Tomimoto-bushi (富本節) is a style of Japanese jōruri music – narrative singing with shamisen accompaniment.
Noted for its subtlety and refinement, it was widely popular in the late 18th century, but today has been largely eclipsed by the Kiyomoto-bushi [ja] style, which arose from it.
Tomimoto-bushi was one of several styles that arose among the students of a singer named Miyakoji Bungo-no-jō[a] (c. 1660–1740) who had trained in Kyoto and became a sensation in Edo (modern Tokyo) when he appeared on the kabuki stage.
[2] Another widely admired performer during the late 18th century was the geisha Tomimoto Toyohina, who appears in numerous ukiyo-e prints by such artists as Utamaro.
The style was popular among upper-class samurai and the wealthy merchants who frequented the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter; at the peak of its popularity, proficiency in the Tomimoto style was said to be a prerequisite for young women wishing to enter service in the inner precincts of Edo Castle, residence of the shōgun.