It is said that in Pansori there are five basic tastes such as sweetness, bitterness, acidity, hotness, and astringency just like foods. It is essential that one should make good use of them. Tones of Pansori are categorized in three types, such as seopyonche, chungpyonche and tongpyonche. Each of them are considered to be woman, neutral, and man tone.

In Pansori, "han" (Grudge), the world of Korean's peculiar spirit is considered to be the most important emotion. "Han" in Pansori is not only the grudge against the third party, but also one against himself as a regrettable feeling and remorse for the fact that he never could accomplish. In the Pansori world, one should accept his han (grudge) within himself as it is, and face to it directly, and after all, one tries to defeat it to himself by getting it over.

In the performance of Pansori, the integration with the spectator is extremely attached to importance. The performance of Pansori is assumed complete only where the drum player and the audience work together to heat up the emotions by following to the stream of a story by singer perfectly.

2. How I met with Pansori

Listening to a certain kind of the Korean pops, many Japanese must be surprised that they are very similar to Enka of Japan. Finally many of them may feel shameful recognizing their old idea that the Enka represents a heart and mind of Japanese. However, listening to such Korean songs carefully, one may recognize that they are obviously different from Enka in Japan. That is, in Enka people sings trying to have tempers back using strong energy, while in such Korean songs, people sings scooping out feelings and express it toward the audience with a full power. I once saw a TV program in which a Korean singer who sings Enka in Japan said similar comment about it. She said she was spending very hard time in Japan with controlling and killing her tempers and emotions.

I met Pansori at the first time by the vide CD of a famous Korean movie which my friend in Korea sent to me. "Soepyonche" was its title. This movie is well known that in the sixth week of its cut over it mobilized two hundred thousand of audiences, and sold sixty thousand of original sound track CDs. Listening to the Pansori being sung through out the movie, I was utterly captivated by Pansori. To be the first class Pansori singer, people bets his life with a possibility to damage the vocal chords completely forever. It is an ultra art that can be achieved after the incredible training with a risk of losing his life. I is a world that can be reached only by fighting against his own emotion within himself. When I listened to Pansori, I came to know how the Wabi and the Sabi which are basic spiritual world, together with suffering and screaming of human life, which I thought was an origin to build up Enka in Japan, are frivolous in comparison with Pansori. (Sorry for fans of Enka, but I am not intending to speak ill to Enka.)

¨ This is thevideo CD of movie "Soepyonche" in which I met Pansori firast.

The difference of Korean Enka and Japanese Enka consist with the fact that the way of expression of feeling of two nations are opposite. And I felt strongly that the origin of the Korean Enka is this Pansori. The difference of Korean Enka and Japanese Enka is exist in only the difference of way of expression of feeling due to their national character, we may be able to say that the origin of Japanese Enka also exists in this Pansori. Important thing is a fact that if you are a Japanese, you would be impressed strongly by Pansori In these years, Pansori seems to be introduced in western world and receives high acclaim. However, many of Japanese would be doubtful that they could understand it perfectly. And I think, that is an evidence that the Japanese and the Korean can not be separated as they are kindred each other.

3. Pansori Movie "Beyond the windy hill - Soepyonche" (Introduction of a Video CD of "World Movie" in Korea)

Soepyongche, a production in 1993, has been introduced to Japan with a title of "Beyond the windy hill - Soepyonche".


This movie describes a story of that a father who keeps Pansori obstinately keeps go on a trip playing Pansori together with a little adopted daughter Songfa, and a liitle son (a son of his lover, who past away, with former marriage) Dongho in the country of southern Korea of 1960's, The father teaches strictly Pansori to his kids everyday, singing Pansori, traveling around the country. The singer to Songfa, and the player of the drum to Dongho, he trains thoroughly.


Traveling and playing Pansori, Songfa and Dongho grew up to be an independent singer and player.


Her Pansori voice that can be listened through out the movie is just fantastic. With her beauty, her clear and transparent voice sometimes gets us imagine a incredible power that comes from the very bottom of the earth.










Poverty and his father's too severe passionc


made Dongho run away from his family at last, and a father continues trip for play only with his daughter.


After Dongho run away, Songfa quit to sing. Her farter who aim to let her complete her Pansori, let her drink medical herbs everyday, and after all, she lost her sight.


In poverty and ruin, father past away, and blind Songfa was left alone and was forced to live in the world of bottom. Years past by, Dongho who had left his father and sister was trying to find them hanging around the country with the feeling of the guilty. At last, he found where Songfa is. Dongho did not tell her his name, but requested her to play Pansori together.



Songfa sings, and Dongho plays the drum.


Singing Pansori, she recognized that he is her brother. However, with a deep pent up mind to their father, and all of sufferings they had been carried, only the things there we can find was two, involving themselves in playing Pansori






At this moment, Songfa gets free from all of the "han" and go beyond the "han", and therefore her Pansori song could reaches to the peak. Two play Pansori with full power, having tears coming up. This is the very hi-light and a conclusion of this movie.

* All of these images are from the Video CD product by World Movie ENT, Korea, which I previously introduced in the above "2. How I met with Pansori"
* The video CD is available in Korean video shops or internet shops.


4. History of Pansori

Pansori is said to be developed in the beginning of 18th Century in Chonra-do, southern part of Korean peninsula, due to the merchants who get profit from it supported singer as a patron. It is told that before the Pansori was established solidly, it had been a kind of itinerant's entertainment which showed not only songs but also mask, puppet play and ropewalking. It was only twenty or thirty years ago when Pansori was re-recognized in Korea, and it happened to be triggered by the western peoples who praised its traditional method of singing with a peculiar falvor.

Originally, there were 12 songs in Pansori, but there left only five that had been sung continuously by now. They are Chunhyang, Shimchong, Fungbu, Sugun, and Chokbyok.

(1) Chunhyang song
A love story of a son of Yanban in the Choson era whose name is Monryong Lee and a daughter of geisha girl, whose name is Chunghyang Son. They are composed with four scenes such as "Love of Chunhyang", "Separete of Chunhyang", "Ordeal of Chunhyang", and "Reunion of Chunhyang".

(2) Shimchong song
Shimchong song is a tragic dutiful story that dutiful daughter Shimchong helped her blinded father to get recover sight even she sold her body. I t is composed with "Infancy days of Shimchong", "Shimchong gets virgin" and "Shimchong gets the Empress". It is considered to be the most difficult Pansori technically.

(3) Fungbu song
Fungbu song is a story that poor but honest Funbo gets treasures in a gourd he grew up. A rich man but with deep desire tried to imitate him, But he got shit and ghost coming out from the gourd.

(4) Sugun song
Sugun song is a story of a families who were cheated by a rabbit. Through an animal, it describes human being as an object of a satire.

(5)Chokbyok song
Chokbyok song is a revised "Wills of three countries", a famous Chinese historical novel.

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