Ryûgin Kokû (Taizan Ha)
龍吟虚空
This is a piece of genre Koten from the Chikuho Ryû and Taizan Ha Schools .
History (Riley Kelly Lee):
| Dragon Singing in the Empty Sky The title of this pieces literally means the 'Dragon Crying' (Ryugin) version of 'Empty Sky' (Koku). This is one of many versions of "Empty Sky", one of a trilogy of the oldest and venerated honkyoku. The first character 'ko', refers to a concept that is in the realm of the Absolute and therefore cannot be explained or understood with words. Words, and indeed our thoughts, are of the world of the relative. For example, the word 'empty' has no meaning apart from the word 'full'. The word 'ko', on the other hand, does not mean merely 'empty', because it is not the opposite of 'full'; it is 'that' which has nothing to do with 'fullness'. Finally, it should be noted that the dragon of Asia, unlike the fire-breathing, maiden-eating, cave-dwelling dragon of Europe, is a creature of great beauty and grace. It is covered with scales of precious jewels and brings good fortune to any human blessed with a glimpse of it. |
Ryûgin Kokû (Taizan Ha) appears on the following albums
| Album | Shakuhachi | Koto | Shamisen | |
 | Autumn Field - Yearning for the Bell Volume 4 | Riley Kelly Lee | ||
The title of this pieces literally means the 'Dragon Crying' (Ryugin) version of 'Empty Sky' (Koku). This is one of many versions of "Empty Sky", one of a trilogy of the oldest and venerated honkyoku. The first character 'ko', refers to a concept that is in the realm of the Absolute and therefore cannot be explained or understood with words. Words, and indeed our thoughts, are of the world of the relative. For example, the word 'empty' has no meaning apart from the word 'full'. The word 'ko', on the other hand, does not mean merely 'empty', because it is not the opposite of 'full'; it is 'that' which has nothing to do with 'fullness'. Finally, it should be noted that the dragon of Asia, unlike the fire-breathing, maiden-eating, cave-dwelling dragon of Europe, is a creature of great beauty and grace. It is covered with scales of precious jewels and brings good fortune to any human blessed with a glimpse of it. | ||||
| Koten Shakuhachi Gaku Zen Shu - 3 | Takeuchi Chiko | ||
| Meianji Shoden Shakuhachi Honkyoku Shu 03 | Yoshimura sôshin Fuan | ||
| Myoan Sanjunana Sei Tanikita Muchiku Shu - 3 | Tanikita Muchiku Roan | ||
The International Shakuhachi Society - 2013