Fascination of the Shakuhachi - 2

Yamamoto Hōzan
King Records - KICH 2062
2000

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Nanakomachi	七小町	20'31	Shakuhachi: Yamamoto Hōzan Koto: Kawahara Naoko Shamisen: Yagi Keiji Voice: Yagi Keiji
	A te-goto piece (a two-verse song with an interlude between the verses) composed by MITSUZAKI kengyo of Kyoto, the koto accompaniment being done by YAEZAKI kengyo. MITSUZAKI kengyo is the famed composer of GODAN-GINUTA, AKIKAZE NO KYOKU and other works. With these pieces, composed only with the koto in mind and excluding the sangen, he laid down the basis for the revival movement in the Bakumatsu Era. However, this piece, with lyrics by FUNAZAKA Mitsue, does include the sangen. The sangen is in hon-choshi tuning while the koto is in hankumoi. NAKA KOMACHI describes seven different stages in the life of ONONO Komachi, a famed poet whose work is found in the Kokin Waka Collection and who is regarded as one of the six greatest poets. Little regarding her life is known and later she was also known as TAMATSUKURI Komachi.
2	Kare San Sui	枯山水	14'45	Shakuhachi: Yamamoto Hōzan Shamisen: Tomiyama Seikin II
	Composed by YAMAMOTO Hozan as a duet piece for sangen and shakuhachi. Like the koto, both the sangen and shakuhachi can provide very delicate portamento and thus the two intruments share a similar flavor. This piece employs the whole range of sangen technique to emphasize a new fusion between the sangen and shakuhachi, putting importance on the beauty of Ma, or space. The piece develops as if telling a story, expressing stillness, psychological tension and the encounter between the two instruments. The sangen is played by TOMIYAMA Kiyotaka and the shakuhachi used here is a ni-syaku-kan (about 60-centimeter long).
3	Hagi no Tsuyu	萩の露	18'42	Shakuhachi: Yamamoto Hōzan Koto: Sawai Tadao Shamisen: Yagi Keiji Voice: Yagi Keiji
	A te-goto piece composed by IKUYAMA kengyo of Kyoto during the early years of the Meiji Era. The sangen is in the hon-choshi tuning and the koto part, composed by the kengyo himself, is in hankumoi. The lyrics are said to have been wrirten by a certain KAWASE. It describes a woman lamenting a futile love affair, and featutes many references to the autumn season.