A List of Hiromasa's Direct Relatives + Random Facts
Saw some posts wondering about Hiromasa's other family, which prompted me to write this up. Info is taken from documents you can find in publicly accessible archives, albeit only in Japanese.
The Guy Himself
源博雅 - Minamoto no Hiromasa [918 - 980]
Rank: Junior fourth rank, lower grade (later third rank)
Position(s): Captain of the Right Division of Middle Palace Guards (右兵衛督)
Middle Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards (右近衛中將)
Ancillary Master of the Empress Dowager's Household (皇太后宮権大夫)
When he was 17, he was removed from royal succession and bestowed the title Minamoto Ason*. Apart from the flute, he was also skilled with the biwa, koto and hichiriki. There are numerous stories about him and his incredible musical skill, which I will hopefully cover in a separate post some day. Maybe.
He is also known as Hakuga no Sanmi (博雅三位) in reference to his final rank and Lord Long Autumn (長秋卿) in reference to his final position (the Chinese name for the Empress Dowager's household is "Long Autumn")
*The Japanese term for this process is shinsekikouka (臣籍降下) This was done because emperors often had many children and under the Ritsuryo legal system, royalty had to be given a certain income, so ennoblement was a way of saving money. The first title of Minamoto Ason was given by Emperor Saga, who had 49 children.
Grandfather
醍醐天皇 - Emperor Daigo [884 - 930]
Was emperor from 897 to 930. He actually abdicated the throne after falling ill in 930 and became a monk shortly before he died. He had 36 children across 21 different consorts.
Father
克明親王 - Prince Yoshiakira/Katsuakira [903 - 927]
The first son and crown prince of Emperor Daigo. Hiromasa would have been 9 years old when he died.
Mother
藤原時平の娘 - Daughter of Fujiwara no Tokihira
Fujiwara no Tokihira was the Minister of the Left (左大臣) for Emperor Daigo. Women often did not have their names recorded, instead being referred to by the title of their fathers or by their sons (e.g Murasaki Shikibu, with her father having a position in the Shikibu-sho (Ministry of Ceremonial Affairs) and Mother of Michizane, the author of Kagero nikki.)
Siblings
Most of the info here is from the Honcho Koin Jounroku (本朝皇胤紹運録) (go to page 53)
源正雅 - Minamoto no Tadamasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Ancillary Provincial Governor of Tosa Province (土佐権守)
Tosa Province is now known today as Kochi Prefecture.
源清雅 - Minamoto no Kiyomasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Chamberlain in the Ministry of Central Affairs (侍従)
It's unclear whether Tadamasa was older than Kiyomasa or the other way round.
源助雅 - Minamoto no Sukemasa (younger brother)
Rank: Junior fourth rank official, lower grade.
Position(s): Master of the Western Offices (右京大夫)
A lot of websites I've checked claim that Hiromasa also had a sister by the name of Kenshi (妍子女王), but I cannot for the life of me find and actual source for this claim. If you have any info, please tell me!
Children
According to the Dai Nihon Shiryo, Hiromasa had four sons.
源信貞 - Minamoto no Nobusada
Rank: Junior fifth rank, higher grade
Position(s): Lieutenant of the Left Division of Middle Palace Guards (左兵衛尉)
A flute player, like his father. He appears briefly in the Kaichikusho, a book on flute music written by musician Oga no Koresue. (go to page 20)
源信明 - Minamoto no Nobuakira
Rank: Junior fifth rank, higher grade
Position(s): Treasury Senior Assistant Minister (大蔵大輔)
Also a known talented biwa player, like his father.
源信義 - Minamoto no Nobuyoshi
Rank: Junior fifth rank official, higher grade
Position(s): Chief Pharmacist (典薬頭)
Chief Court Musician (雅楽頭)
Once again taking after his father, being an excellent biwa and flute player. He is the author of the Shinkasho (神歌抄), the oldest surviving manuscript of kagura music. He and his older brother Nobuakira were known for playing music together.
源至光 - Minamoto no Yukimitsu
Rank: Junior fifth rank official, lower grade
Position(s): Provincial Governor of Hoki Province (伯耆守)
Hoki Province is now known today as the western half of Tottori Prefecture.
Couldn't find any info on him being a musician, but knowing his family, it wouldn't be out of the question.
Discolor + May’s always humming something- out now★←
Instagram@HarryTeardrop
Twitter@harryteardrop
★新曲のコンセプト、制作、レコーディングについて教しえてください。
この曲では、まずインストルメンタルから始めました。ドラムのプログラミングそれに合わせてギターやベースのパートを書きます。最初は歌詞はありませんでしたが、「Discolor」という言葉だけが頭の中に浮かんでいました。なぜその言葉が潜在意識に浮かんでいるのか、それが私にとって何を意味するのかを考えました。数日間歌詞を書いたり書き直したりしているうちに、「I won't quit even if I'm discolored(変色しても諦めない)」というフレーズが浮かびました。この曲は、自己不信に直面したときに希望を見つけること、そして自分自身の道を辿ることがどれほど困難であってもそれに従うことについての歌です。
私は5歳のときにドラムを始めました。記憶に残る限り、音楽はずっとそばにありました。11歳か12歳のときに曲を書き始め、高校の時にGaragebandでプロデュースする方法を学び、Soundcloudで本当にひどいデモ音源をリリースしました。18歳のときに "Harry Teardrop"として最初の曲「Chinatown」を発表しました。当時の自分をほとんど認識できないくらいですが、それが私の音楽の本格的なキャリアを築けると愚かにも信じるきっかけとなりました。それにもかかわらず、それに伴う困難があるにせよ、私はそれをうれしく思っています。もし自分を出し切っていなかったら、東京の新しい友人であるあなたとは繋がることはなかったでしょう!
★Please tell me about the concept, production and recording of the new single .
Thank you! I'm so happy it resonates with you. For this song, I started with the instrumental. I usually start with programming the drums on my computer and then write the guitar/bass parts over that. I didn't have any lyrics at first but I had just the word, "Discolor". I thought hard about why that word was floating around in my subconscious -- what it means to me. After a few days of writing and re-writing the lyrics, I wrote the line "I won't quit even if I'm discolored". To me, the song is about finding hope in the face of self-doubt. It's also about following your own path, as challenging as that may be.
★what does your creative process ?
My creative process is so scattered. I never really know why I want to make something. It just feels like an itch that I need to scratch. Musically, it usually starts with making an instrumental idea on my computer. But I also write poetry, make visuals, sometimes make clothes or spraypaint-- it all comes from the same place. I just try my best to be honest with what I'm doing.
★Can you tell me about your new music video?
I made the video with my good friend Soren Harrison, who's from London. A few months ago he told me he was going to be in New York. I knew I wanted to make a video with him because I've been a fan of his work for over 4 years now. I actually finished the song the day before he flew into New York and then we shot the video the day after. It was all so spontaneous, just going around my favorite spots in the city. Some of them are places where my first memories were formed like the Natural History Museum and Central Park. As with pretty much everything I do, there was no budget. I'm so grateful he was willing to DIY it with me because he usually makes videos with way bigger budgets. That's love.
★who are your musical influences?
I have too many to name but a few of my favorite artists are The Cribs, Bill Evans, Mazzy Star, Ride, The Replacements, and My Bloody Valentine.
Growing up though it was Oasis, Blink-182, The Strokes, probably The 1975 too.
★can you tell me about your personal history?
My mom is from Vietnam, my dad is from China. Right after they had my brother Grey (Push Ups), they moved to NYC for school where I was born. Our family moved around a lot when Grey and I were growing up. I grew up split between NYC, Portland, Oregon, Shanghai, and Orange County, California. Somehow we always turned to music to make sense of our changing world. 6 years ago, I moved back to NYC for school and started releasing music as "Harry Teardrop". I'm still figuring out my life with each new day but I just feel grateful to be here on this earth.
★how did you start your music career?
I started playing drums when I was 5 years old. Music has been around as long as I can remember. I started writing songs when I was 11 or 12 and then learned how to produce on Garageband when I was in high school, releasing really shitty demos on Soundcloud. I put out my first song as "Harry Teardrop", "Chinatown" when I was 18 and even though I barely recognize the person I was back then, it led me to foolishly believe I could make a real career out of my music. I'm glad it did, despite the challenges that come with it. If I had never put myself out there, I would never be connecting with you, my new friend in Tokyo!
★how do you feel about the scenes around you ?
Do you have any connections with other bands?
Creative people in New York are always bumping into each other. I feel like everyone knows each other or knows a friend of a friend. Even though I'm friendly with so many artists coming out of New York right now, I don't feel like I'm part of any particular scene. I'm not a band, nor am I an electronic artist. I'm somewhere in between. I'm also an Asian American artist which is rare, even in the most diverse city in America. That's how I've been my whole life though so I'm used to that feeling. I'm just happy I get to live in a city where new ideas are being exchanged every day.
★Are there any Japanese artists you listen to ?
Yes! I listen to a lot of Japanese music. Most recently, I've been really loving that new Cruyff album. Some of my favorite Japanese artists are Supercar, ART-SCHOOL, Number Girl, m-flo, Strawberry Machine, Quruli, Daisuke Miyatani, and Rei Harakami.
★You and SATOH(LINNA FIGG/Kyazm) follow on Instagram each other. How did you get to know each other?
I love SATOH! They're so cool to me. I don't remember how we found each other, maybe through lil soft tennis. But I'm a big fan of how genuine their music feels. Linna figg and I had a facetime call recently, I was surprised by how good his English is! I really want to learn Japanese but it's convenient that a lot of people in Tokyo speak English. We're working on playing a show together in Tokyo later this year. I'm just trying to find a sponsor to fly me out there, so if you know of any brands that would be interested, let me know!
★Are there any other Japanese musicians you are close with?
I've never met any of them in person but I know DYGL, SATOH, Lil Soft Tennis / Heaven, and JUBEE, to name a few. I know once I go out there I'll make so many friends. Just the thought is so exciting to me. I really want to DJ a party while I'm out there too.
★What are your current/dream goals for the upcoming ?
My main goal for 2023 is to release my debut album "Inbetween Webs" in the fall accompanied by memorable visuals. I also want to play shows in London and Tokyo. In the grand scheme of things though, I just want to inspire people, have my own house with huge windows, and have a cat, a wife, maybe kids someday. Until then, I'll take every win I can get.
★ The appeal of your music is a hot topic in Japan, and you have many passionate fans. Do you have a message for your Japanese fans?
That's so crazy to me! Such a big part of music is the cultural identity aspect. Sometimes I feel more understood by people in Japan than even here in the US because I'm Asian so they can see me for who I am. My mom was also an English teacher in Japan in the 90s, so I grew up with a love for Japanese culture. That love has only grown as I've gotten older and discovered my favorite artists from there. I can't wait to come out there and party my brains out hahaha.
I have successfully selected 10 of the 100 people this year, so I will inform you about the exhibition in Roppongi below.
Sales will be sold by lottery online.
Exhibition at Tokyo Midtown
In the corridor is undecided.
We are pleased to inform you that we have decided on the works selected for this year's annual art event "100 People 10", which aims to maximize the possibilities of art and technology hosted by the Japan Art Tech Association. In addition, the selected works will be open to the public from November 8th (Tuesday) to November 15th (Tuesday), 2022 at "Tokyo Midtown" (Akasaka, Minato-ku) and on a special website, all 100,000 yen (excluding tax) ) will be sold.
The following artists were selected based on the total number of "likes" on the official Instagram from the general public, votes among applicants, and votes by the art collector judges.
■ 100 artists whose works were selected (entry number order, titles omitted)