something an ordinary person would play. The servant who had come with Hiromasa was terribly pale. 

Eventually, as they continued south, they came to the Rasho Gate, at the southern end of Suzaku Avenue. It was the largest gate in Japan, at nine feet by seven feet [5], casting a heavy shadow and a feeling of darkness as it rose into the heavens.

That day, a fine misty rain enshrouded the gate, and from above, the sound of the biwa echoed down. Standing below, they saw the gate's shadow in the light of the lamp the servant held, but the second story melted into the darkness. The notes of the biwa lingered in the shadows. [6]

"We should go back," The servant said. 

"I cannot come this far and return now." Hiromasa was always a straightforward man. 

What a splendid sound coming from the biwa! He'd never heard the piece before, but the powerful tone struck his heart. A sorrowful yet lovely song - heartbreaking.

"Well then, there really are hidden, secret songs in the world," Hiromasa thought. [7]

 August of last year, Hiromasa had heard songs from the secret traditions of biwa music, the Ryusen and Takuboku, played by the blind old priest Semimaru.  [8] For three years he'd sought the man, and finally he'd been able to listen to his music. 

Around that time, near the Osaka Barrier, the old man had been building a hermitage. He'd once been Lord Miya Shikibu of the Imperial Court. Now he was simply Semimaru. [9] It was rumored he was a master of the biwa, and knew the secret songs of Ryusen and Takuboku, which no one could play.

Hiromasa, skilled in the flute and biwa himself, had been eager to hear the man play when he'd heard the rumors. He sent people to Osaka [10] to find Semimaru, saying, "Do not live in uncertainty. If you come to the capital I can help you find a more suitable home."

"What caused you to live in such an unexpected place? Why don't you come live inside the city?" Hiromasa had asked him, but instead of answering, Semimaru continued playing the biwa, reciting a song about the greatness of the world.

"You can live however you like in this world. Whether it's a beautiful palace, or a modest storefront, they'll all be lost someday." [11]  At least, that's what the meaning of the biwa's song seemed to be. The longer he listened, the more impressed Hiromasa was.

"You are truly a man of taste!" He was enthusiastic about listening to Semimaru's biwa.

The old monk wouldn't live forever, and not even he knew when he would pass away. But when he did, the secret songs he alone knew would be lost to the world forever.

Somehow... Hiromasa wanted to hear that music. Whatever kind of song it was. He wanted to hear it, he was determined to hear it. However, when Hiromasa went to see him and asked him to play, Semimaru was uncomfortable, so even if he played the song, how heartfelt could it be? Hiromasa wanted to hear the music played naturally, if possible.

This honest man [12] resolved to visit the old monk every night from then on. Every night, he lurked nearby Semimaru's hermitage, hoping to hear him play the song, night after night. Three years passed like this. By no means would he have gone out to the hermitage while he was on duty, but still his passion for music was ardent.

He hoped the man would play on a night beneath the beautiful moon, when the crickets were singing and the mood was right for a Ryusen song, the kind of nights that make the heart pound.  "Now play, now play!" Hiromasa waited.

And so, on the 15th of August, three years later, on a night when the moon grew hazy from the softly blowing wind. Finally, there was a song lingering in the air, though only a part of it. Hiromasa listened for a long time.

Through the dim shadows, the old man reached a state of bliss, singing as he played the biwa. 

    To spend the night in the fierce storm of the Osaka Barrier [13]

Hearing this song, "Hiromasa shed countless tears, thinking of the endless nature of grief", according to the Kongaku Monogatari. 

The old monk, after a time, murmured to himself. "Oh, what a lovely night," he said. "Is there anyone else in this world who knows this feeling? Won't someone who knows how to play the biwa come by tonight? I'd love to spend the whole night discussing it..."

Hearing this, Hiromasa found himself unknowingly taking a step forward.

"If you seek such a person, he is here," Excited, pulse pounding and face red, yet modest, this honest man appeared.

"Who are you -?"

"You may have forgotten how, one day, a man known as Minamoto no Hiromasa invited you to the capital."

"Oh, that time -!" Semimaru had remembered Hiromasa.

"That song just now, it was Ryusen." Hiromasa said.

"You have a solid understanding." 

Hearing the surprise and joy blended in Semimaru's voice, Hiromasa felt he could ascend to Heaven. [14] Then, according to Hiromasa's wish, Semimaru played the secret music of Takuboku for him as long as he desired.

Listening to the biwa's song resonating from the top of the Rasho Gate, Hiromasa remembered that night. What he was listening to now was a masterpiece, which surpassed the secret music of Ryusen and Takuboku. The melody was somber, the song pitiful in the extreme. Hiromasa felt strangely, deeply moved. Hiromasa devoted himself to listening to the song resonating from the darkness high overhead, for a very long time. After a while, he called out.

"Who is playing the biwa on the Rasho Gate? The tone is the same as the Genjou that vanished from the palace the night before last... I heard the sound from Seiryo-den Hall, and I came because I was fascinated by the music, but this biwa is a cherished belonging of the Emperor."

The moment he spoke, the biwa went immediately silent, and all signs of the player disappeared...

The lamp the servant was holding all of a sudden went out.

chapter three notes

[1] Kangen Music - Japanese court music had quite a few categories, based on its use, its country of origin, and the instruments used. Kangen is a subset of Gagaku, or 'elegant music'. It's a court music style created from blending continental music with native Japanese styles, and was developed by the Kyoto court during the Heian period. Kangen, or 'flutes and strings', is essentially the instrumental aspect, with no song or dance to accompany it. So, Hiromasa is a master of flutes and strings, a highly talented instrumentalist. 

 [2] Naoshi - means 'straight clothes', or plain clothes, essentially the more relaxed noble wear. 

 [3] Palace Guard's Office - the '衛門', or Emon, which is the term referring to the palace guards or 'guards of the gate'. It's likely saying Hiromasa was at the gatehouse where the guards watch the entrance into the Imperial Palace.

 [4] Watch Tower - the term is 物見楼, or momori yagura, which refers to the turrets on the outer walls of Japanese castles which served as lookout towers. 

[5] The measurement used is 'shaku', which is about 30 centimeters, which is about 11 inches, so I rounded up to make it sound nice and even. 

[6]  嫋 嫋 - 'niǎoniǎo', a phrase that seems to be a literary device referring to a voice 'lingering in the air'.

[7] Hikyoku - the tradition of 'secret songs', something I only know a bit about and have had trouble finding more in depth research about. The gist is, there are traditions of music in Japan in which the pieces of music are kept secret, known only to a select few members of the musical school or group associated with them.

[8] Semimaru - another historical person, and another reference to [possibly] real events recorded in the Konjaku Monogatari. Apparently Hiromasa visited the man for three years before he was finally allowed to hear the secret music of the biwa.

[9] This bit was kind of tough, and I'm not certain I've figured out the proper terms. It seems to be saying what his old name and title were, but the words were hard to parse. We don't know the man's real historical name before he'd become a monk, so this might be some history that Yumemakura has created for the man. The original: Moto wa, shikibukyōnomiya no zōshikidatta monodearu. Sono oibōshi ga marudearu. [his origin, shikibu lord miya of zoshiki [possibly an imperial title]] That [old] monk is Maru [Semimaru].

[10] Osaka - this is not referring to the city, but to an area of Heian-kyo which is called Osaka no Seki, or Osaka for short. It's the 'barrier' between the city and the outskirts, often called the Osaka Barrier or Osaka Gate in English. It was a place of heavy traffic and a lot of travelers coming and going, and was often used as a poetic device in waka poetry, and is associated with the ideas of meeting and parting, often called 'meeting hill' in poetic contexts.

[11] This seems to be a line referencing a poem that's attributed to Semimaru, but finding his works fully translated in English is difficult.

[12] 実直な男 "jitchokuna otoko", or "honest man", a word/phrase that's been used to describe Hiromasa a few times so I thought I'd dive further into the context of it. The word is typically translated as 'honest' but it's more complex than that. It's a word that implies having 'no shadow' - no duplicity, complete sincerity. A person who does the right thing even when they aren't being watched. A few other synonyms in English might be 'straight forward', 'lawful', 'sincere'.

[13] Another likely reference to Semimaru's poetry. The one poem attributed to him that's been translated in English references the Osaka Barrier, though not in the way this one does; it is apparently a poem attributed to him, but I've only found it in Japanese sources, nothing in English.

[14] Ascend to Heaven - a reference to a Daoist religious belief in the concept of ascension, in which a fully enlightened or fully realized human being becomes a god/deity, and ascends to the Heavens. Hiromasa is saying these words make him so happy it's as if he's ascended to heaven.