Hi Reg,
Apparently I was too quick in dismissing Minyo in Kochi. My wife
practiced minyo shamisen for several years and she tells me that there is
more to Kochi Minyo than the song Yosakoi Bushi. There are a number of
harvest songs, but, interestingly enough, not concerning rice, which wasn't
grown much in Kochi before WWII because of the mountainous terrain, but
rather, concerning the harvest of other grains called kibi, awa, hie, and
soba -- types of millet and buckwheat, and there are a number of minyo
songs originating in Kochi concerning the shibaten, Kochi's version of a
mythical creature also known as the kappa, which was supposed to live in
the rivers, and was occasionally blamed for childrens' deaths in cases of
drowning. There are also some famous kagura dances in small towns in the
more isolated mountain areas. Much of the flute accompaniment to the Kochi
minyo shamisen seems to be by yoko bue ( horizontal folk flute) rather than
shakuhachi,but there may be shakuhachi accompaniment to some songs.
Cheers,
Dan
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