Phonetic Logograms and Zigzagged Zithers (Part III)
Liam Hynes-Tawa […] Continuation of Part II […] One of the things I find most fascinating about these dynamics I identified in Japanese culture from the time of the Kojiki is that they can also be seen emerging in Japan’s modernizing efforts during the Meiji era (1868–1912 CE). During that period, the wagon, an instrument…
Phonetic Logograms and Zigzagged Zithers (Part II)
Liam Hynes-Tawa […] Continuation of Part I […] I ended the previous post leaving open a question about the Kinkafu’s name. Let’s contemplate the first character in the title of the manuscript (Kinkafu 琴歌譜, qín + songs + notation, i.e “notation of qín songs”). The character 琴 is the same character that is used in…
Phonetic Logograms and Zigzagged Zithers (Part I)
Liam Hynes-Tawa 恐。我天皇、猶阿蘓婆勢其太御琴。 自阿至勢以音。 I am afraid. My emperor, play the great honored zither now. From 阿 to 勢 in accordance with their sounds. The above utterance looks like Chinese—and in fact, most of it is. But what of the footnote in small type after the main text? It says that the characters 阿蘓婆勢 are…
History of Music Theory 