The vicissitudes of life
Bamboo sound left behind
Wind through pine forests.
(the death tanka poem of Taizan Higuchi, 35th Myoan Kansu)
During a sad age
smile at the sound
of bamboo
(the death tanka poem of Muchiku Tanikita, 37th Myoan Kansu)
Suizen Gyoke Seiganmon:
Blow once to exorcise all bad things;
Blow a second time to master all good things;
Blow a third time to save all people;
Thus everyone can attain Buddhahood.
from "The Guidelines of Myoan Temple"
There is a code of conduct ("Otai") for all Komuso monks when meeting each other while traveling on foot, as a way of distinguishing true Komuso from "fallen" monks maisu).*Maisu were punished because of corrupt Buddhist practice during in Edo era. Punishment involved the confiscation of the tengai (basket hat), shakuhachi, and kesa (Buddhist priest's stole). More extreme punishments included
physical beating with a shakuhachi, to the cutting off the middle finger of the right hand, and finally banishment.
1. The first Komuso plays yobitake ("calling" shakuhachi);
2. Another Komuso responds by playing ukedake ("receiving" shakuhachi);
3. They both show their *honsoku to each other;
4. They play "Yamato Choshi" together.
*Honsoku is a license, or certificate stating that one has entered Myoan-ji Temple and has experienced shakuhachi training.
The Roots of Shakuhachi
The World of Myoan Shakuhachi
The origin of Myoan Shakuhachi dates back to the middle
ninth century. In China, the high priest Fuke (Pu'kua) always rang a handbell
while singing the following gathas "Shidanoge":
"If attacked in the light, I will strike back in the light. If attacked in the dark, I will strike in the dark."; "If from all quarters, I will strike as a whirlwind does. If attacked from the empty sky, I will thrash with a flail."
(transl. Genichi Tsuge)
Zhang Bo, a Buddhist layman who came from Xijing Henanfu (Luoyang City) had gone about begging for alms,adored Fuke's virtue and was so attracted by his miraculous bell. Chohaku asked to become his disciple but Zhang Bo rejected his request. Chohaku then composed a piece of music by listening to the essence of swinging bell, which subsequently became "Kyorei", one of Three Myoan Kyorei, the fundamental Fuke Shakuhachi pieces.
The arrival of Myoan Shakuhachi to Japan can be traced back to Hotto, the founder of a Kokoku-ji Temple in Yura, Wakayama, who visited China in 1249 and learned Zhang Jia's transmitted "Kyorei" from Zhang Can who was the grandson of the 16th Zhang Bo. Hotto returned to Japan in 1254 accompanied by four Buddhist laymen: Guo Zuo, Zheng, Zong Shu and Fa Pu. Hotto dedicated "Kyorei" to Kichiku Ryoen who later on became Kyochiku Zenji. Kichiku, while meditating all night at the Kokudo Buddhist temple on Mt. Asama, Ise Province, "realized" music which seemed to be divinely inspired. He then composed "Koku," "Mukaiji," completing the "San Kyorei" (Three Myoan Kyorei) today commonly known as the Myoan classics. Kichiku experienced a religious transformation through the sound of the bamboo and from then on played the shakuhachi instead of ringing a wind-bell or chanting the gatha. As such he went
on begging pilgrimages throughout Kinai (counties near Kyoto). As a consequence, people called him the the latter-day Fuke.
After his death, Tengai Myofu, a legal descendent, built a temple in Kyoto and named it Kyoreizan Myoan-ji. Regarding the playing of shakuhachi as a meditative practice, Kichiku transmitted his zen understanding by blowing a bamboo flute instead of chanting sutras.
Regarding the origin of Komuso in a later era of Japanese history, Kusunoki Masakatsu, grandson of Kusunoki Masashige, entered the Fuke sect after the decline of the sixteenth century Southern Dynasty, and declared himself as "Komu" (a monk of nothingness or the void). He visited many provinces for the sake of his missionary work, seeking a chance to revive the Southern Dynasty. People at that time called him as "Komu-mono" or the "nothingness man".
Thus "Myoan Shakuhachi," or "Fuke Shakuhachi," which aims at enlightenment and the salvation of all people, arose newly as a school of suizen ("Blowing Zen"), or in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
"If attacked in the light, I will strike back in the light. If attacked in the dark, I will strike in the dark."; "If from all quarters, I will strike as a whirlwind does. If attacked from the empty sky, I will thrash with a flail."
(transl. Genichi Tsuge)
Zhang Bo, a Buddhist layman who came from Xijing Henanfu (Luoyang City) had gone about begging for alms,adored Fuke's virtue and was so attracted by his miraculous bell. Chohaku asked to become his disciple but Zhang Bo rejected his request. Chohaku then composed a piece of music by listening to the essence of swinging bell, which subsequently became "Kyorei", one of Three Myoan Kyorei, the fundamental Fuke Shakuhachi pieces.
The arrival of Myoan Shakuhachi to Japan can be traced back to Hotto, the founder of a Kokoku-ji Temple in Yura, Wakayama, who visited China in 1249 and learned Zhang Jia's transmitted "Kyorei" from Zhang Can who was the grandson of the 16th Zhang Bo. Hotto returned to Japan in 1254 accompanied by four Buddhist laymen: Guo Zuo, Zheng, Zong Shu and Fa Pu. Hotto dedicated "Kyorei" to Kichiku Ryoen who later on became Kyochiku Zenji. Kichiku, while meditating all night at the Kokudo Buddhist temple on Mt. Asama, Ise Province, "realized" music which seemed to be divinely inspired. He then composed "Koku," "Mukaiji," completing the "San Kyorei" (Three Myoan Kyorei) today commonly known as the Myoan classics. Kichiku experienced a religious transformation through the sound of the bamboo and from then on played the shakuhachi instead of ringing a wind-bell or chanting the gatha. As such he went
on begging pilgrimages throughout Kinai (counties near Kyoto). As a consequence, people called him the the latter-day Fuke.
After his death, Tengai Myofu, a legal descendent, built a temple in Kyoto and named it Kyoreizan Myoan-ji. Regarding the playing of shakuhachi as a meditative practice, Kichiku transmitted his zen understanding by blowing a bamboo flute instead of chanting sutras.
Regarding the origin of Komuso in a later era of Japanese history, Kusunoki Masakatsu, grandson of Kusunoki Masashige, entered the Fuke sect after the decline of the sixteenth century Southern Dynasty, and declared himself as "Komu" (a monk of nothingness or the void). He visited many provinces for the sake of his missionary work, seeking a chance to revive the Southern Dynasty. People at that time called him as "Komu-mono" or the "nothingness man".
Thus "Myoan Shakuhachi," or "Fuke Shakuhachi," which aims at enlightenment and the salvation of all people, arose newly as a school of suizen ("Blowing Zen"), or in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
Suizen
Hotto established suizen or "Blowing Zen meditation"
after realizing that blowing shakuhachi is an excellent means of meditation.
Later on, this Zen Shakuhachi style was called Myoan Shakuhachi. In this
way, Myoan Shakuhachi occupies a completely different dimension from other
musical environments.
Generally, the sound of music is an arrangement of tones, a musical piece composed of different sounds. In Myoan shakuhachi, one sound is produced by blowing "wedge" style (kusabi-buki), that is to say, the sound changes as one exhales. In accordance with certain breathing techniques in Zen training, blow the air in one time, in the wedge style blowing, one sound is completed by changed tune in the afterglow of "tsu", "re", "u", etc., ... producing an "unrhymed rhyme". One "song" is constructed by building auditory exhalations one by one. Moreover, the shakuhachi is regarded not merely as a secular musical instrument, but as ritual tool so that "Jinashi one shaku eight sun" (a shakuhachi not lined with powdered stone) is regarded as authentic instrument which evokes the spirit of the original bamboo sound (ne-aji) which comes from unprocessed bamboo.
Likewise, blowing Zen is not to be displayed in public since it is equivalent to Zen meditation.
However, Myoan-ji, as a part of shakuhachi culture, endorses to the objectives of the World Shakuhachi Festival.
Generally, the sound of music is an arrangement of tones, a musical piece composed of different sounds. In Myoan shakuhachi, one sound is produced by blowing "wedge" style (kusabi-buki), that is to say, the sound changes as one exhales. In accordance with certain breathing techniques in Zen training, blow the air in one time, in the wedge style blowing, one sound is completed by changed tune in the afterglow of "tsu", "re", "u", etc., ... producing an "unrhymed rhyme". One "song" is constructed by building auditory exhalations one by one. Moreover, the shakuhachi is regarded not merely as a secular musical instrument, but as ritual tool so that "Jinashi one shaku eight sun" (a shakuhachi not lined with powdered stone) is regarded as authentic instrument which evokes the spirit of the original bamboo sound (ne-aji) which comes from unprocessed bamboo.
Likewise, blowing Zen is not to be displayed in public since it is equivalent to Zen meditation.
However, Myoan-ji, as a part of shakuhachi culture, endorses to the objectives of the World Shakuhachi Festival.
Myoanji WSF program
Koku
Hoan KojimaThis piece is one of three legendary pieces of Fuke
Myoan Shakuhachi or "Three Kyorei." Kichiku experienced this piece in a
dream and was titled by Hotto of Kokoku-ji Temple, Yura, Wakayama.
Myoan Shika no Tone
Byakuren Yao
Genshin Sakai
This hade piece has been famous for centuries but the
composer and place of origin are unknown.
This is a performance by two alternating shakuhachi, expressing a feeling of the distant sound of deer echoing in the mountains.
Taizan Higuchi added netori (pre-blowing) section and fukidome (post-blowing) section which are in the gagaku style, thus completing the "Myoan-styled Shika no Tone" replete with imagery and emotion.
*The term honkyoku originally referred to the pieces that were practiced by adherents to the Fuke sect; however, following the abolition of the Fuke sect in 1871, the scope of meaning of the term expanded to include solo musical compositions unrelated to religion that were played on the shakuhachi, and even compositions consisting of more than one part for the shakuhachi came to be called honkyoku.
This is a performance by two alternating shakuhachi, expressing a feeling of the distant sound of deer echoing in the mountains.
Taizan Higuchi added netori (pre-blowing) section and fukidome (post-blowing) section which are in the gagaku style, thus completing the "Myoan-styled Shika no Tone" replete with imagery and emotion.
*The term honkyoku originally referred to the pieces that were practiced by adherents to the Fuke sect; however, following the abolition of the Fuke sect in 1871, the scope of meaning of the term expanded to include solo musical compositions unrelated to religion that were played on the shakuhachi, and even compositions consisting of more than one part for the shakuhachi came to be called honkyoku.
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