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Yugure no Kyoku

夕暮の曲

[Genre]Honkyoku
[School]Kinko Ryû - 琴古流

History (John Singer):

This is an original piece of Ichigetsu-Ji Temple (the main Fuke Shu temple of Edo). Kinko Kurosawa I took this music and added it into his repertoire of Honkyoku pieces. Today "Yugure No Kyoku" cannot be found in other Shakuhachi schools.

It is said that this is one of the rare poetic pieces of the Kinko Ryu Honkyoku and that its melody is very emotional in nature

Yugure no Kyoku appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonAki no Yugure (Autumn Dusk) Shakuhachi : Kurahashi Yōdō II
Play ButtonCastles In the Sky Shakuhachi : Allen Nyoshin Steir
Play ButtonComplete Collection of Honkyoku from the Kinko School - Vol 2 - Disc 3 Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II

Flute of the Misty Sea, The Shakuhachi : Andreas Fuyu Gutzwiller
This is one of the programmatic pieces, which are not part of the religious tradition of the Kinko school. The title means "a piece for the evening dusk". According to a legend it was inspired by the sound if the evening bell of the Chion temple in Kyoto. Kurosawa Kinko had learned this piece from the Priest Hanrin at the Ichigetsu temple.
Play ButtonGrand Masters of the Shakuhachi Flute Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
The title means "the Tune of Evening". It is said that this piece was composed from the musical impresions of the evening bell of Chi-On-In, a famous temple in Kyoto. There are some sections which suggest the sounds of the temple bell. This is an artistic music and not of religious use.
Play ButtonJin Nyodo No Shakuhachi 04 Shakuhachi : Jin Nyodo
Play ButtonKinko Ryu Honkyoku - 7 Shakuhachi : Aoki Reibo II

Kinko Ryu Shakuhachi - Koten Honkyoku - Kindai Shakuhachi Gaku Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō

Kinko Ryu Shakuhachi Honkyoku Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Judō I
Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Haruhiko

Kinko-ryū Shakuhachi Honkyoku Shakuhachi : Nōtomi Judō I

Makoto Shinjitsu - with a heart of true sincerity Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Yugure no Kyoku is also a Kinko-ryu Honkyoku, and literally means "the evening bell". The bell which this composition refers to is that of Chio-in Temple in Kyoto. The bell is very famous for being rung on New Year's eve every year. It is rung 108 times, to rid humanity of its 108 sins.

Meditative Shakuhachi Solos Shakuhachi : Daniel Nyohaku Soergel
Play ButtonPrayer for the Missing, A Shakuhachi : Daniel Nyohaku Soergel
Play ButtonShakuhachi - Ryudo - 02 Shakuhachi : Takahashi Ryudo

Shakuhachi Bell Shakuhachi : John Singer
This title means the tune of evening or Twilight Bell. It is said that this piece was composed from musical impressions of the evening bell of Chi-On-In, a famous temple in Kyoto. There are numerous sections which suggest the sounds of the temple bell. This piece is one of the rare poetic Honkyoku pieces having a melody which is very emotional in nature.
Play ButtonShakuhachi Meijin Sen Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō

Shakuhachi Meijin Sen 39 Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
Play ButtonShakuhachi no Shinzui-Shakuhachi Honkyoku - 05 Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
Play ButtonSui Zen - Blowing Meditation on the Shakuhachi - 04 Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
The title, Yugure No Kyoku, means tune of the evening, or "sunset piece." It provides a musical impression of
the sound of the Evening Bell of the Chio-In (or Chioin) Temple in Kyoto, expressing the komuso's solitary nature with no wife, no children, and no thoughts.

The bell at Chio-In is traditionally rung 108 times on New Year's Eve, to ring out the 108 sins of mankind.

The writing on the left of Kurahashi Yodo' s transcribed sheet music indicates that this piece was written in Kyoto, but there are conflicting thoughts about whether it was actually from Tokyo. Kinko Kurasawa supposedly got his version from the priest Hanrin at Ichigetsu Ji Temple, which was the main Fuke Shu temple in Edo, the city that now is Tokyo.

The origin of the piece could be important because traditionally, honkyoku from Kyoto are played using traditional forms; pieces from Tokyo can use more "modem" sounds.

The piece has a melancholy feeling until the high notes are reached. We can assume that this depicts transcendence of the world's sins. Although this piece has a religious theme, it was actually performed for entertainment, not meditation.
Play ButtonWind in the Reeds Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
The title of this honkyoku means "Evening Song", and the music describes the slow, rolling sound of the famous bell at Chioin Temple of Kyoto, as is heard at the end of the day.

Yamaguchi Gorō - Kinko-ryū Shakuhachi Honkyoku Zenshū 6 Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
Play ButtonZen Music - III Shakuhachi : Yamaguchi Gorō
The title means 'the Tune of Evening." It is said that this piece was composed form the musical impressions of the evening bell of Chi-On-In, a famous temple in Kyoto. There are some sections which suggest the sounds of the temple bell. This is an artistic music and not of religious use.

Zen Music with Ancient Shakuhachi - Disc 1 Shakuhachi : John Singer
(Twilight Bell) This is an original piece of Ichigetsu-ji Temple (the main Fuke Sect temple of Edo). Kinko Kurosawa (founder of the Kinko Ryu) took this music and added it into his repertoire. Yugure No Kyoku is one of the rare poetic Honkyoku of the Kinko Ryu and its melody is very emotional in nature.