Catalog of Shōdan: Entrance and exit music
Deha
This instrumental music is used for the entrance of the nochi-shite, usually a god, deity, or celestial being. As such, it is typically found in plays from the First and Fifth Category. In addition to the nohkan, its instrumentation always includes the three percussion instruments: taiko, otsuzumi, and kotsuzumi.
The taiko part unfolds in five cycles of patterns that follow the standard sequence: Head pattern → 1st transition → Ground pattern → 2nd transition → Closing pattern. The Head pattern, kashira, articulates the beginning of each cycle; it is played seven, five, three, two, and finally one time before the remainder of each cycle proceeds. This decreasing number of kashira patterns creates a formal accelerando, emphasized by the steady increase in tempo throughout the shōdan. As this particular performance of Takasago was staged to celebrate an auspicious occasion, the festive yang numbers—7, 5, 3, and 1—are prominently featured in the repetitions.
Originally, the shōdan Deha was also referred to as Taiko Issei, which reveals that it was considered a variation of Issei Music, sharing a similar structure: the Deha’s first section corresponds to the Kakari of Issei Music, its second to the Koshi no dan, its third to the Ji no dan, and its fourth and fifth together to the Makuage no dan.
Twice, the nohkan joins the percussion trio, each time entering during the first measure of a group of Ground patterns. The entrance of the nochi-shite coincides with the start of the nohkan’s second entry. In this Deha, the nohkan’s two patterns are almost identical to those used in the Issei music for the entrance of the mae-shite and shitezure, as shown below:
| Issei music | Deha |
| 1st pattern | 1st pattern |
|
Hi-hya-u Hyu ruri rorura ri yari |
Hi-hya-u Hyu ruri rorura ri yari Ohya rorura ra |
| 2nd pattern | 2nd pattern |
|
Hi-hya u tau tau tau tau Hi-hya-y ru ro iya ro-i Hi-u Hi-hya ra-u Hyo ro-i O-hya ro-u cho-u |
O-hya-i Hya-u Hya-u tau tau tau tau tau Hya-u ru ro iya Hi-u ri-u Hi-hya u-ru ro iya O-hya ro-u cho-u |
One difference, however, lies in tempo: the Issei music, used in Takasago to introduce two elderly deities, is much slower than the Deha, which introduces the youthful God of Sumiyoshi.