RIeko Hirosawa sits on a stone bench outside her house, tunes her instrument and takes a deep breath. She hits an incredibly high note, Mallet The three strings of the shamisen, a traditional musical instrument, are struck with a drumstick.
Together they cut through the silence of the muggy afternoon, and if the neighbors had been wondering if the normally quiet Hirosawa was home, now they knew.
It has only been 10 years since Hirosawa started studying. Blind Musician (Blind Woman’s Song) – an incredible musical genre that spans four centuries, yet most Japanese people have probably never heard of it.
That she now plays with veteran poise is remarkable for two reasons. Blind Musician There is no sheet music, and even if the chords and notes were written, Hirosawa would not be able to read them.
“Ever since I was a child, I thought I would lose my eyesight,” Hirosawa says from his home in the hills of Tomi, Nagano Prefecture, with the Northern Alps in the distance.
But the 65-year-old has developed an unbreakable spiritual bond with music, not in spite of her illness, but because of it. Blind Musician In the late 19th century, hundreds of blind or visually impaired women made a living as wandering musicians.
In the northwestern prefecture, where the tradition flourished during the Edo period (1603-1868), Hirosawa has become the centre of a movement to preserve the heritage of the tradition. Blind Musician.
“They sang despite living really tough lives,” she said, “it was hard enough just to survive. Music gave them a sense of purpose, and they passed that skill on to their students.”
Music, a genre that history books and artwork suggest originated in the 1500s, was not an easy career choice: in feudal Japan, poor rural girls who suffered from impaired eyesight due to measles and cataracts, both common diseases at the time, had only two ways to make a living: as masseuses or traveling musicians.
Those who chose the latter path due to poverty and discrimination became live-in apprentices in guilds run by experienced craftsmen. Blind MusicianPassing on songs by word of mouth, Shamisen Sit behind the young musician and guide his hand along the three strings of the instrument.
Although apprentices were encouraged to view their fellow apprentices as sisters and their masters as motherly figures, life within the group of four or five women was tightly regulated.
They were expected to give a portion of their earnings to the most senior woman as a sign of loyalty, and followed a strict hierarchy that ranged from honorifics for senior musicians to the way they styled their hair. The least experienced were the last to eat and bathe, and the longer their apprenticeship, the more highly regarded they became.
Women were not allowed to marry, men were banned from boarding houses, and anyone found to be having an adulterous relationship risked being expelled from the group or having a few years lost from their apprenticeship.
“It was not uncommon for parents to go directly to the school owner for advice. Blind Musician I asked her to take care of my daughter.” A museum dedicated to musicians Takada City, Niigata Prefecture, was once home to nearly 100 performers.
“They were worried about what would happen to them when they died, at a time when there were few opportunities for disabled people and no welfare.”
Life on the road was even tougher: three or four musicians, accompanied by a blind guide, walked from village to village, mostly in Nagano and Niigata prefectures, for 300 days a year, but some even traveled as far as Fukushima on the Pacific coast and into present-day Tokyo.
Laying their instruments and belongings on their backs, they trekked through mountains and deep snow, each with his hand on the shoulder of the woman in front of him, until anyone collapsed from exhaustion had to be carried to the next village.
The women were paid in rice, which they converted into cash. Blind Musician “These women who overcame many hardships to become musicians must have magical powers, so people will buy back the rice they donate to them,” says Ogawa, who is planning the bus tours. Blind MusicianWe visit relevant sites and chat pleasantly with visitors to the museum that we’ve been filling with artefacts for the past decade. Straw shoes From the straw sandals the women wore on the road to rare black and white photographs capturing their performances.
“They thought that if they fed the children rice, they would develop the same strong will,” adds Ogawa, co-founder of the Takada Goze Culture Preservation and Promotion Association. “It was the opposite of discrimination. At the time, people with disabilities were of course subject to severe discrimination, but Blind Musician We were treated differently.”
The women were required to memorize a huge number of songs to perform in private homes and at festivals, many of which Joruri These are stories about the struggles of ordinary people, sometimes with spiritual messages.
The final truth Blind Musician
With the spread of modern entertainment, the introduction of welfare services, better education for the disabled, and the introduction of a more enlightened attitude towards the visually impaired, Blind MusicianAfter World War II, their numbers dropped dramatically.
Haru Kobayashi, who lost her sight at three months old, is the last true Blind MusicianBorn in 1900, she spent her childhood confined to the back room of her family’s Niigata home and began her career at the age of eight.
She continued performing until 1978, when she was recognized as a Living National Treasure and awarded the Order of Honor.
Without Kobayashi’s longevity (she died in a nursing home in 2005 at the age of 105), Hirosawa might never have discovered the history, culture and music of the region. Blind Musician.
“When I met Kobayashi, she was 101 years old,” said Hirosawa, who wanted to interview the musician for a local radio show. Rieko’s Window (Rieko’s Window) “She had lost her eyesight, of course, and her hearing had also deteriorated.”
Hirosawa had been warned by care home staff during appointments that Kobayashi would not be able to sing.
“But she was determined to sing me a verse of a song. When I heard her sing, it was like thunder. I had never experienced anything like it. It sent chills down my spine and I cried on the train ride home.”
Inspired by this encounter, she continues to accumulate memories. Blind Musician With the help of his former teacher, Kobayashi, he honed his repertoire. “All I want is for people to enjoy music… At the end of the day, that’s what it comes down to.” Blind female musician “The original aim was,” she says.
Hirosawa, who performs at events across Japan, knew 20 years ago that he would lose his eyesight.
“I was worried about my future and how I was going to survive. Blind MusicianAbsolutely. I’ve been a radio personality for over 30 years and have a family, as do many other blind women these days.
“But society still places limitations on women, especially blind women. So when you hear me play, Blind MusicianI hope that through this work, people can gain a proper understanding of the hardships that ordinary women in Japan faced in the past.”
With her guide dog, Sophia, at her feet, Hirosawa prepares to sing again. “I love coming out here and singing while looking at the mountains,” she says. No doubt the mountains are listening.
