Shōmyō

Shōmyō (声明) is a style of Japanese Buddhist chant, used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon traditions.^[1] There are two styles: ryokyoku (呂曲) and rikkyoku (律曲) described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively.

Shōmyō, like gagaku, employs the Yo scale, a pentatonic scale with ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones.^[2]

History

An early reference to Buddhist chanting in Japanese history is a ceremony being held at the time of the kaigen ceremony for the Daibutsu (大仏, lit: "Great Buddha") of Tōdai-ji in 752, and it is believed that chanting was widely practiced during the Nara period (710-794).

In the early Heian period (794-1331), Kōbō Daishi and Dengyō Daishi each transmitted Buddhist chanting styles which they had inherited when studying Buddhism in China, which eventually became the basis for the chanting styles of Shingon and Tendai. The Tale of Genji, a classic work of Japanese literature written during this period, frequently mention memorial services performed by monks from Mount Hiei where Tendai chanting was utilized. In addition, Buddhist traditions other than Shingon and Tendai also have their own chanting styles, which are still passed down today.

Buddhist vocal music introduced from China during the Heian period was called bonbai (梵唄), meaning 'Voice of Brahmā'. This remains the term used for Buddhist chanting styles in both Chinese Buddhism and Korean Buddhism, where it is known as "fanbai" and "beompae" respectively. With the introduction of Buddhism, the study of the grammar and phonology of Sanskrit characters, namely Siddhaṃ, also became popular. Eventually, the term 'shōmyō' came to refer to the combination of Siddhaṃ studies and the recitation of Buddhist scriptures, and from the medieval period onwards, shōmyō came to refer only to the recitation of Buddhist scriptures .

Because shōmyō was passed down orally, there was initially no equivalent to musical notation in modern music theory. This made transmission extremely difficult. Later, the equivalent of musical notation would be invented, with the technical terms referring to the notation differing based on the various schools of Buddhism. However, the notations were merely a reference for chanting, and to formally master shōmyō, oral transmission (口伝, kuden) via face-to-face instruction by a teacher was essential. Without face-to-face instruction, the school could not be maintained or passed on from teacher to student. For this reason, it was essential to train instructors and successors.

Before the medieval period, shōmyō was difficult to understand, not only for ordinary Japanese people but also for Buddhist monks. As a result, there was a demand for easy-to-understand shōmyō with lyrics in Japanese, and a form of shōmyō called kōshiki (講式, lit: "lecture ceremony") was created. Because Kōshiki was made up of a musical structure that deviated from the conventions of existing shōmyō, a new method of notation was devised. Kōshiki had a major influence on the development of Japanese music, such as the yōkyoku used in Noh plays.

Transmissions

Tendai transmission

Tendai shōmyō was originally promoted by the Tendai founder, Dengyō Daishi, based on what he had learnt during his studies in China. After him, it was further promoted by successive Tendai monks such as Ennin and Annen. Ryōnin, who later became the founder of Yuzu Nembutsu, was also a prominent promoter of shōmyō. In 1109, he built Raigo-in in Ohara, Kyoto. The sangō of Raigo-in Temple in Ohara was called Gyozan (魚山, known as Yushan in Chinese) after the mountain of the same name in Shandong in China which is regarded as the birthplace of Buddhist chanting (fanbai) in China. Eventually, Raigo-in and another temple, Shorin-in, became known as training centers for a style of called the Ohara Gyozan shōmyō (大原魚山声明). Later, the Tendai monk Jakugen formed another tradition of shōmyō in Ohara. Later, Sokai revived Ohara chanting. During the early Kamakura period (1185-1333), the monk Tanchi (湛智) developed a systemic musical theory for shōmyō, which eventually became the core of Tendai shōmyō and has been inherited by the modern contemporary Tendai style of shōmyō. The shōmyō of the Yuzu Nembutsu, Jōdo-shū, and Jōdo Shinshu traditions are lineages of Tendai shōmyō.

Shingon transmission

The foundation of Shingon shōmyō was passed down by Kōbō Daishi and has been transmitted continuously down to contemporary times. Several eminent monks who promoted the Shingon style of shōmyō includes Shinga, who systematized Shingon shōmyō, and Kancho, who led a revival of Shingon shōmyō by composing new chants and maintaining existing ones.

Four schools

Until the Kamakura period, there were many schools of Shingon shōmyō, but under Prince Kakusho, who was also a monk, they were consolidated into four schools: Honsoin-ryū (本相応院流), Shinsoin-ryū (新相応院流), Daigo-ryū (醍醐流) and Nakagawa Daishin-ryū (中川大進流).

The Honsoin-ryu, Shinsoin-ryū and Daigo-ryū were all abolished by the mid-Meiji period (1868-1912), with only Nakagawa Daishin-ryū remaining. Currently, the Nakagawa Daishin-ryū style of Shingon shōmyō is divided into three main schools: Chizan Shōmyō (智山声明) from Chishaku-in in Kyoto, Buzan Shōmyō (豊山声明) from Hasedera in Nara and Nanzan Shinryū (南山進流) from Kōyasan in Kyoto.

Chizan Shōmyō and Buzan Shōmyō

• Chizan Shōmyō and Buzan Shōmyō: The style of shōmyō of both the Chizan and Buzan traditions of Shingon Buddhism originated from the Nakagawa Daishin-ryū. When Negoro-ji in Wakayama was burned down by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1583, the Chizan and Buzan traditions came to form a single school based on the old Daigo-ryū.

Nanzan Shinryu

• Nanzan Shinryu: Originated from the Nakagawa Daishin-ryū school as well. During the Jōei era (1232-1233), the monk Katsushin (勝心) of Sanbo-in on Kōyasan requested the monk Jigyō (慈業) of Nakagawa-dera in Nara (where the Nakagawa Daishin-ryū style was developed) to move his base to Kōyasan. Later, "Nanzan" (南山, lit: "Southern Mountain"), another name for Kōyasan, and was added to the name of the style to form "Nanzan Shinryū".

See also

• Buddhist music
• Buddhist liturgy, which is performed through shōmyō
• Fanbai, Chinese style of Buddhist chants similar to shōmyō
• Beompae, Korean style of Buddhist chants similar to shōmyō