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Kyorei (Don't know which version)

虚鈴

[Genre]Honkyoku

Kyorei (Don't know which version) appears on the following albums

Album Artist
Play ButtonArt of the Japanese Bamboo Flute, The Shakuhachi : Watazumi Doso Roshi

Art of the Shakuhachi Vol II Shakuhachi : Mitsuhashi Kifu
Along with the pieces "Koku" and "Mukaiji," "Kyorei" is considered one of the "three classics" of the shakuhachi repertory. In fact, it is considered the most basic piece, for it is said to express the sound of the small bell that the legendary founder of the Fuke sect of Zen - the sect to which the komuso belonged - played in Tang dynasty China.

Jin Nyodo has stated that this piece was transmitted by the Fudaiji temple in Hamamatsu (Shizuoka prefecture), but originally it was a composition of the Seien school in the Nagoya area. It is based on the melody "Banshikicho" (the name of a mode), used by the Kinko-school as a prelude to the piece "Shin-kyorei." As this melody was played in the Nagoya area it began to take on the characteristics of what has become "Kyorei." The basic repertory (honkyoku) of the shakuhachi is in many cases a product of such eclecticism and flexibility.

"Kyorei" is a very simple and straight-forward melody which, however, is also very tense and thus expresses an element of Zen itself. The composition is played with an almost unmodulated breath known as "kyosui," (literally, "empty blowing") considered the ultimate ideal of shakuhachi playing.

Calligraphy Shakuhachi : Vlastislav Matousek

Chikusei Shakuhachi : Takahashi Kyohaku

Deep Night - Yearning for the Bell Volume 5 Shakuhachi : Riley Kōho Lee
Spirit of Nothingness

The characters usually used to write the word Kyorei are commonly translated as "Empty Bell". The title of this piece however uses characters which literally translate as "Empty Spirit".

The kyo ("empty" or "nothingness") is a word that denotes something that is not in our world of relativity. The word is found in the titles of many other traditional shakuhachi pieces, such as Empty Sky. The character commonly used to write rei means "bell" and refers to Fuke's famous hand bell. This version of Kyorei is unique in its use of another character, that of "spirit". The piece is not about an empty spirit, but a spirit dwelling in the "Nothingness" of the Absolute.

This version of Kyorei is measured, unadorned and intense, with easily recognizable sections and climaxes.
Play ButtonHis Practical Philosophy - 1 Shakuhachi : Watazumi Doso Roshi

Ichi on Buttsu - One sound Enlightenment Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
There is a legend about this honkyoku: it is said that in the Tang Dynasty in China, Fuke-Zenji often walked the streets ringing a bell. After his death his disciples composed this honkyoku to express their yearning for their master. It was later transmitted to Japan. "Kyorei" means the bell that is the sound of nothingness in Zen Buddhism. This is the oldest and most famous honkyoku.
Play ButtonKi-Sui-An Honkyoku Vol 1 Shakuhachi : Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin
Play ButtonKyorei Shakuhachi : Tokuyama Takashi
This piece is the oldest and closest in spirit to suizen (blowing Zen). Very straightforward in character, it is nevertheless a special piece and most respected of the honkyoku repertoire. The monk, Chohaku, had been fascinated by the sound of the wooden bell and sought to interpret that spirit of the bell to the shakuhachi. He subsequently taught this piece to Hotto, a fellow Zen monk, who founded Kokoku temple.
Play ButtonMysterious Sound of Bamboo Flute - 2 Shakuhachi : Watazumi Doso Roshi

Kyorei is among the oldest forms of pieces handed down to us today. It imparts a feeling of timelessness and vast space.

There are three types of Kyorei that have been passed down, shin, gyo, and sou. [These can be likened to strictly faithful version of a piece, a somewhat liberal interpretation of that piece, or a spontaneous, fully-individualized rendering of the same piece.] This version, however, fits into none of these categories, but is rather something called Kyorei-cho.

A 3.4 shaku hocchiku crafted by a child was used for this piece.

Shakuhachi Ma Shakuhachi : Todd Barton
Play ButtonSound of Bamboo, The Shakuhachi : Takahashi Kûzan

Striking Light, Striking Dark Shakuhachi : Christopher Yohmei Blasdel
Play ButtonTamuke Shakuhachi : Taniguchi Yoshinobu
Kyorei is one of the "Three Ancient Songs" (Koten Sankyoku) transmitted through Fudai Temple originally finding their way to Japan some time between 619 and 907. The "kyo" in its title means "to blow" the flute. "Rei" means "spirit" and refers to the spiritual nature of human beings and the cosmos. The original title, however, was written with the "rei" meaning "suzu" or "bell" and referring to the hand bell rang by Fuke Zenshi, the founder of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism in China. Legend has it that Fuke Zenshi would walk around the streets ringing his bell to attract a crowd to whom he would then preach his principles. Kyorei expresses the depth and quietude of the soul and should be played with humility in a natural way.

Watazumido Shakuhachi : Watazumi Doso Roshi