gidayu

Gidayu is a shortened form of Gidayu-bushi, a school of ballad drama (jōruri) that developed together with bunraku. The name comes from Takemoto Gidayu, an accomplished shamisen player at the end of seventeenth century who brought jōruri to its highest form. Compared to other schools of jōruri, gidayu has a strong narrative aspect, marked particularly by its characters' clear expression of feelings, and accompanying shamisen uses strong tone coloration in the low notes. (adapted from Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993)