Oshikicho no Choshi (gagaku)
Naomi Sato - sho
Thessaloniki Concert Hall, 7 June 2016
Chōshi (prelude, introduction) are traditional piece by unknown authors. They were original performed as introductory pieces for gagaku (Japanese court music) performances. The sounds of the chōshi themselves reflect nature and passing time. The idea that chōshi performed as solo pieces for the shō symbolise the seasons has its origin in the Han era in China. The concept of a harmony of heaven, earth, and the human being that developed at that time can be seen as a systematic attempt to create a picture of a cosmic order within which all phenomena of the real world could be understood: elements, pitches, numbers, compass points, seasons, animals and their characteristics, fruit, part of the body, scents, feelings, virtues, social classes and human inventions, materials and much more. Ōshikinchō no chōshi symbolises summer, south, fire and red.