Dote-bushi no koto oyobi Hayari-uta.: [Dote-bushi (songs) and popular songs]

Therearenowveryfewpeople--evenintheYoshiwara -whoknowmuchabouttheselatterdaydaikoku-maidancers.

Nowadays,avisitortotheYoshiwarausuallyhurries thereinaJinrik,isha,drawnbyacoupleofagileandsprightly youngfellowswhorushalonglikethewind,brandishingtheir lanternsandgivingventtounearthlyyellsastheyrun.In formerdays,incontrasttothepresenttime,avisitorrode slowlytothequarteronthebackofawhitehorsecaparisonedinwhiteandred,theanimalbeingledbytwomago (grooms)whosangkomuro-bushiinturnastheywalked.The chargesfromNihon-bashitotheOmon(gate-way)were348 mon(34sen8rin)includingthefeeforsingingI

TherewereintheGenroku(1688-1704)andTeikyo (1684-1687)erasmanypopularsongssuchasthenage-bushi, tsug·i-bushi,1nagaki-bushi,kaga-bushiofUjiKagajo,tanzen, numeri-uta,rosai,etc.InthebeginningofKwambun (1661-1673)asongcalledthe"Dote-bushi"(embankment song)cameintovogue,itsnamebeingderivedfromthefact thatitwasgenerallysungwhilepeoplewalkedonthe embankment.Thewordswereaboutasfollows:-

HistoryoftheYoshiwa-raYu.kwa.ku215

The"DobOGoyen"(iiPlJ}H~i-111)saysthattheabovementioneddote-buskiwascomposedbyanoldmaunamedOdaka JosuisaiwholivedatthefootofMatsuchi-yama.Thisold gentlemanwasalsoaccreditedwithhavingwrittenmanyother populardote-bushisongswhichweresungbymenbelonging totheassociations(lcumi)ofotolco-date,suchastheRoppOgumi,Sekirei..gumi,Yoshiya-gumi,Kanabo-gumi,Daishojingi-gumi,Token-gumi,etc.Itissaidthatt.hreeofthese songsremainedpopularuptothe2ndyear.ofBunkwa(180.5), andthattwoofthemranasfollows:-

Thereareonlyafewpeoplewhoknowwhetherthenotes ofthesesongsstillremaininthemiscellaneoussongsoftoday.Theairofthe"YoshiwaraSuz·urne"seemstohave beenderivedfromthedote-bushi,owingtothecompositionof HaraBudayiiwhofromhisinfancyusedtorecitethesesongs andattainedgreatproficiencyinsingingthemashegrew

216HistoryoftheYoshiwaraYukwaku.