Moon over the deserted castle

     

Such a haunting melody. Kōjō no Tsuki (荒城の月) by Rentarō Taki (滝 廉太郎) may well be a song you’ve heard but never heard of.

The sorrowful tune was completion in 1901, but it’s strong, nostalgic appeal has resulted in it being rearranged, re-interpreted and performed by notable musicians from every corner of the world, and still does.

It is said that Rentarō Taki wrote the instrumental having been inspired by the ruins of Oka Castle. Sadly, Rentarō died just two years later due to having contracted Tuberculosis. He was just 23.

Over 20 years later, lyrics would be added following visits to Sendai & Aizu Wakamatsu castles. I can also assume the lyricist felt it was important to do so.

For your entertainment

As I’ve alluded to, countless versions exist. To save you the trouble, I’ve waded through the Youtube soup, and have fished out the following three versions. The first, an instrumental featuring a flute, is truly beautiful. The second is operatic and features the added lyrics. The final one ROCKS, and is from a promotional video for the game, Gran Turismo 5.

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  • Travis Seifman

    Actually, I’ve both heard and heard of Kojo no Tsuki. For some reason, it seems to be a standard the Koto classes here at U of Hawaii always perform…

    Do you happen to know who the artist for that postage stamp is? I love the style… and it looks familiar, but I can’t be sure.

  • Anonymous

    Well, I can’t say I’m too surprised that you are familiar with the tune. Anyway… Search as I might, I was unable to track down the stamps designer. Now I really want to know.

  • http://twitter.com/ichigoichielove Lisa/リサ

    I’ve neither heard it nor heard of it, but it’s a lovely melody. (^-^)
    I quite like the stamp as well, and as Travis said, the style seems familiar somehow…