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Yobi Dake - Uke Dake

呼竹受竹(吹禅)

[Genre]Honkyoku
[Escuela]Chikuho Ryû

Historia:

Call and return used to identify Komuso.

Yobi Dake - Uke Dake aparece en los siguientes álbumes

Álbum Artista
Play ButtonJin Nyodo No Shakuhachi 05 Shakuhachi : Jin Nyodo
Origin unknown: YOBIDAKE -UKEDAKE

2-shaku 5-sun
1 min. 4 sec.

1. About the title:

It was customary for komuso priests, when they chanced to cross paths while out collecting alms, to greet one another with this piece. One priest would first play Yobidake ("calling bamboo"). In this way, if the first priest played Yobidake three times, and the other priest could not respond with Ukedake, he was exposed as an imposter, a bogus priest (in Japanese: maisu).

The style of playing this Yobidake-Ukedake varied with the school that the komuso belonged to, so that it was possible to distinguish where a priest came from by the style of his playing.

2. Structure of the piece

The Yobidake is played in a two breath melody which rises from the lowest tone to the highest tone within KO (the second octave). The Ukedake is the same melody played in RO (the first octave). Yobidake is played three times, while Ukedake is played once.
Play ButtonPathway Shakuhachi : Robert Herr
During the Edo period of Japan (1603-1868), a komuso challenged another wanderer by playing the "call" portion of Yobi Take/Uke Take (Calling and responding bamboo). An authentic komuso would be able to play the correct response, after which the two would play the final passage together.
Play ButtonShakuhachi - Chidori No Kyoku Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho II
Play ButtonShinmukaiji - An Introduction to Zen Shakuhachi Shakuhachi : Sakai Shōdō
Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho II
Play ButtonShumi Shakuhachi : Tokuyama Takashi
It is said that when two Komuso met on the road, they would greet each other by playing this song. The first would play it in the low register (otsu) and the second would respond by playing the same melody in the higher register (kan). The Komuso were always on the alert for impostors and were known to inflict severe punishment on those who proved unable to play Otai.
Play ButtonSouvenir of Japan - Shakuhachi Komusoh and Suizen Shakuhachi : Sakai Shōdō
Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho II
Play ButtonSui Zen - Blowing Meditation on the Shakuhachi - 02 Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
As we noted earlier, komuso were not supposed to speak unnecessarily. If they encountered each other outside of the temple, collecting alms, they employed ritualized, nonverbal greetings, one of which was playing this piece. One would first play Yori Dake (calling bamboo), and the second would respond with Uki Dake (receiving bamboo). Then they would play the last part together. But if the first priest played the Yori Dake melody three times, and the other priest could not respond with Uki Dake, he was exposed as an imposter, a bogus priest, called a maisu. He would then be treated accordingly.

Punishments for dressing as a komuso and not being able to play this piece were at some times rather severe, to say the least. In other, more decadent times, such as the Edo period, samurai would often dress as komuso when visiting places to which their dignity should not have permitted them to go.

Since details of the style in which Yori Dake-Uki Dake was played varied from school to school, it was possible to distinguish where a priest came from, based on his style of playing.

As a performance piece, Yori Dake is generally played three times, while Uki Dake is played only once. A 2.4 length flute is used in this recording.
Play ButtonSuizen - Chikuho ryu ni miru fuke shakuhachi no keifu - 03 Shakuhachi : Sakai Chikuho II