Gidayu is a style of shamisen and chanting developed by Gidayu Takemoto (1651-1714) with texts written by Monzaemon Chikamatsu (1653-1724). Gidayu is especially associated with the Kansai region of Kyoto and Osaka. Gidayu plays are acted by puppets, the narrator taking on all the roles and describing the scenes and emotions of the characters. Many of the plays were adapted for kabuki. This CD and subsequent titles feature the great narrator and Living National Treasure Tsunadayu Takemoto IX accompanied by another master musician on shamisen, Seiji Tsuruzawa. On this album are two scenes, 'Tenmaya no Dan' and 'Michiyuki Tenjinmori no Dan' from the famous 'Sonezaki Shinju' written by Monzaemon Chikamatsu.
