Negotiating Musical Identity

'Transmission of Japanese Jiuta Sōkyoku for Shamisen and Koto' explores Japan’s chamber music for voice, koto (13-string zither) and shamisen (3-string lute). This book explores the musical genre that has developed into diverse repertoires from the seventeenth century to the present day, transforming its context from blind male performers’ tradition to the most cutting-edge contemporary art. By investigating various aspects of transmission, including teaching and learning, master-disciple relations in the iemoto (house-head) system, change and variation, tradition and innovation, this volume illuminates the ways in which musical identity is expressed and negotiated in relation to these factors. Including interviews with musicians at the forefront of the genre, 'Transmission of Japanese Jiuta Sōkyoku for Shamisen and Koto' is cutting-edge reading for postgraduates and researchers of music in Japan, Ethnomusicology and Japanese studies.