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Mysterious Sound of Bamboo Flute - 1

Mysterious Sound of Bamboo Flute - 1

Watazumi Doso Roshi
Crown - SW-5006
1968

Track Title Kanji Length Artist
1  Play Button Reibo (Dokyoku) 霊慕 16'29 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi
Everything within Nature changes unceasingly, but Nature itself is constant. Rigorous spiritual training allows one to express this within the piece, Reibo. Such spiritual training is the main focus of the Watazumi school, and what emerges is the concrete manifestation of this philosophy.

Reibo has been handed down in the Tohoku region. Spiritual training allows one to bring out the depths of the song and make of it a manifestation of one's own philosophy. The song itself consists of a mae-shirabe (or prelude), the hon-dai (the main body), and a hachi-gaeshi (conclusion), and also includes the technique known as sakura-otoshi (most likely a reference to the chi-ru-tsu-ru pattern).

Reibo is easy to play and pleasant to listen to on a 2 shaku or so flute, but this is merely because one is stimulated by the higher notes. If one does not immerse oneself in the timeless, though, the true aspects of the piece will not emerge.

A 2.85 shaku hocchiku was used for this piece.
2  Play Button Azuma Jishi (Taizan Ha) 吾妻獅子 02'38 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi

The pieces of the Watazumi school are intended for the concrete manifestation of philosophy, but there are also pieces whose purpose is merely to be enjoyed.. These pieces are inevitably more musical, but from the perspective of the serious player they are extremely easy. They require no difficult breathing or techniques, and so they are used for relaxation.

Azuma Jishi is the most colorful of the Jishi pieces, and is reminiscent of hayashi, or festival music.

A 1.7 shaku hocchiku that is said to have been the favored instrument of a famous player of old was used for this piece.
3  Play Button San'ya (Dokyoku) 三谷 04'46 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi

The name Sanya refers to the act of begging for alms. Thus, this piece is one that is meant to be played for an audience. The piece has 3 peaks of high notes surrounded by more simple, peaceful parts of the song. It originated in the Nagoya region.

The hocchiku used for this piece is 2.7 shaku, and was made from a bamboo laundry pole by a 14 year old child. Its construction was so haphazard that some of the finger holes are directly on top of the bamboo's nodes.

The hocchiku cracked in the middle of the performance and began leaking air, but the performance of the piece was fully completed anyway.
4  Play Button Rinmon 臨門 04'50 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi
The title of this piece means to play on a street corner (facing a temple gate). It calls for much improvisation, and allows a whole variety of techniques to be used. It was transmitted in the Kinki region.

Alternative names for Rinmon are Rinbo, Reibo, Reibo (different characters), and even Renbo Nagashi.

A 2.5 shaku hocchiku belonging to a student of Watazumi's was used for this piece.
5  Play Button Ukigumo 浮雲 05'34 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi
The title Ukigumo refers to the state of human lives as being similar to white clouds floating back and forth.

In the Tokugawa period, the phrase, "He is who like the floating clouds, moving when the wind blows and remaining still when the wind is silent, is one who is truly at peace," was meant to point the way to the ultimate state for humans to attain. This state, however, should be perfectly normal; in the Watazumi school the object is to surpass this and to become as the wind itself which plays with the clouds.

A 2.1 shaku hocchiku was used for this piece.
6  Play Button Kumoi Jishi 雲井獅子 02'36 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi
Akebono Jishi is a relaxation piece. It was handed down in Kyushu, and was created in the late Tokugawa period.

The melody of this piece is a Kumoi melody, so it is also known as Kumoi Jishi and Ni-Agari Jishi.

A 2 shaku hocchiku was used for this piece.
7  Play Button Musashi no Shirabe 武蔵調 07'31 Shakuhachi: Watazumi Doso Roshi
Musashi no Shirabe is a Kanto piece expressing the spirit and atmosphere of that region. It is meant to be played calmly and quietly, with supreme attention to the details and subtleties within the piece.

A 2.3 shaku hocchiku was used for this piece.