Home People Pieces Recordings Bibliography Schools Glossary Sites & Events Teachers Join the ISS Log In

Reibo (Echigo)

霊慕 (越後)

[Genre]Honkyoku
[School]Oshu Kei
[Also Known As]Kitaguni Reibo

Reibo (Echigo) appears on the following albums

Album Artist

Art of the Shakuhachi Vol II Shakuhachi : Mitsuhashi Kifu
Reibo is a shakuhachi piece found in a large number of variants, each of which was transmitted by the komuso of a particular temple. Echigo reibo was transmitted by the monks of a branch of the Myoanji temple in the province of Echigo (today Niigata prefecture). At age 15, Saikawa Baio (1871-1967) learned this piece (as well as the piece "San'ya") from a komuso of the Echigo Myoanji. Baio was not a professional shakuhachi performer. Instead, for some 80 years, he played shakuhachi of his own making at fairs and street booths. Nevertheless, well known shakuhachi masters such as Jin Nyodo (1891-1966) and Okamoto Chikugai (1915-2000) looked to him as a source of traditional shakuhachi compositions.

Baio also devised a program for "Echigo reibo." The piece begins with a dragon revealing himself between the clouds, with his tail beating wildly. Next the music portrays a mountain ascetic sounding a conch shell as the pleased dragon gurgles. Finally the dragon disappears behind the clouds once again. Whatever one may make of this program, "Echigo reibo" is endowed with a strong bouncy feeling. Near the end of the piece there is a section known as hachi-gaeshi (literally, "returning the bowl") played as a gesture of appreciation by a komuso who has received a donation. Usually hachi-gaeshi sections feature a melody making much use of high notes, but "Echigo reibo" ends in a low register. This device was probably Baio's creation.

Meian Sōda 明暗双打 volume 4 Shakuhachi : Sakaguchi Tetsushin
Play ButtonSokkan Shakuhachi : Taniguchi Yoshinobu
This song was transmitted from the Echigo Meian Temple. It is said that a monk from the temple by the name of Bunchu was playing beside Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture when Benzaiten, the Goddess of Music and Prosperity appeared before him. She sent along a dragon to teach the secrets of the shakuhachi to Bunchu. This songs contains those secrets and was later played by Bunchu for the famous founder of the Edo Period government, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). It is best to play this song on the longest flute one has in order to bring out the effects of the dragon's movements and cries.

Wind Heart Shakuhachi : James Nyoraku 如楽 Schlefer
There is a legend that shakuhachi playing arose from a yearning for the sound of the bell, which was cherished by Buddhist priests of the Fuke Zen sect. Pieces entitled Reibo embody this yeaming. This work from Echigo is one of many Honkyoku which bear the name Reibo, and, in spite of the one temple-one melody principle, was taught as an associated piece.