is a form of traditional Japanese narrative music in which a sings to the accompaniment of a .[1] accompanies, traditional Japanese puppet theater.[2] As a form of storytelling, emphasizes the lyrics and narration rather than the music itself.[3]
According to Asai Ryōi, the first performer to have ever employed the during his storytelling, instead of the biwa, was chanter Sawazumi. The story he narrated was, one of the many existing versions of the, which tells the tale of the tragic love between Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Jōruri-hime. Following this event, every tale sung to the accompaniment of a became emblematic of the style.