MY MOTHERÕS DESCRIPTION OF THE DIARY PHOTOS, PAGE 1
Shigeru holds a samisen with the help of Koshikoma Takemoto. She was a teacher of joruri, a tradition of chanted storytelling to musical accompaniment that evolved into bunraku puppet theater. This was not her real name, but her stage name, and she was a narrator of bunraku and shamisen player. She taught joruri (also referred to as gidayu ) to both my father-in-law and mother-in-law. The woman in Japan Video #12 is Komoryu Takemoto, a student of Koshikoma TakemotoÕs, who succeeded her after her death and adopted her stage name Takemoto.
SHAMISEN
This is a three-stringed plucked lute-type instrument, which gained popularity during the Tokugawa Period (1600-1868) in the pleasure quarters of cities. It was originally from the Ryukyu Islands, but passed through the tea houses and is now a classical concert instrument. Most traditional geisha must learn to play this.
