Horagai

The conch shell, blown as a trumpet, served a number of purposes in Japanese history. It is called , , or a number of other names in Japanese depending on its function.

The conch is perhaps most associated with its use by Buddhist monks for religious purposes. Its use goes back at least one thousand years, and it is still used today for some rituals, such as the "omizutori" (water drawing) portion of the Shuni-e rites at the Tōdai-ji in Nara. Unlike most shell trumpets from other parts of the world which produce only one pitch, the Japanese "hora" or "horagai" can produce three or four different notes. The process of transforming a shell into an instrument is kept somewhat secret, but it involves the attachment of a bronze or wooden mouthpiece to the apex of the shell's spire. At freezing temperatures (often encountered in the mountainous regions of Japan) the players moist lips freeze to the metal surface, so some players prefer wooden or bamboo mouthpieces.

The "hora" is especially associated with the "yamabushi", ascetic warrior monks of the Shugendo sect. The "yamabushi" would use the trumpet to signal their presence (or movements) to one another across mountaintops, and to accompany the chanting of sutras.

In war, the shell, called "jinkai", or 'war shell', was used as a signalling trumpet. A large conch would be used, and fitted with a bronze (or wooden) mouthpiece. It would be held in an openwork basket and blown with a different combination of "notes" to signal troops to attack, withdraw, or change strategies, in the same way a bugle or flugelhorn might have been used in the west. The trumpeter was called a "kai yaku" (). The "jinkai" served a similar function to drums and bells in signalling troop formations, setting a rhythm for marching, providing something of a heroic accompaniment to encourage the troops and confusing the enemy by inferring that the troop numbers were large enough to require such trumpeters. Many daimyo (feudal lords) enlisted "yamabushi" to serve as "kai yaku", due to their experience with the instrument.

The sound of "jinkai" is often used in motion pictures and television dramas as a symbolic sound effect indicating an impending battle, eg. The Last Samurai, or the 2007 Taiga drama "Fūrinkazan", but both of these screen renditions use deep, resonating monotones, not the melodic tones that "yamabushi" used for relaying messages.

References

*Clark, Mitchell (2005). "Sounds of the Silk Road: Musical Instruments of Asia." Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Publications.
*Turnbull, Stephen (2002). 'War in Japan: 1467-1615'. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.

ee also

*Nagak