Haru Kobayashi

In 2000, Haru was 100 years old, and she was awarded a special award by Sanjo city. In 2001, she was made a special citizen of Sanjo city. In 2002, she was awarded the 36th Eiji Yoshikawa award. On 25 April 2005, she died of old age.

Shizuko Yamada attended Haru, and in her later years, assisted Haru in her daily life. Shizuko said that Haru's voice was low and resounding. Painter Susumu Kinoshita started painting after he met Haru. Kinoshita said that her voice was not so loud, but the voice struck him since it vibrated a shoji nearby. Shimoju pointed out that Haru's recitation was not in order, but was strong and powerful with some pressure. "The voice does not bend at any place, but comes directly from the front." "The voice comes straight into the eardrum. She wrote that the voice of Haru was unique, unlike any other reciting gozes. Kawano heard her voice in 1995 at Sanjo, and wrote that although Haru did not use a microphone, her voice struck the audience pleasantly with a certain rhythm, and the voice was heard penetrating the audience. It was not the so-called beautiful voice. Every word could be understood by the audience, and her intonation was that of a person trained for a long time.　 Jun-ichi Sakuma commented that her voice was once crushed, and was coming from the intestine. It was completely different from the voice of those who were trained in favourable conditions. Reiko Takeshita, her student, commented that her singing might be that of Bel canto. According to her, three experienced singers sang at the same time, but only the voice of Haru could be heard.

In March 1982, she was living in the special home for the blind and elderly called Tainai Yasuragino Ie. Later she visited her birthplace Haruvpaid, visited the grave of her mother, and performed an address to a kami called Matsuzaka. Although her family asked her to come back home, she refused. She even refused the idea that her bones should be buried in the family grave. Her dermatitis had cleared within two months of the hot spring treatment.

Painter Susumu Kinoshita drew pictures of Haru for 20 years, starting in 1982. According to Kinoshita, Haru's face differed every time he drew, absent-minded at some time, with wrinkles making his pictures worthwhile. He used a 9B black pencil (very soft and dark pencil) to depict the darkness of her heart. Shimoju wrote that usually Haru appeared dignified, but while she was alone, she sometimes showed an expression of the darkness of her life.

Haru decided to discontinue all goze activities, but she attracted the attention of the public when she performed before the scholars of folk arts at Kokugakuin University. The education committee of Shibata city decided to record the goze performances, and she began to perform again. In July 1977 she went into the Tainai Yasuragino Ie, a special home for the aged, and was united with former gozes. In the 1980s, the previous gozes who had worked in the region lived in the same home for the aged. The project of the education committee continued between 1973 and 1975, recording 40 tapes of 120 minutes each. Parts of them were broadcast through NHK, the public television and broadcasting network of Japan.

Reiko Takeshita (竹下玲子) was accepted as a new student of goze, and Naoko Kayamori (萱森直子) became the last student. On 25 March 1977, Haru was credited as the retainer of the goze art form and showed her skill at the National Theatre of Tokyo. On 29 April 1979, she was given the Medal of Honour with Yellow Ribbon.

The interference by the bad man still continued since he had asked Haru to educate a girl named Kimi as a goze. The girl had clear eyesight, and the bad man wanted to sell her somewhere. She decided to educate her; in return, the man haunted her presence for seven years. Haru left the Takase hot spring and went to Agano hot spring where she succeeded in leaving the bad man, who had become sick, in 1960, and therefore Haru adopted the girl as her daughter. Television had now started to become popular, and unfortunately goze jobs went into decline. She lived as a masseuse, although she was sometimes asked to play as a goze. Kimi was described as having 'loose morals' and after the wedding, gave birth to three children. Later, one of them, namely a grandson of Haru said a cruel thing to Haru; that her father put meat in his bowl, while her grandma (Haru) had only soup. Haru decided to leave them and entered a special home for the aged. Even so, they sometimes visited Haru for money. On May 28, 1973, Haru declared her retirement as a goze and gave her shamisen to an acquaintance. This was the last day of the activities of gozes in Nagaoka. She visited a temple every day but television reporters were waiting there for her.

In 1933, Haru became independent but continued to help her teacher. In 1935, Misu Tsuchida, one of Haru's apprentices, was going to marry a masseur and suggested that Haru adopt her, so they could live in one house. Haru accepted, but the masseur already had a wife. The newly constructed house that Haru had paid for was taken over by the wife, and the three persons moved to Takase Hot Spring. Misu's lover was a bad man that took the money earned by Haru. In 1934, Haru went back to Nagaoka, but there was nowhere available to live. She moved to a Tenrikyo church, where two visually-impaired gozes lived. On August 1, 1945, the goze house was destroyed during an air raid. Fortunately, their party was on a journey. On August 15, she played the famous story of 'Ogurihangan and Teruhime' (小栗判官照手姫), and of 'Kushimoto Bushi(串本節) and Ohryokkobushi(鴨緑江節)'. Haru's party returned to Nagaoka and fortunately, the Tenrikyo church had not been destroyed by the raids.

At age eighteen, Haru went on a journey with a goze with normal vision named Sayo. Sayo was a quick-tempered girl, and once Haru accidentally fell into a small moat. Somebody suggested Sayo should attend Haru more carefully. Angered, Sayo injured Haru in her genitalia with a stick, which resulted in lasting pain. In 1921, her teacher Sawa Hatsuji died, and Haru decided to study under Tsuru Sakai. Haru herself taught her lower apprentices kindheartedly. Tsuru allowed Haru to use a leather shamisen and a tortoiseshell bachi; these also symbolised the fact that she was a full-fledged goze. Tsuru retired and Haru began to lead her goze group.

At age twelve, she was given a shamisen sized for adults. At age thirteen, she was allowed to play duets (nichoushamisen); this meant that she was a full-fledged goze. However, Fuji did not value Haru highly, because Haru's family were hunters, so Haru was thought to be cursed with ill fortune. In 1915, her apprenticeship was discontinued without the fee, since Haru was not allowed to follow on a goze journey. Fuji probably disliked Haru's comparatively deep voice. Medical examinations revealed many fissures along Haru's leg bones, due to Fuji's habitual abuse. In the same year, Haru entered into an apprenticeship with Sawa Hatsuji of Nagaoka, with the approval of Goi Yamamoto, the boss of the goze organization of Nagaoka. She praised Haru's technique, and Haru was allowed to wear the under-garment with red han-eri, which was a sign of a fully-fledged goze. The new teacher was just and fair, unlike Fuji. Haru could eat anything, and then, could perform her skill beautifully.

In the spring of 1908, she was allowed to go out, at the order of Fuji Higuchi, her teacher, who wanted her to be accustomed to walking. Then, Haru for the first time met friends of her age. She had never played with girls before and for the first time, she was made aware that she was blind. While they were playing outside, Haru picked flowers of various colours, while her friends picked only red flowers. She had no concept of colour, because she was blind. Her mother cried and taught the idea of colours to Haru. Haru was taught that there was no other way of living other than as a goze. In 1908, Fuji, Haru, and two other older apprentices went on a journey, working as goze. Haru's uncle, virtually her father, declared that Haru should not return home if she failed, this would be a breach of contract and money would be owed. Haru endured hardship and cruel treatment by her teacher during the journey, unlike the two elder apprentices.

In the summer of 1907, Haru first started playing and singing the song Mishima geisha girls are excellent girls. Haru was very small and the shamisen was for little girls so her fingers on her left hand bled. Her mother scared her by saying she would drown Haru if she said the word "painful". She began to practice Kangoe, a vocal style specific to goze. This could be achieved through rigorous hard practice, ideally in a cold environment. Haru practiced on the banks of the Shinano River, even as it led to bleeding of her thorax. She was forced to practice in thin clothing, without tabi socks. This special training lasted for one month every winter for 14 years. Her goze technique progressed until she could play in the local shrine of her village.

Subsequently, goze was decided upon, and Fuji Higuchi became her tutor. At the request of her teacher, Haru's mother taught her daughter womanly disciplines very strictly, including sewing, how to dress by herself, and how to pack and carry her things by herself. If she failed, she could not eat meals. In March 1905, she formally began as a goze, as her family agreed to a 21-year-long contract with Fuji for taking Haru in apprenticeship. Her family paid the expenses of education and other costs in advance, and if she discontinued the apprenticeship, a breach-of-contract fee would have to be paid to Fuji. Haru was given the goze name "Sumi" and was subsequently home taught, but also travelled with her teacher.

Haru Kobayashi (小林 ハル, Kobayashi Haru, 24 January 1900 – 25 April 2005) was a Japanese female musician, singing goze songs accompanied by shamisen. Kobayashi was blind, and had been since she was three months old. She started goze training at age five and started her career at age eight. She continued until 1978, traveling throughout most of Niigata Prefecture as well as through parts of the Yamagata and the Fukushima Prefectures. In 1978, she was named as one of the Living National Treasures of Japan, as a key figure of the traditional goze art form. In 1979, she was awarded the Medal of Honor with Yellow Ribbon.

Kobayashi was born on 24 January 1900, the last daughter of four siblings in what is known today as Sanjo city, Niigata Prefecture. She was born to a relatively wealthy farming family of the Shoya class, or "top of the village." At three months of age, she lost her eyesight in both eyes due to cataracts; her family was told that there was no hope of recovery. In 1902, her father died; at that time, her mother had asthma. Kobayashi was brought up by her great-uncle, the younger brother of her grandfather.