Language of the texts and musical styles of shōmyō

The languages used in shomyo demonstrate the migration of Buddhism, from India via China and settling in Japan, from Sanskrit to Chinese and Japanese. 

One type of shomyo language is transcription phonically from Sanskrit. Back in the time, people did not have IPA. People in China used Chinese characters to transcribe Sanskrit phonically. Then, the Japanese pronounce the Chinese transcription in Japanese. In both cases, the phonic transcription is not systematic or accurate. The meaning of original literal meaning of Sanskrit was lost in translation. It is all about the sonic experience, in this case, the texts are often performed in melismatic.

On the contrary, the literal translation translates the meaning from Sanskrit, texts were drafted in Japan, and explanatory or narrative in ceremonies are chanted in Japanese and with literal meaning. These texts are meant to be heard, so it is often are performed in syllabic settings.

Contour Notation
The notation is not that accurate compared to western notation. The pitches are often approximated and mostly based on relative pitch, solfege. The direction of a line indicated solfege. The notes also refer to the Chinese pentatonic scale (see pic).

la so mi re do (respectively)(Kojun, 1983)

With the recording, we can refer to the notation. The chanting is full of melismatic ornamentation which indicates that pitches are not the main concern in shomyo, rather, the decoration, portamento and micro-tonal fluctuation of tone yield the main context of the chanting. 
If you can read Chinese, the words do not mean anything since it is a transcription phonically from Sanskrit, as the title wrote, Four Virtues in Sanskrit.

The notation above is a more modern style of notation. For the older style of score, a curvey line is used to indicate the contour of the tone (see pic at A Shōmyō hakase score (Tokita,2008)).

(I will add the content about syllabic notation in the future)


Kojun A. (1983). A study of the notation of hennon pieces in the shomyo of the Shingon sect, concentrating on the Shichi bongo no san (“Sanscrit hymn of the Four Wisdoms”). the journal of the Society for the Research of Asiatic Music. Volume 1983 Issue 48 P.42-90,L2. https://doi.org/10.11446/toyoongakukenkyu1936.1983.48_42

Tokita, A. M. & Hughes, D. W. (2008) The Ashgate research companion to Japanese music. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

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