Shakuhachi Recordings' Cover Art

Domo Arigato

 

Shakugen 3.75 Shakuhachi: Masakazu Yoshizawa (9/10/50-10/24/07)

"No other shakuhachi could hit the low note that you hear on this album [Immortality]. When I heard its deep and soulful sound I called it 'Shakugen'. Obviously 'shaku' comes from shakuhachi and the character 'Gen' means the depth of inward spirit and could be the origin of the universe. Masa really loved the name 'Shakugen' and we've been calling it this ever since." --his friend Dr. Osamu Kitajima

Masakazu Yoshizawa was working on his last recording Immortality until 4 days before he died of stomach cancer at 57.
 
 

 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mystic Depth

Absolute Simplicity: "Dai-setz" D. T. Suzuki

One of the most culturally significant Japanese in all of history, Daisetsu Teitarō Suzuki (October 18th,1870-July 12th,1966) introduced Zen and Far Eastern philosophy to the West at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. 

1893 Chicago World's Fair

Chicago 1893 Dedication Ceremony

Jackson Park, Chicago 1893

Ho-o-den 1893 Chicago

Throughout his long life, he helped explain through writings, lectures, and his own example the nature of the Zen Mind.

Mr. Suzuki also collected many important artifacts from Japan, some of which he gave to my shakuhachi teacher's family; a Myoan-ji Temple bell is still displayed and admired today. 

His generosity is remembered, and his legacy honored in these artistically rendered portraits:

Leisurely Humming

Calligraphy of Jiun Onko.  "Kan-jin" (leisurely humming). 18th century

Iwami Baikyoku V. Iwami

Iemoto Tsuna Iwami Baikyoku V. Iwami was one of the last students of Araki Kodo III and Araki Kodo IV. He is the only shakuhachi player alive today who is a direct descendant of Araki Kodo IV. He has been isolated in Brazil since 1956 and uninfluenced by other shakuhachi artists' schools of thought and modern shakuhachi trends in Japan.. He refers to himself as a “living fossil” of the pure Kinko-ryu shakuhachi tradition.  Iwami’s old style of playing is especially evident in his interpretations of honkyoku, especially in his favorite composition, "Shika no Tone”, a duet he plays with student Julio Kobayashi in this audio link.

Iwami: Shika no Tone In 1982 Ralph Samuelson agreed on hearing this recording that Iwami’s style represents a tradition of playing no longer heard in Japan today.

Also: Sagariha

Araki Kodo III

Use of shakuhachi in a funeral procession by Japanese immigrants in Brazil,  post WW II.

Tadashi Tajima

In addition to traditional concert settings, Mr. Tajima has also experimented with playing the shakuhachi in various spatial and sonic locations including an oratory at a Shinto shrine, on the surface of a lake, and inside a cave.

Chikuzen Nakatsuka 1887 - 1944

The following account is based on the incomplete research by Nakatsuka Chikuzen, as introduced by Malm in 1959.

"The ranks of the Edo -period komuso were not drawn primarily from the seeker's of Buddha's paradise; rather, they were filled with ronin, masterless samurai who had lost their original rank and privileges during the violent clan struggles that marked the late sixteenth century.  These men sought satisfaction more in earthly revenge than heavenly rewards.  It was from their ranks that many of the early Christians were drawn.  When the Christian movement was halted by the slaughter of Shimabara in 1638, many of these ronin felt their entire class was going to fall victim to the paranoid vengeance of the shogun's government.

It is believed that one group of these desperate men formed a komuso group in Kyoto called the Fukeshu.  In secret, they acquired a building associated with one of the largest Buddhist temples in the hope that the shogun would not view their activities as part of  a Christian revival.  This, their headquarters, they named the Myoan (or Meian) temple.  Despite this precaution, they were subjected to suspicion from other ancillary temples:  in addition to their dislike of the ronin's unsavory background, these other temples were probably afraid of guilt by association.

In order to secure their position, the Fukeshu faked a number of papers claiming their historical origins as coming from China; they also produced a copy of a license from the first Edo shogun, Ieyasu, giving them the exclusive right to solicit alms by means of shakuhachi playing.  Armed with these documents, they finally notified the authorities of their existence and asked for official recognition of their temple and their rights.  When the government bureaucrats received this request, they immediately demanded the original Ieyasu document.  The Fukeshu claimed that it had been burned years earlier.  It seemed certain that this group was destined to be short-lived until one of the shogun's wiser advisers suggested that their request be granted.  His reasoning was that the destruction of the group would only scatter and further embitter already vengeful men.  It would be safer to grant them their much coveted security and preferment, on condition that they act as spies for the government and keep track of the going-on of all the other ronin.  Such a proposition was made and accepted.

To facilitate the exchange of information as well as control of the organization, the komuso headquarters were moved to Edo, the seat of the shogun's government.  Their "religious" center was established in the Ichigatsuji and Reihoji temples outside the city, while their "business" center was located in the Asakusa, in the heart of the entertainment district.  From there, they could fan out along the avenues and back alleys of this famous pleasure district, playing a few soft melodies and overhearing equally intimate conversations.  Eventually, with the Meiji restoration, the organization was abolished."

Wandering Priests

Gentle heralds of a greater music to come.

At present, these folk arts are still a matter of local pride, but history has shown that such arts, though important stimuli for other forms, are themselves very susceptible to influence and change.  In modern folk music, the new factor is mass communication.  It is impossible to calculate the extent to which the medium is capable of helping or damaging things.  The communication centers may take over the functions of story-telling and entertainment, while advertising may usurp education.  Nevertheless, the ordinary person's need for self-expression and a close connection with the basic forces of nature will prove, perhaps, an antibiotic for this virulent infectiuon which seems to be decimating the folk arts of the world.  It is still too early for any firm theories.  The best we can do is to learn to appreciate the wonderful Japanese folk tradition as it is, encourage it whenever possible, and hope that history will treat it kindly.--Malm, 1959

The shakuhachi and its music are designed for introspection.  With a modicum of materials, the player can reap a harvest of quiet pleasures.  In a crowded and busy world, such simple means of refined musical recreation and relaxation are to be coveted by any culture.  Perhaps this is one of the most important intrinsic appeals of the shakuhachi today.

Hermit of Yedo

The shakuhachi master and hermit Omori Toku mentioned by Sir Francis Taylor Piggot in his 1909 book The Music and Musical Instruments of Japan.

Where's Komuso?

Find the komuso in this 1740's woodblock view of the crowds on the Nakanocho, the central street of Yoshiwara.

Japanese Wind Instruments

Japanese wind instruments in comparision.