Yamato-chōshi, Ajikan

-

 


At Myōan-ji, November 6th 2022
Kyochiku-zenji Hōsan-kai
虚空禅師奉讃会

Yamato-chōshi, Ajikan - 大和調子・阿字観

Ajikan is now one of the most famous Shakuhachi pieces. It is an arrangement done by Miyagawa Nyozan 宮川如山 (1868-1946) of the piece Sashi 薩慈. The contemporary practice of playing Yamato-chōshi as a kind of prelude started with Tani Kyōchiku 谷狂竹 (1882-1950) who is famously known as the "Last Komusō".

Ajikan translates into "Contemplation on the Syllable A", a meditation practice in the esoteric Shingo school of Japanese Buddhism. The piece is also known as Aji-no-kyoku 阿字の曲 and it is played on a 2.5 Shakuhachi made by myself.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

吾妻 Azuma 🔈

-
Image
  吾妻 Azuma  Azuma belongs to group of pieces known as hirukara 昼から ("afternoon pieces") which have a lighter atmosphere than the formal pieces which were played during religious ceremonies (mostly in the morning, I suppose). They are also known as hade  派手 ("flamboyant") as opposed to honte 本手 ("original pieces"). --- In the recording presented here it is played by myself on a 2.3 Shakuhachi made by Sakurai Muteki the teacher of Monden Tekikū who was my own teacher.  That Shakuhachi was often referred to as  k uro  黒 ("black") by Monden Tekikū because the color of the bamboo is very dark, nearly black.  
Read more

松風 Matsukaze 🔈

-
Image
  Matsukaze no shirabe 松風之調 - Matsukaze no kyoku 松風之曲 The piece Matsukaze 松風 "Wind in the Pine Trees" belongs to the Kinpū-ryū Nezasa-ha 錦風根笹派 tradition which originated in the old province of Tsugaru (now Aomori Prefecture) in the Northern part of Japan. It is composed of two parts Matsukaze no shirabe 松風之調 and Matsukaze no kyoku 松風之曲, the former being a kind of introduction and the latter the main part. --- In the recording presented here it is played by myself on a 2.3 Shakuhachi made by Sakurai Muteki the teacher of Monden Tekikū who was my own teacher.  That Shakuhachi was often referred to as  k uro  黒 ("black") by Monden Tekikū because the color of the bamboo is very dark, nearly black.
Read more

Fūin Kai Concert

-
Image
Some impressions of the  21st Fuke Fūin Kai 普化風韻会 (“Elegant Fuke Gathering”)  Semi Annual Concert at Kōbe Here is the program of the meeting  The Fuke Fūin Kai  is led by Master Uemura Fūgetsu who has a YouTube channel with his recordings. It is accessible through the homepage of the Fūin Kai. https://studio616.net/fuke/youtube/ 40 players had assembled this time and we played for six hours without a break. It is always an intense experience a real "shakuhachi shower" washing away your daily worries. Master Uemura Fūgetsu giving the opening address In the morning before the concert Towards the end of the meeting Myself playing Matsukaze
Read more