Hayashi Kogetsu Brief History

It is said that Matano Shinryu (1791-1861) was the first teacher of Hayashi Kogetsu (birth date?-1905).  Kogetsu started a shakuhachi maker school.  He had a good connection with founder Higuchi Taizan and made shakuhachi for him and his students.  Hayashi Kogetsu made shakuhachi for the Taizan school only.  In Fuke magazine from 1940 Tanikita Muchiku mentions that Hayashi Kogetsu lived around Kyoto, close to Taizan's house.  Hayashi Kogetsu also owned a grocery store.

The founding players concurrent with the great makers of the period.

Some examples of the great makers' flutes on display at the Hamamatsu Museum in the Shizuoka prefecture in Yushin's vicinity.

There were several classifications that Taizan stamped into Kogetsu's shakuhachi.

"Tofuku Myoan Taizan" was the highest rank.

"Myoan Taizan" was the middle rank.

"Taizan" was the lowest rank.

The rarest and most valued shakuhachi have the "Tofuku Myoan Taizan" stamp with illustrations and sometimes Chinese kanji, too. 

The following photos are of the rarest and valued classification of  Kogetsu antique shakuhachi, one of which was sold on a Japanese Yahoo auction last year 2010.

The Kogestu Hanko

Two examples of authenticated Kogetsu hanko collected by Dr. Inagaki.  He owned a great number of rare jinashi, many of which after his passing were sold to the musical instrument museum.

From John Singer's website; "Kogetsu Hayashi was the leading Myoan maker of his time. This extremely rare shakuhachi is one of his best instruments. It has great body and clarity of tone. The balance and ease of response are superb. Higuchi Taizan (founder of the current Myoan style) used instruments made by Kogetsu. (Private collection)."

An example of a conterfeit Kogetsu hanko!

An example of a hanko that is possibly fake.

Another example of a possibly fake Kogetsu hanko.

Kogetsu also used two other hanko early in his career:

秋草 Autumn Grass

and

水辺 Water Wedge

Myoanji Snow

Remembrance

Tengu Festival; Komuso with Shakuhachi

Tengu (天狗, "heavenly dogs") are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known yōkai (monster-spirits) and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto kami (revered spirits or gods). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is practically the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination.

Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. Tengu are associated with the ascetic practice known as Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the distinctive garb of its followers, the yamabushi.

Kyotaku Lineage

Tani Kyochiku

Koku Nishimura

Agar Kyosui Noiri

.

1) Tuning
The way of kyotaku tuning is not like the way of Shakuhachi tuning.
The way of Shakuhachi tuning makes exact pitch, with adjusting the length of the flute, with adjusting the diameter of the inside flute.
On the other hand The case of Kyotaku , the flute is just one piece , no way to adjust the length, no way to adjust the diameter of the inside flute.
So, even same 2.6 length kyotakus makes different pitches.
But you will be able to manage to adjust the pitches when you play with someone together.
2) How to play ?
Compared with Shakuhachi, Kyotaku is more long, more fat,and much more big volume.
If you play kyotaku like the way of Shakuhachi, You will make only superficial light sound .
Slow and steady breath makes vibrate the big bamboo more efficiently.
Sometimes I saw retouched kyotakus by someone who didn’t know how to play with it.
It is difficult to fix again. You have to know the difference between Kyotaku and Shakuhachi.
3)Rot number ( 4 numbers)
The numbers showing the length of kyotaku.
Example, 2640 showing 2.64 = 2 shaku 6 sun 4 bu.

Enso Red Root

Large Bore 2.9 Shakuhachi with Honshu Red Urushi from Meijiro--goes on bright orange red and darkens to a deep red.

Background bamboo--Fargesia Rufa (preferred panda food source) Zone 5 Chicago, insulated last Winter with a 4 foot styrofoam box.  Next winter will have to try a thermal blanket, it's growing too big...

Backgound bamboo--Phylostachys Bissetti.  Zone 5 Chicago, no insulation needed, roots survive to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit ground temperature.  15 feet high in six years from a small plant.

Black Urushi and Brown Shuai Urushi on the roots, a turpentine and shuai wash on the lower nodes. A perfect Summer day for curing the natural poison sumac laquer on a screened porch, 90 degree heat, high humidity, no wind, no dust.

2.6 Jinashi with several coats of shuai urushi, glass finish, streak are reflections of sky.  Background Bamboo--Phyllostachys Nuda.  Zone 5 Chicago, no insulation needed.

Edo culture: daily life and diversions in urban Japan, 1600-1868

Inside Outside

Long after man has forgotten such words as Zen and Buddha, satori and koan, China and Japan and America, still the search will go on, still Zen will be seen even in flowers and grass-blades before the sun.

Yoshinobu Taniguchi Plays Jo-un

Carved in Wood

Carved in Stone