翻刻
する事に付寄々上京して相伝を請るものは
有しが当藩之文学師高野徳郷先生は
遊学の余力音楽に執心上京して伶人家へ
入門飽迄極意を学び筆記類数多被書残
又小林嘯峯先生其伝を請継専堪能にて
今市中にて音楽之雅連は皆教を請し
人々なり
琴瑟琵琶等は古代ゟ遊慰者之技芸成
しが瞽者共御憐情を以法師座頭瞽女と
称し芸術優長之者へは検校勾当等之号を
賜り当福井にも天和以前之頃迄は右号を
戴きしもの有之平家今様抔を語り唄ひて
漂又其後も余流学ひし雅人間々有之
由なるも近世絶て琵琶は廃れる様に見得
たり然るに近来明清楽と称して月琴
明笛木琴太鼓等を吹鳴して音楽を合
奏する事流行となれり
現代語訳
する事に付き、時々上京して相伝を請う者はあったが、当藩の文学師高野徳郷先生は、遊学の余力で音楽に執心し、上京して伶人の家へ入門し、飽くまで極意を学び、筆記類を数多く書き残された。また小林嘯峯先生がその伝を請け継ぎ、専ら堪能にて、今市中にて音楽の雅連は皆教えを請うている人々である。
琴・瑟・琵琶等は古代から遊慰者の技芸であったが、盲人達に御憐情をもって法師・座頭・瞽女と称し、芸術に優れた者へは検校・勾当等の号を賜り、当福井にも天和以前の頃までは右の号を戴いた者があり、平家物語や今様などを語り唄って生計を立てていた。その後も余流を学んだ雅人が間々あったようだが、近世では全く琵琶は廃れるように見受けられる。
しかるに近来、明清楽と称して月琴・明笛・木琴・太鼓等を吹き鳴らして音楽を合奏することが流行となっている。
英語訳
Regarding this matter, there were occasionally those who traveled to Kyoto to request instruction, but our domain's literature teacher, Master Takano Tokusato, devoted his spare time from scholarly pursuits to music with great passion, went to Kyoto, entered the house of court musicians, studied the profound secrets thoroughly, and left behind many written records. Master Kobayashi Shōhō also received this transmission and became highly skilled, and now all the refined music circles in the city are people who seek his instruction.
The koto, se (zither), and biwa (lute) were the performing arts of entertainers since ancient times, but out of compassion for the blind, they were called hōshi (monk-musicians), zatō (blind guild leaders), and goze (blind female musicians), and those who excelled in their arts were granted titles such as kengyō and kōtō. In our Fukui as well, until around the time before the Tenna era, there were those who received such titles, and they made their living by reciting and singing the Tale of the Heike and imayō songs. Even afterward, there were occasionally refined people who learned these traditional styles, but in recent times, the biwa appears to have completely fallen into decline.
However, recently what is called Ming-Qing music (Chinese music) has become popular, in which people play ensemble music by playing and striking instruments such as the moon lute (gekkin), ming flute, wooden xylophone, and drums.