Example gin with vocal annotation to the right of each character

Shigin (詩吟) is a form of Japanese poetry, which is usually chanted, either individually or within a group. Image File history File links Shigin-small. ... Image File history File links Shigin-small. ... Grave of the Japanese poet Yosa Buson The best-known forms of Japanese poetry (outside Japan) are haiku and senryu. ...

Individual poems are termed gin (吟), and are usually composed of four or more lines of Chinese characters, or kanji (漢字), each line having the same number of characters. Gin with four phrases each seven characters long (the most common) are classified as shichigon-zekku (七言絶句), literally seven-word quatrains. Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 Category Kanji ( â–¶(?), literally Han characters) is the name of Chinese characters in the Japanese language. ... Shichigon-zekku (七言絶句) is the Japanese term for a poetry verse form (often of Chinese origin) consisting of four phrases each seven Chinese characters (kanji - 漢字) in length. ... A quatrain is a poem or a stanza within a poem that consists of four lines. ...

There is strictly only one standard melody, although many poems will be distinguished by minor variations from this theme. Look up melody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The example below illustrates a typical gin:

(NB: Subject terms have been added to give a sense to the poem, but no such terms exist in the original Japanese.)

Performance

Members of a Shigin group will usually gather to train in a washitsu, or Japanese-style room with tatami matting. Practicers kneel in the seiza position, thought to be the optimum posture to allow strong and steady projection during chanting. This washitsu has tatami and shoji. ... Tatami mats (畳) (originally meant folded and piled) are a traditional Japanese flooring. ... A woman in seiza, on tatami, performing the Japanese tea ceremony Seiza (正座, literally correct sitting) is a Japanese word which describes the traditional formal way of sitting in that country. ...

Pariticipants are encouraged to focus their energy in their gut (thought in Zen to be the locus of power) and sing by slowly expelling this energy. Conversely, singing from the chest, as would be encouraged in classical Western operatic style, is deemed unauthentic. Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

During practice, members may refer to the written gin to aid memory. This is usually annotated, with marks to the right of each character denoting how the tone should vary through the length of its vocalisation.

Breathing intervals are indicated by right-angular strokes to the left of the character (a typical gin will last approximately one and a half minutes, in four breaths). Finally, because Japanese and Chinese word orders differ, further (sino) numerical marks to the left of some characters indicate their correct sequence. This article is about angles in geometry. ...

A rising then falling tone

Falling tone, usually ending a phrase

Steady tone, breath and numeric

Image File history File links Shigin-rise-fall. ... Image File history File links Shigin-rise-fall. ... Image File history File links Shigin-fallingtone. ... Image File history File links Shigin-fallingtone. ... Image File history File links Shigin-flat-breath. ... Image File history File links Shigin-flat-breath. ...

Gin are formally performed standing, and from memory. Because of this, recital of longer gin is sometimes seen as more accomplished (being harder to remember, and more likely to vary from the standard melodic form). The vocal may be accompanied by traditional Japanese instruments such as the Koto or Shakuhachi. Dress may be Western (suit) or traditional (kimono or yukata). Memory is the ability to retain information, a faculty of the brain. ... For many outsiders, Japanese music is associated entirely with cheap, disposable bubblegum pop, of which there is plenty. ... Masayo Ishigure plays the koto The koto (Japanese: 箏) is a traditional stringed musical instrument from Japan resembling a zither. ... A shakuhachi, showing its utaguchi (blowing edge) and inlay The shakuhachi (尺八 in Japanese, pronounced /shakoo-hatchee/) is a Japanese end-blown flute which is held vertically like a recorder instead of being held transversely like the familiar Western transverse flute. ... Suits from the 1937 Chicago Woolen Mills catalog A suit, also known as a business suit or lounge suit, comprises a collection of matching clothing consisting of: a coat (commonly known as a jacket) a waistcoat (optional) (USA vest) for men, a pair of trousers (USA pants), or for women... Kimono on a Japanese Postage Stamp Kimono (Japanese: 着物 literally something one wears) are the traditional garments of Japan. ... Girl in yukata as seen in Kyoto, Japan CGI image of a woman wearing a yukata Yukata (Japanese: 浴衣) is a type of clothing worn by the Japanese, especially women, at firework festivals and other summer events. ...

History

Shigin are thought to have originated in China early in the first millenium AD, and may have entered Japan amongst other texts brought back from China in the 5th century. They were most likely sung originally in Chinese, but were later given Japanese readings, which are used in their contemporary recital. New gin were written, often detailing particular Japanese concepts or events, but the standard written layout has remained.

Shigin are thus significantly older than other, more popular Japanese poetry forms, such as Haiku. Their practice is now a minority art, mostly confined to the elderly and little known amongst younger generations. Nevertheless, several Shigin festivals are held throughout the year, including the Autumn Shigin Festival (秋吟会) in Shiogama, in the North-East (Tohoku) region of Japan. Gin are also sung at Buddhist ceremonies and quasi-religious gatherings in Japan. Haiku is one of the most important modes of Japanese poetry, a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku (発句), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga . ... The definition of a minority group can vary, depending on specific context, but generally refers to either a sub-group that does not form either a majority or a plurality of the total population, or a group that, while not necessarily a numerical minority, is disadvantaged or otherwise has less... Shiogama (塩竈市; -shi) is a city located in Miyagi, Japan. ... This article is about a region of Japan. ...

Moreover, although largely in anonymity, Shigin continue to have a significant influence on Japanese culture. Individual poems are often studied in Japanese textbooks, and are regularly displayed at exhibitions of Japanese calligraphy. Japanese culture and language Japans isolation until the arrival of the Black Ships and the Meiji era produced a culture distinctively different from any other, and echoes of this uniqueness persist today. ... East Asian calligraphy typically uses ink brushes to write Chinese characters (called Hanzi in Chinese, Kanji in Japanese, and Hanja in Korean). ...

External links

• www.shigin.com (in Japanese)
• [1] Yomiuri Shinbun article
• 2005 Hisho Shigin festival: audio (Japanese) - click on entries to hear recital (RealAudio required)
• Chinese recital (in Chinese) - comparison: Chinese performance of Night mooring at the maple bridge (NB. not in Shigin form)