Wuxing – the connections between the Five Dragon Kings (Ref) and the Five Elements philosophy
To better understand the origins of the Five Dragon Kings and the ancient Chinese legend, it is worth mentioning the wuxing of natural philosophy, which states that all things are composed of five elements: fire, water, wood, metal and earth.
The underlying idea is that the five elements 'influence each other, and that through their birth and death, heaven and earth change and circulate'.
The five elements are described as followed:
Wood/Spring: a period of growth, which generates abundant vitality, movement and wind.
Fire/Summer: a period of swelling, flowering, expanding with heat.
Earth is associated with ripening of grains in the yellow fields of late summer.
Metal/Autumn: a period of harvesting, collecting and dryness.
Water/Winter: a period of retreat, stillness, contracting and coolness.
The wuxing system, in use since the Han dynasty (2nd century BCE), appears in many seemingly disparate fields of early Chinese thought, including music, feng shui, alchemy, astrology, martial arts, military strategy, I Ching divination, and traditional medicine, serving as a metaphysics based on cosmic analogy.
The wuxing originally referred to the five major planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars and Venus), which were thought of as the five forces that create life on earth. Wu Xing litterally means moving star and describes the five types of Qi (all the vital substances) cycles through various stages of transformation. As yin and yang continuously adjust to one another and transform into one another in a never-ending dance of harmony, they tend to do so in a predictable pattern.
The lists of correlations for the five elements are diverse, but there are two cycles explaining the major interaction. The yin-yang interaction, which by increasing or decreasing the qualities and functions associated with a particular phase, it may either nourish a phase that is in deficiency or drain a phase that is in excess or restrain a phase that is exerting too much influence (see below):
The Creation Cycle (Yang)
Wood feeds Fire
Fire creates Earth (ash)
Earth bears Metal
Metal collects Water
Water nourishes Wood
The Destruction Cycle (Yin)
Wood parts Earth
Earth dams (or absorbs) Water
Water extinguishes Fire
Fire melts Metal
Metal chops Wood
The Huainanzi (2nd BCE) describes the five colored dragons (azure/green, red, white, black, yellow) and their associations (Chapter 4: Terrestrial Forms), as well as the placement of sacred beasts in the five directions (the Four Symbols beasts, dragon, tiger, bird, tortoise in the four cardinal directions and the yellow dragon.
Hitorie 2024 Lisani Interview for the On The Frontline/SENSE-LESS WONDER [ReREC] Release
INTERVIEW & TEXT BY 森 朋之(Mori Tomoyuki)
――デビュー10周年を記念したシングルの表題曲「オン・ザ・フロントライン」は、TVアニメ『無職転生Ⅱ ~異世界行ったら本気だす~』 第2クールOPテーマ。まずは『無職転生Ⅱ』の好きなキャラクターについて教えてもらえますか?
The A side song for your single “On the Frontline”, is featured as the opening song for the second season of the anime “Mushoku Tensei”. Could you tell me about which characters you like from the show?
シノダ ナナホシさんです。キャラデザから境遇から性格から何から何まで僕はナナホシさんが好きです。少しでも彼女に良いことがあればいいなと思っています。
Shinoda: Nanahoshi-san for me. I like her all the way down from her character design up to her lore and personality, every last little detail. I want at least something, any nice thing to happen to her.
イガラシ ロキシー・ミグルディアが好きです。突出した才能を備えているがゆえの不器用さと、驕らずに自分を変えていく部分に感銘を受けました。
ygarshy: I like Roxy Migurdia. The way that her outstanding talent is exactly what makes her so clumsy, and the fact that she doesn’t let it get to her head and instead attempts to change herself, it all left an impression on me.
ゆーまお ザノバ・シーローンが好きです。人形に対しての情熱と愛が彼を狂わせてイカれてしまった人間なのかと思いきや、忠誠心からか身内にはとても思いやりのある優しいギャップがとても良いです。ジュリとの今後の関係値がどう深まっていくのか気になります。
Yumao: I like Zanoba Shirone. It may have seemed as if his love and passion for his puppets drew him mad and pushed him off the edge but, the fact that it originally came from a place of kindness and love, he was just too loyal for his own good, is so interesting to me. I’m so curious to see how his relationship with Julie plays out in the future.
――なるほど。「オン・ザ・フロントライン」はエッジの効いたサウンドと美しいメロディが共存した楽曲。制作時の方向性、こだわった部分は?
I see. “On the Frontline” is a song wherein which violent instrumentals coexist with a gorgeous melody. Was there any specific part you were fussy with, in terms of direction, when writing the song?
シノダ この時はエレキギターのカッコよさを伝える使命感に駆られていた為、1サビ後の間奏のフレーズが爆発力ある音で録れたことに非常に満足しています。
Shinoda: I felt it was almost my duty to show the world just how cool electric guitar can be, and that’s exactly what drove me to make the guitar solo after the first chorus so explosive. I’m incredibly satisfied with how the recording turned out.
イガラシ ベースに関しては、伸びやかな歌のメロディーを引き立てることとリズムの力強さを損なわないことの両立をイメージしました。
ygarshy: In regards to the bass, I focused on emboldening the melody of the calm vocals, but in a way that wouldn’t impede on the strength of the rhythm. I had to find a way to balance both.
ゆーまお 破壊的で攻撃的なサウンドを埋め込みたくて、ギターの注文は結構こだわっていました。途中に組み込まれている変拍子も、自分が影響を受けたオルタナティブロックバンドの破壊的で推進力を感じるビートを取り入れました。
Yumao: I wanted the music to be chock full of destructive and aggressive energy, so I was meticulous in following whatever the guitar needed. The change in rhythm in the middle of the song was inspired by the alternative rock bands I like, as I fashioned the beat to have that same propulsive, explosive force that they tend to have.
――〈失っちゃいけない想いだけをなぞった/そして僕は行くのだろう〉という歌詞が印象的でした。この歌詞を書いていたときに、シノダさんが意識していたのはどんなことですか?
The lyrics “I traced only my feelings worth fighting for/And so do I forge on” especially left an impression on me. What was going through your head when you wrote them?
シノダ 生きていく上で大切なものを失うということは、往々にして起こり得ることなのだと感じることがここ数年多くて。そういったことも受け止め続ける覚悟を決めながら生きていかなければいけないんだよな、みたいなことを考えながら書いていたように思います。
Shinoda: Over the past few years I’ve had to face the reality that in life you will lose the things that you love, it’s commonplace. So I was thinking about how we need to be ready to cope with that so long as keep going on living.
――そして「センスレス・ワンダー[ReRec]」は、メジャー1stシングル「センスレス・ワンダー」を新たにレコーディングした音源。現在のみなさんにとって、「センスレス・ワンダー」とはどんな曲でしょうか?
For Senseless Wonder [ReRec], you recorded the song from your first major single anew. What does Senseless Wonder as a song mean to you now, after all this time?
シノダ 我ながらカッコいいギターリフを考えたな、と10年前の自分を褒めてあげたい曲です。
Shinoda: “Damn you really came up with a cool guitar riff” is what I would tell myself from10 years ago.
イガラシ 自分たちをここまで連れてきてくれた曲です。
ygarshy: This song has served to bring us to where we are today.
ゆーまお 青さの現れ、と思っています。とてつもなく早いBPMと情報量が詰め込まれている音数、歌詞、どれもあの時の年齢、思考でしか出てこない曲だなと思います。
Yumao: I feel it was really the flower of our youth. The unbelievably high BPM, the information overload, all somehow stuffed within the measure and the lyrics, everything. It’s the kind of thing that was only possible at that age, and mindset we were in back then.
――「センスレス・ワンダー」を初めて3人で演奏したときのことを教えてもらえますか? また、今回レコーディングにするにあたって大事にしていたことは?
Could you tell me about the first time you performed Senseless Wonder as a trio? Or what was essential to you when recording the new version?
シノダ 最初はどうしても音が足りないので、それでもとにかくこれでやっていくしかないなと、きっとやっていくうちにカッコよくなっていく筈だと当時は思っていました。そうやって再構築してやって来た「センスレス・ワンダー」をなるべくそのまま録音したい、という気持ちで今回の録音に挑みました。
Shinoda: We were lacking manpower and just notes and noise in general initially, but we had no choice except to keep on pushing and find a solution as to how to make it cool as we went.
イガラシ イントロでwowakaが弾いていたカッティングをベースで演奏する必要があって、ギター特有のストロークのパターンを高速で演奏することに注力しました。
ygarshy: I needed to recreate the clip of wowaka’s guitar playing but on bass, so it was a challenge play the guitar’s unique stroke patterns at the high speed needed.
ゆーまお とにかく音が足りない。イントロのリズムギターを誰が弾くのかとか、サウンドの厚みが減ったのではないかとか、減ってたって良いじゃないかとか、色々話していました。
Yumao: We were just flat out lacking notes. The question of who would play the rhythm guitar part in the intro, the fact that the music lost so many layers, the fact that maybe it was fine even though it wasn’t as rich as it was before…. We discussed a lot.
――「Selfy charm」は煌びやかさな音像とバンドサウンドが融合。このアレンジに至った経緯を教えてもらえますか?
“Selfy charm” combines hard J-rock with glittery musical imagery.
シノダ ギターに関しては基本的にイガラシ君の意のままにアレンジした、といった感じです。とにかくメチャメチャ綺麗な音で録れたので満足しています。
Shinoda: For the guitar, I primarily abided by whatever ygarshy-kun asked me to do. So I’m so happy with how crisp and clean the music came out.
イガラシ 2年前、Summer flight tourで全国をまわっていた時期にデモを制作しました。夏の夜の浮遊感、熱を攪拌しながら夜道を彷徨う様なイメージで音を重ねた記憶があります。
ygarshy: I had written the draft for the song back during our nationwide Summer Flight Tour two years ago. I remember I had in mind that floaty, airy atmosphere of summer nights; drifting along sunless streets whilst the heat whisked around, that kind of thing.
――歌詞のテーマは美醜だとか。見た目に対する意識はますます強まっている印象もありますが、このテーマを選んだ理由は?
The theme of the song is appearances, the pretty and the ugly. I get the sense that you’re beginning to worry about the way you look more and more, but, what exactly was the reason you settled on this theme?
シノダ 僕が重度のSNS依存症なので、基本的にずっと画面をスクロールさせているんですけど、ふとした瞬間にタイムラインに発生する綺麗な女性の写真にスクロールを反射的に止めさせられることがあって。その“止めさせられ”が最早強制力の域に達してるんじゃないかと思うことが多く、この女性はどれだけの苦悩やコンプレックスを抱え、それらと戦い続け、努力を重ね、いかにして人のスクロールを止める強制力を得るに至ったのかみたいなことを勝手に想像したときがありました。生半可な努力では無いはずなので。その勝手な想像が何か曲にハマりそうだったので、歌詞にしてみました。
Shinoda: I’m a heavy social media addict, you can practically always find me scrolling on my screen. So sometimes when photos of beautiful women suddenly show up on my timeline, they reflexively make me halt my scrolling. I often end up feeling like that “makes me halt” part practically reaches the level of forceful compulsion with how powerful it is. These women must be burdened with their own anxieties, things they hate about themselves, struggles they’re constantly battling. All those efforts are what won them their extramundane power to force us to stop our scrolling. Or so, I find myself imagining. There’s no way they put half-assed effort into what they do after all. That wild imagination of mine was went into the song.
――そして「さくらのいつか」はwowakaさんを思って書かれた曲だとか。この���ーマで曲を作ろうと決めた理由、そこに込めた思いを教えてもらえますか?
Then, you said that “Sakura no Itsuka” was written about wowaka. What made you decide to write about this subject?
シノダ このテーマで曲を作ろうとしたわけではなく、この曲は〆切のギリッギリに出来た曲なんですけど、ちょうど桜が咲いていた時期だった所為か、ごくごく自然にこの曲が書けてしまい。書けてしまったということはこれも何かの巡り合わせなのだろう、ということで収録するに至った次第です。
Shinoda: I actually didn’t consciously decide to do so. I finished the song in the nick of time before the deadline too. The cherry blossoms just so happened to be in season at the time, and that’s why this song kind of naturally came to me. It was a crazy twist of fate, even more so that it ended up on the album.
――今回のシングル4曲はすべてライブで披露されています。ライブでの手ごたえはどうでしたか?
All 4 songs from the single are now being performed live at concerts. What has the response been like?
シノダ 「さくらのいつか」に関しては、初めて演奏した時に会場全体を悲しみの坩堝にぶち込んでしまったような感触があり、この曲この先演奏するのやめた方がいいのかな、と一瞬悩むほどでした。
Shinoda: I felt like the entire crowd was flung into one big melting pot of sorrow the first time we performed “Sakura no Itsuka”, and for a moment back there I was worried that maybe we shouldn’t ever perform this song again.
イガラシ 初めて演奏したときから「Selfy charm」で盛り上がってくれて嬉しく思っています。あまりこのテンポの楽曲を作曲したことがなかったので、ひとつ今後への経験になりました。
ygarshy: The crowd has been enchanted by “Selfy charm” ever since the first time we unveiled it live. I’ve never really written a song with this tempo before so it’s been a good learning experience for me.
ゆーまお 「Selfy Charm」を演奏してる時、みんなが楽しそうにノリノリで聞いているのでとても嬉しいです。
Yumao: Whenever we do “Selfy charm” live, everyone bops along so cheerfully that it makes even me happy.
――ヒトリエは今年デビュー10周年。いろいろな出来事がありましたが、今現在のヒトリエをどう捉えていますか?
Hitorie: Hitorie hit their debut’s 10th year anniversary just this year. I can see you’ve been through many ups and downs along the way but, how do you feel about the current day Hitorie you’ve grown into?
シノダ よくやってるな、と思います。
Shinoda: We’re really trucking right along, I think.
イガラシ 演奏の手応えは増してきています。継続と発展を目指します。
ygarshy: People are appreciating our performances more and more. So my goal is to first preserve then develop this state further.
ゆーまお 10周年にしてようやく、ヒトリエって結構強いバンドかもしれないって思ってきてます。
Yumao: After 10 years I’ve finally come to the realization that Hitorie actually is a pretty powerful force to be reckoned with.
――wowakaさんを失ってしまった後もバンドを継続できたこと、今も素晴らしい音楽をやり続けられていることの理由は何だと思いますか?
After losing wowaka-san you chose to still keep the band alive, and continue to write wonderful music, the same as before. What was the reasoning behind this decision?
シノダ wowakaの作ったバンドだからだと思います。
Shinoda: Because Hitorie was made by wowaka.
イガラシ 現在進行形でかっこいいバンドの名曲として彼の音楽を聞き続けてもらえるように活動したいと思い続けています。
ygarshy: My motivation to continue on working is because I want the world to keep on listening to his music, be it via the hit tracks from a spunky band in the present progressive tense.
ゆーまお 彼の時は止まってしまいましたが、これから先も恥じないメンバーである事を証明するための意地ですね。
Yumao: Time may have stopped for him but, we’re adamant about proving that we are his bandmates, and we want to make him proud.
――9月15日には「HITORI-ESCAPE 2024 10-NEN-SAI~日比谷超絶野音~」を開催。今年の夏以降の活動ビジョンについて教えてください。
On September 15th you plan to throw HITORI-ESCAPE 10-NEN-SAI at Hibiya Outdoor Stage. Could you tell me about what your vision for the band will be post summer?
シノダ きっと楽しい未来が待ってると思います。
Shinoda: All I know is that some kind of exciting future is probably waiting for us.
イガラシ 野音は節目の大きなライブですが、そのあともいい音楽と演奏を届けられるように止まらず活動していきます。
ygarshy: The Hibiya Non show is a major turning point, seeing as of how big of a show it is, but, once it’s over we still need to keep making good music and putting on good shows, no slowing down.
ゆーまお 日比谷野音が終わっても、まだまだ今年やる事が残っています。楽しみにしていてください。
Yumao: We sill have lots of things in store this year, even after Hibiya Non, so please keep your eyes peeled.