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Jin Nyodo No Shakuhachi 06

Jin Nyodo No Shakuhachi 06

Jin Nyodo
Teichiku - XL-70139
1998

Track Titel Kanji Länge Künstler
1  Play Button Tsuru no Sugomori (Myoan Shinpo Ryu) 鶴の巣籠 15'27 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Kyoto Myoan-ji: TSURU-NO-SUGOMORI

2-shaku 1-sun
15 min. 26 sec.

1. About the title:

Please consult the section on Tsuru-no-Sugomori in "Commonly Used Titles." This piece is in the particular tradition of the Myoan Shinpo-ryu and is one type of the Tsuru-no-Sugomori pieces of the Kansai lineage.

2. Structure of the piece

It is in the dan style with three sections: [Shodan - Nidan - Sandan]. At the end of each dan the tempo relaxes and the following dan begins with various new melodic material. It is an extremely long and expansive piece; even in the middle of each dan the tempo slows down several times to create smaller dan-like forms within the main dan unit.

3. Special features of the piece:

Although it is a large scale work, the individual melodies that form its units are not at all long or complex. Rather, it is formed through the repetition and interweaving of short, simple melodies. The repetition of the same melodic patterns and the never-sluggish rhythm give birth! to a particularly pleasant lightness.
2  Play Button Ho Rai 蓬莱 09'53 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Kokutai-ji: HORAI

1-shaku 9-sun
9 min. 53 sec.

1. About the title:

The title probably derives from Mount Horai, the mountain of the spirits in the Eastern sea, which according to Chinese myth is a land where holy people live, free from old age and death. It is a keikyoku ("auspicious piece") and was traditionally played on the anniversary of the death of the founder of the sect. Kokutai-ji is a temple of the Rinzai sect, located on the outskirts of Takaoka City in Toyama Prefecture. Originally it was not a komuso temple, but at some point it became a base for komuso priests. After the abolishment of the Fuke sect, a group called the Myoon ("beautiful sound") Kyokai was formed at this temple (after the war the name was shortened to Myoon-kai) which continued to play classical shakuhachi honkyoku. Besides this piece there are also versions of San'ya and Reibo. Jin Nyodo learned this piece from Tahara Myogen and Takagi Myogai.

2. Structure of the piece

The whole piece proceeds with a melody that rises and falls, falls and rises seemingly without end. Built out of this infinite melody, its tempo is light and relaxed: there are several dan-like divisions but throughout the piece there is practically no change in rhythm.

3. Special features of the piece:

The piece is filled with a feeling of lonely remoteness. The smoothly flowing mood of the piece is quite appropriate for it to be played on occasions of liturgical ceremony.
3  Play Button Ajikan (Itchoken) 阿字観 07'16 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Miyakawa Nyozan: AJIKAN

2-shaku 1-sun
7 min. 12 sec.

1. About the title:

Ajikan is the most important method of religious discipline in the Shingon Sect of Buddhism. It is the contemplation (kan) of the first letter (a-ji) of the Sanskrit alphabet which is seen as symbolic of the void from which all creation emerges. There are difficult questions regarding the transmission and development of this piece but for more details please consult the section "Different Pieces with the Same Title. Identical Pieces with Different Titles."

2. Structure of the piece

It has a binary structure [I (a-b) -- II (c-b-finale)]. Section c is quite short but has a beautiful takane melody. The piece has both straight-line and curving-line (by means of yuri) melodic patterns which intertwine. The curving melodies have a deep feeling or meditation while the straight melodies give a feeling of longing for something far away.

3. Special features of the piece:

This piece mixes together feelings of mystery and loneliness so that it is one of the outstanding examples of classical honkyoku. It is quite marvelous in the interchange of linear and curving melodies and serves as an excellent example displaying the highest level of the expressive technique of classical shakuhachi honkyoku.
4  Play Button Chikuzen Sashi (Itchoken) 薩 05'22 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Itcho-ken: SASHI

1-shaku 8-sun
5 min. 18 sec.

1. About the title:

The sa of Sashi was originally a Sanskrit letter which was the special symbol of Kanzeon (or Kannon) Bosatsu, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. This sa (or satsu) eventually was written in various combinations of Chinese characters pronounced sashi. Therefore this piece is associated with religious austerities connected to Kannon Bosatsu: at the dawn of enlightenment it will be used for the redemption of all living beings according to the divine and universal revelations of Kannon Bosatsu. Jin Nyodo received and passed on this piece from Saito Inokuma and several others.

2. Structure of the piece

It has a binary structure [I (a-b) -- II (a-c)]. Section c is a musubi melody.

3. Special features of the piece:

The piece is played with kusabibuki land has a tight, tense mood. It is brimming with emotion which soars up in a straightforward, resolute manner. The special nature of Kyushu-style honkyoku is quite apparent, and it is one of the representative pieces of Itcho-ken.
5  Play Button Banshiki (Itchoken) 盤渉 06'23 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Itcho-ken: BANSHIKI

1-shaku 9-sun
6 min. 19 sec.

1. About the title:

Please refer to Kinko-ryu: Banshiki-cho. In the past this piece was used on ceremonial occasions at Itcho-ken. Since the ri-tone on a 1.9 flute corresponds to banshiki (b) and the principal tone of this piece is ri, when this piece is played on a 1.9 flute it produces an exact banshiki tuning.

2. Structure of the piece

It is constructed in three parts [A (RO) - A (KO) - C (RO)).

3. Special features of the piece:

The piece is played with kyosui. It has an overall feeling of simplicity and spaciousness but also a certain mournfulness.
6  Play Button Azuma no Kyoku (Itchoken) 吾妻の曲 03'24 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Itcho-ken: AZUMA-NO-KYOKU

1-shaku 8-sun
3 min. 21 sec.

1. About the title:

Azuma means east, so that the name can be explained as referring to a person from Western Japan playing his flute while yearning for someone in the East. However, this matter is unclear since there is also another theory that this piece adapted a melody for the higashi-goto ("eastern koto"), a kind of wagon used in kagura.

2. Structure of the piece

It is made up of three sections. The first section begins in the mid-range and ends on a lower tone. In the second section, which forms the main body of the piece, the sound begins in the mid-range and gradually rises until half-way through the piece the tempo becomes brighter and the tone enters the upper range. The third section is a short musubi.

3. Special features of the piece:

Along with Kumoi-jishi, Iyo-renbo, San'ya-Sugagaki, and others, this is a gikyoku ("playful piece"). Gikyoku are not used in religious practice, and as the name indicates they are small cheerful pieces. When the komuso went out to beg for rice, they played these pieces when ordinary people requested such a lighter piece. These pieces are also called hiru-kara ("after midday") from the idea that such music should be played after noon rather than in the more austere morning hours.
7  Play Button Kumoi Jishi (Itchoken) 雲井獅子 05'41 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
Itcho-ken: KUMOI-JISHI

1-shaku 8-sun
5 min. 40 sec.

1. About the title:

It probably indicates a shishi ("lion piece") in kumoi-joshi

2. Structure of the piece

It is formed in three sections. The first section opens in a sonorous, high tone but ends in a quieter, mid-range tone. The second section begins again in the mid-range, then the tempo becomes brighter and takes on a more defined rhythm. Around the middle of this section a rather short takane-style melody occurs. Sometimes the whole second section is repeated twice. The third section is a short, finale-style melody.

3. Special features of the piece:

Like Azuma-no-kyoku this is a gikyoku ("playful piece") and hence it is bright and cheerful. It centers throughout on the KO-range and has an even more vibrant and sonorous tone of composition than Azuma-no-Kyoku.
8  Play Button Ajikan (Itchoken) 阿字観 06'25 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
9  Play Button Tsuru no Sugomori (Don't know which version) 鶴の巣籠 08'19 Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo