The ''mukkuri'' is a traditional Japanese plucked

idiophone An idiophone is any musical instrument that creates sound primarily by the vibration of the instrument itself, without the use of air flow (as with aerophones), strings (chordophones), membranes (membranophones) or electricity ( electrophone ...

indigenous to the Ainu. It is made from

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

and is 10 cm long and 1.5 cm wide. Sound is made by pulling the string and, similar to a

Jew's harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most likely originated in ...

, vibrating the reed as it is placed in the performer's mouth.

Notable players

400px, Mukkuri In 1964 the national broadcast station NHK recorded a film . Umeko Andō (November 20, 1932 - July 15, 2004) was a prominent figure who also sang Upopo Ainu songs and recorded them on CDs. A DVD titled was produced to introduce Ando's life published post mortem in April 2006 by Education Board,

Makubetsu, Hokkaido is a List of towns in Japan, town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 27,310 and a population density, density of 80 persons per km2. The total area is 340.46 km ...

. Shigiko Teshi was another prominent Mukkuri player. Daisuke Hare (1965-) played with Ando after he apprenticed under her. Hare organized the first mukkuri competition in 2004 after he visited harpists in the

Sakha Republic Sakha, officially the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia, and the largest federal subject of Russia by area. It is located in the Russian Far East, along the Arctic Ocean, with a population of one million ...

in 2003.

Akira Ifukube was a Japanese composer. He is best known for composing several entries in the Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' franchise as well as developing the Godzilla, titular monster's roar. Biography Early years in Hokkaido Akira Ifukube was born o ...

, noted for the soundtracks of the

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

movies, visited Ainu villages many times during his childhood. in 1997, Ifukube invited Umeko Ando to play for his biographical TV drama produced and aired by

Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting is a TV station affiliated with Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS) serving in Hokkaido, Japan, headquartered in Sapporo, established in 1971. Through its Hakodate translator, UHB functions as the default FNN/FNS affiliate ...

(UHB).

Audio recordings

For many years since the 1960s, audio recordings of Ainu traditional music seldom included Mukkuri sounds. The audio recording of indigenous music of the world in 1973 did not include Ainu music, but planned to publish them as a unique set, which was published with 3 audio CDs and a booklet. Umeko Ando made the most recordings of Ainu music: * 1994 , produced by Education Board, Makubetsu-cho. Audio CD. * 1998 "Homage to the Rivers of the World" by Shigiko Teshi (recorded on June 19, 1998). * 1999 Hankapuy Audio CD. * 2001 produced by OKI, an Ainu musician. Released from Tical Studio. Solo album CD. * 2002 , Education Board, Makubetsu-cho. Audio CD. * 2003 , Tical Studio. A sampling album "Spirits from Ainu" included the song "Inishieno Ibuki" which used Ando's singing voice, and that song was used in a visual DVD commemorating the designation of Shiretoko Cape as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage.Composer Tiibe, singer Umeko Ando, Cellist Eijun Tsuchida. "Shiretoko - A Music Journey" () Mukkuri is often accompanied by tonkori, a plucked string instrument.

References

Bibliography

* Published with an audio CD and discusses Jaw Harp from around the world. An interview is included with Professor Emeritus Yoshiko Kojima of National Museum of Japanese Histories, an antholopologist.

External links

Ainu Museum
holds workshop for mukkuri craft and dance.
The Foundation for Research and Promotion of Ainu Culture
holds events involving mukkuri music. {{Authority control Ainu musical instruments Idioglot guimbardes and jaw harps