S-R-g-P-d-S

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The SRgPdS swara set – equivalent to ‘Shivranjani komal dha’ or ‘Bhupali Todi shuddha Re’ – exists in several distinct Hindustani guises. Patiala vocalists title it ‘Lilavati’, however this name is also applied to a separate ‘Kalavati komal ga’ raga by others. The same scale also appears under the intriguing title of ‘Japaneeya / Japaniya’: a recent import from Carnatic music with rumoured connections to filmi tunes of the 1980s (the Malayalam Music & Movie Encyclopedia lists four songs under the raga, with the earliest being 1983’s Ganamohana Mridu – although the only one of these I can find a recording for is 2000’s Thulasimaniyaniju). At first, I wondered if the title was a reference to Japan – after all, the same scale form is used as a ubiquitous ‘Japanese motif’ in international media, appearing in various rotations to summon an instant essence of Japanese culture in TV, film, and beyond (e.g. The Simpsons; South Park). However, Ashish Dha confirmed with Abhirang – the only known Hindustani performer of the raga – that it in fact derives from ‘jap karnaa‘ (जपनीय): an ancient tradition of mantra repetition practiced by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jains, and others. Abhirang’s intriguing recording gives centre-stage to a fleetingly brief (gRg)P ornament, providing relief amidst the scale’s highly irregular geometries – although for now, I can’t trace any others from the North. So, even if the raga has no direct links to Japan, I may as well take the chance to mention the equivalent tone-collection in Japanese classical music: known as ‘Miyakobushi’, with no inherent requirement for a fixed ‘root’ (making it more like an interlinked murchana-set than a single scale: although it often feels anchored in Gunkali’s SrmPdS sequence, Japaniya’s ma-murchana: compare to other modes including Kaushik Dhwani and Amritvarshini). For more Japan-raga connections, read in-depth essays by Aishik Bandyopadhyay and T.M. Hoffman, and listen to Ravi Shankar’s 1978 collaboration with koto master Hozan Yamamoto – and learn about cross-cultural explorers such as santooriya Mari Komuro, sarangiya Yuji Nakagawa, vocalist Tilak Bhattacharya, sitarists Amit Roy and Tadao Ishihama, and ‘sitarla’ pioneer Hideki Ishima.

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राग जपनीय

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• Hindustani Raga Index •

Aroha: SRgPdS

Avroh: SdPgRS

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Pakad: variable, e.g. gRgP; PdSRgR; SgRSd

Chalan: (open-form)

—Abhirang (2022)—

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[bandish, e.g. 6:27] (S)R (gRg)P, g(Rg), SgR(S)d, S(d), (S)R, R (gRg)P, g(Rg), Sr(gRgRD) d, PS(d) (S)R (gRg)P, g(Rg); SR(gRgR) dS, (dS)R, SRgd(P), PdSRgR (SdS)d P(g) gR(SR)S, R (PgP) g(Rg), SgR(S)d…

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• Carnatic Origins •

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—Ragam Japaniya—

(Anant NSK)

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–All ragas of Carnatic origin–

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• Classifiers •

Explore hidden inter-raga connections: swara geometries, melodic features, murchana sets, ragangas, & more (also see the Full Tag List):

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Swaras: -4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10+

Sapta: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Poorvang: SRGM | SRG | SRM | SGM

Uttarang: PDNS | PDS | PNS | DNS

Varjit: Re | Ga | Ma | Pa | Dha | Ni

Thaat: 10 | 32 | Enclosed | Inexact

Chal: All-shuddha | All-komal | Ma-tivra

Gaps: Anh. | Hemi. | 3-row | 4-row | 5-row

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Aroha: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Avroh: Audav | Shadav | Sampurna

Jati: Equal | Balanced | Av.+1 | Av.+2

Samay: Morning | Aftern. | Eve. | Night

Construction: Jod | Mishra | Oddball

Origin: Ancient | Carnatic | Modern

Dominance: Poorvang | Uttarang

Prevalence: A-list | Prachalit | Aprach.

• Prakriti: (some forms of Lilavati)

Also see other ragas matching the generic swaras ‘Sa-Re-Ga-Pa-Dha‘

–Swara Geometries–

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• Core form: S–R–g–P–d–S

• Reverse: SGmDnS

• Complement: SrGmMDnNS

• Imperfect: 2 (Re, ga)

• Detached: none

• Symmetries: none

• Murchanas: Kaushik Dhwani set

–Global Translations–

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• Carnatic: Japaniya

S-R₂-G₂-P-D₁-S

• Jazz: Aeolian (no 4th/6th)

1-2-b3-5-b6-8

• Pitch classes (‘fret-jumps’):

0-2-3-7-8-0

(2–1–4–1–4)

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o • o o • • • o o • • • o

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• Tanpura: Sa–Pa (+dha)

• Names: Japaniya, Japaneeya

• Transliterations: Hindi (जपनीय)

—Prasant Radhakrishnan (2024)—