Guitars were introduced into Japan around the turn of the 20th century with the mandolin orchestra phenomenon.
At the dawn of the 20th century, western music was becoming popular in Japan, especially among educated young people. At colleges, music societies were established and some of those devoted themselves to the mandolin. As such, they played a major role in the development of mandolin music activities.
The oldest of these is the Keio Mandolin Club, which was founded in 1910 by Hiroshi Hiraoka at what is now Keio University The Keio Mandolin Club was among the first of its kind and it brought mandolin music into the university scene alongside other popular instruments like the banjo. They played their first recital on May 25, 1912 in the Van Schaick Hall at Ferris Japanese-English Girls School.
The mandolin club at Tokyo’s other prestigious private university, Waseda University, was founded in 1913. Both clubs are still going strong today, but more famous than either is the Meiji University Mandolin Club, who gave their first concert in 1924.
Source: violinist.com/blog/Ku92me/20138/14941
Mandolin music in Japan is said to have been introduced by Kenpachi Hiruma (1864 – 1936) who at the time was an instructor at the Tokyo Music School. He was brought a mandolin from Berlin in 1901 and wrote the first mandolin instruction book in Japan in 1903.
From the first Japanese to own a guitar we move to the first teacher of the guitar.
This is generally recognized to be Kenpachi Hiruma (1867-1936). From 1887 to 1890 he studied the cello and zither in America, Germany, and Switzerland. He traveled overseas once again in 1899 and studied the guitar (Hiruma’s Juan Perfumo, made in 1843) he brought with him to Japan in 1901 and mandolin in Germany and Italy.
After returning to Japan he began teaching and in 1905 became the conductor of the first mandolin orchestra. In 1906 while teaching at the Tokyo Music School (precursor to the current Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music) he formed a mandolin orchestra.
Unfortunately, Hiruma presumably only taught the cello at the School and the study of the guitar or mandolin has never been part of the curriculum (a situation which is not likely to change soon). In 1908 he wrote the first mandolin method to be compiled by a Japanese. Among Hiruma’s private students were Morishige Takei and Hideo Saito (instructor of the famed conductor Seiji Ozawa).
mail.ikegaku.co.jp/freshmandolin_his.htm
itsukushimaperry.sakura.ne.jp/auxially.html
kataoka-mandolin.jp/michikos-diary/2011/09/post_3010.html
mandoweb.de/index.php/mandolinenschulen/die-mandolinenschule-von-kenpachi-hiruma
Around 1900 the mandolin had become very popular in Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and other countries. The best Italian mandolin players came to Paris, London and othe rbig cities to teach the mandolin, and they also published their mandolin methods.
Many important mandolin methods were first published in this period, and most of the methods from this time are public domain now. However some methods are still protected by copyright and are not available for free. The last of those methods will become public domain within the next 10 years – I will add more scans as soon as it’s possible.
Some of those methods are available in different editions and languages.Those methods are containing hundreds of exercises, folk tunes, classical melodies, jazz tunes, duets, some mandolin orchestra pieces, diagrams, instructions about the position, about the pick, and much more.
After returning to Japan Kenpachi began teaching and in 1905 became the conductor of the first mandolin orchestra (itsukushimaperry.sakura.ne.jp/auxially2-48.html). In 1906 while teaching at the Tokyo Music School (precursor to the current Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music) he formed a mandolin orchestra. Unfortunately, Hiruma presumably only taught the cello at the School and the study of the guitar or mandolin has never been part of the curriculum (a situation which is not likely to change soon). In June of 1903, Kenpachi wrote the first mandolin method to be compiled by a Japanese, which was published through Kyōeki Shōsha in Tokyo.
Among Hiruma’s private students were Morishige Takei and Hideo Saito (instructor of the famed conductor Seiji Ozawa).
He was responsible for bringing the mandolin to Japan and opened his first school for the instrument in 1903.
The original 1903 edition is described as quite concise, containing exercises and illustrations similar to the German method by Otto Schick.
While the original text is in Japanese, the content focuses on notation, posture, and technical exercises, which are largely universal. There is no widely publicised, comprehensive English text translation of the 1903 method; however, it is largely pictorial and technical, making it accessible to practitioners.
Hiruma published a more comprehensive, expanded self-study mandolin method in 1910.
The first Japanese mandolin method was written by Hiruma Kenpachi (1864 – 1936). He was a violoncello player (wikipedia). In 1898 he went to Berlin to learn to play the mandolin and the guitar. His method has some similarities to the method by Otto Schick which was very popular in Germany. The two methods by Hiruma Kenpachi are now available as free downloads in the Petrucci Library.
The mandolin became very popular in Japan, and the mandolin is still very popular in Japan today.
Kenpachi Hiruma (1867–1936) was a pioneering Japanese musician, educator, and key figure in introducing the mandolin and classical guitar to Japan.
Key details regarding Kenpachi Hiruma and the guitar:
- Pioneer Teacher: He is recognized as one of the first, if not the first, Japanese guitar teachers to officially open a teaching studio (“hang out his shingle”) in Japan, doing so around 1905.
- European Study: Originally a violoncello player, Hiruma studied the cello and zither in America and Europe between 1887 and 1890. He later returned to Europe (Germany and Italy) in 1898 to study the guitar and mandolin, bringing these instruments back to Japan in 1901.
- Educational Impact: He wrote important early Japanese methods for the mandolin and guitar. In 1903, he commissioned the first Japanese-made mandolin from Masakichi Suzuki.
- Legacy: Hiruma taught many influential figures, including Saito Hideo, and helped establish mandolin and guitar ensembles, forming the first mandolin quartet in Japan in 1905.
- Methodology: His instructional methods were influenced by popular German techniques, such as those by Otto Schick.
He was part of a crucial early generation of Japanese guitarists, which also included Hiroshi Hiraoka (who brought the first guitar to Japan) and Adolfo Sarcoli.
Hiruma Kenpachi studied cello from 1883 to 1887 at the Music Research Institute , a precursor to the Tokyo Conservatory (東京音楽学校, now the Tokyo University of the Arts ). After completing his studies, he went to New York as a foreign student and then spent two years studying in Europe starting in 1889. In 1898, he traveled again to Germany and Italy to learn classical guitar and mandolin. Upon returning to Japan in 1901, he brought instruments with him and opened a guitar and mandolin seminar. He is therefore considered the founder of mandolin and guitar playing in Japan. His students included Saitō Hideo (1902–1974), Tokugawa Yoshichika , the composer and conductor Takei Morishige , and Hijikata Yoshi .
Kenpachi Hiruma died in 1936 at the age of 71.
The Ongaku Torishirabegakari (Music Investigation Office) was an institution of the Ministry of Education established in 1879 (Meiji 12) with the goal of introducing Western music and promoting music education.
This institution primarily conducted music research and practice in school education, laying the foundation for singing and instrumental music education.
Meanwhile, the mandolin was introduced to Japan in the late Meiji period and became particularly popular among students and young people.
While there is no record of the Ongaku Torishirabegakari’s direct involvement in the spread of the mandolin, its activities are likely to have had a significant influence on the introduction of Western instruments as part of music education.
In other words, the Ongaku Torishirabegakari’s contributions to the spread and education of Western music indirectly influenced the acceptance and spread of the mandolin.
Guitar music developed alongside mandolin ensembles, and many guitar players at the time were members of some kind of mandolin ensemble.
As a result, guitar solos were rarely performed.
Anyone who has taken up the guitar enthusiastically should be well aware that solo playing has a significance distinct from that of mandolin ensembles.
During the Taisho era (1912-1926), the “emerging era” of classical guitar music, plectrum music was at its peak as an ensemble.
1867-1936 (Keio 3-Showa 11)
It began with the spread of the mandolin, and he also learned the guitar.
He was born in Kojimachi, Edo, as the fourth son of Hiruma Yasugoro, a shogunate official.
In 1883, he became an apprentice at the Music Investigation Office and specialized in the cello.
In 1887, he graduated from the Music Investigation Office.
In 1887, he went to study in New York, USA (December 10th).
In 1889, he traveled to Europe. In
1891,
he returned to Japan, bringing back the harmonica and tweeter for the first time.
In 1898, he became a cello instructor at the Tokyo Music School.
In 1898, he traveled to Europe again, and encountered the mandolin and classical guitar in Germany and Italy.
In 1901, he brought back a mandolin and guitar and opened a mandolin and guitar school.
In 1903, he commissioned Suzuki Masakichi to make the first mandolin in Japan.
・In 1905, he formed Japan’s first mandolin quartet at Gakushuin Hojinkai.
・In 1906, he organized the first mandolin ensemble at Tokyo Ueno Art School.
・In 1908, he published “Correspondence Teaching Papers” and “Examination Papers” for mandolin music.
・In 1910, he published “Self-Study of the Mandolin” (Kyoki Shosha).
・In 1911, he serialized “Summary of Mandolin Playing Techniques” in the Kimo Shimbun newspaper.
・In 1914, he recorded music for Nipponophone, Japan’s first phonograph company.
He worked hard to popularize the music thereafter, and it became the source of mandolin music and classical guitar music in Japan.
His students included musician Hideo Saito, aristocrats Yoshichika Tokugawa, Morinari Takei, and Yoshi Hijikata, writer Ton Satomi, poet Sakutaro Hagiwara, painter Tsuguharu Fujita, ceramicist Kenkichi Tomimoto, and founding member of the Tokyo Chamber Opera House Murao Sugita. His daughter
Kinuko Hiruma was also active as a mandolin player. He passed away in 1936 at the age of 70.
[Source]
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kataoka_Mandolin_Institute/History_Room/Kenpachi_Hiruma
Kinuko’s History and Music History
Special Feature
Kenpachi Hiruma and the Perfumo Guitar – The Precious Guitar of the Meiji Era
① Pioneers of the Meiji Era: Kenpachi Hiruma and Heiankō Teruaki Text: Shinichi Nakamure (Editorial Department)
During the Meiji era, a man named Kenpachi Hiruma brought a guitar called the Perfumo from Europe to Japan for the first time. News of this reached the editorial department, along with the fact that the instrument’s owner had seen it in a playable condition. However, as the guitar’s history is not well documented in Japan, it is regrettable that few people are aware of it.
Upon investigation, it became clear that the first guitar brought to Japan was one carried back by Heiankō Teruaki [likely a reference to 平岡照, Heiankō Teruaki, or a related figure; historical sources point to Hiruma himself as the key introducer] in 1876 from America. However, this guitar’s existence remained obscure domestically, and its maker was unknown. It seems that, despite the instrument’s potential for performance, efforts to spread guitar culture were lacking at the time.
Kenpachi Hiruma of the Meiji era is a predecessor to the present Tokyo University of the Arts (formerly the Tokyo Music School). He studied music in Europe, graduated, and later became a professor at the Tokyo Music School under the imperial court. However, even looking at national policy, the guitar did not appear on the stage of music education. Nevertheless, in the private sector, guitars began to be introduced, and among them, the most important figure is Kenpachi Hiruma.
Here, although the era differs, we introduce this instrument with a focus on the precious guitar that Kenpachi Hiruma brought to Japan first. This article also includes details such as the 45-year age difference in the mandolin pieces he owned, etc., and for the sake of accuracy in Western notation, we have added Western staff notation.
● Kenpachi Hiruma Born March 15, 1867, in Tokyo’s Yotsuya district, he was involved in textiles as a child. He studied under his father, who was a physician, but later pursued music. He studied abroad in Germany from age 12, learning under the influence of the post-Wagner era, and immersed himself in the study of music. His wife, Matsu, was the daughter of a samurai family, and he had eight children, including his son Kenpachi, who would later become a doctor. However, his father wanted him to follow the family profession and become a doctor, but he entered the world of Western music instead. His life was dedicated to allowing students to study abroad.
Japan’s music policy began gradually from the late 17th century, but with the arrival of Perry’s Black Ships in the Ansei era (1853–1860), the country opened its doors after about 230 years of isolation. During this period, Japan was exposed to Western culture, and the military bands of the army and navy were the first to adopt Western music. Instruments such as pipes and drums were introduced for school songs during the “national enrichment” period. In Meiji 12 (1879), the “Monbusho Ongaku Torishirabe Gakari” (Music Research Division of the Ministry of Education) was established to train music teachers for this purpose. This later became the Tokyo Music School and then Tokyo University of the Arts.
Looking at the national policy, the guitar does not appear in music education. However, in the private sector, guitars began to be introduced, and Kenpachi Hiruma is the most important figure among the pioneers.
The guitar introduced this time is the one that Kenpachi Hiruma brought back, made by Juan Perfumo in Cádiz, Spain, in 1843. It is said to be an excellent example of a real guitar, and it is good that it was brought to Japan first by Hiruma. In addition, the article mentions details such as the 45-year age difference in the mandolin pieces he owned, etc., and for the sake of accuracy in Western notation, we have added Western staff notation.
(Note: Historical records confirm that Kenpachi Hiruma studied in Europe multiple times—first in the late 1880s for cello and zither, then again around 1898–1901 for guitar and mandolin in Germany and Italy. He brought back the 1843 Juan Perfumo guitar to Japan in 1901. He is credited as Japan’s first prominent teacher and performer of the mandolin and guitar, authoring the first Japanese mandolin method in 1903 and founding early mandolin orchestras around 1905–1906.)
Kenpachi Hiruma
Occupationcellist
date of birthMarch 15, 1867
BirthplaceEdo ( Tokyo )
CareerAfter graduating from the Music Research Institute in 1887, he went to the United States to study the cello, and in 1909 he went to Germany and brought back the mandolin , which he introduced to Japan .
Date of deathApril 15 , 1936 ( Showa 11 )
Source: Nichigai Associates “Newly Selected Dictionary of Entertainers from Meiji to Heisei” (Published in 2010) Information on the Newly Selected Dictionary of Entertainers from Meiji to Heisei