noh accompaniment; noh accompanist
In noh, refers to the musical accompaniment to a chant or the musician providing it.
kabuki samisen accompaniment; kabuki samisen player
In kabuki, the samisen part that accompanies a recitation, or the player performing it.
nagauta interlude; samisen interlude
In nagauta music, the samisen piece played between vocal sections.
See also: 長唄 (ながうた)
In noh, the accompaniment is played along with the chant.
In kabuki, the accompanist plays the samisen along with the narration.
In nagauta, a samisen interlude is inserted between the vocal parts.
Alternate spelling with okurigana; less common but still used.
Compound of 合い (ai, 'together, matching') and 方 (kata, 'person, side, way'), referring to the matching musical part or the person who performs it.