Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Tairaku asked:
Who are the current national treasures in shakuhachi? And is there a Jr. version of that? Who are in that category? I think it's called Intangible national figures or something?

Current Japanese National Living Treasures are Aoki Reibo and Yamamoto Hozan.
By "Jr." do you mean sort of a "NLT in Waiting"? Don't think such exists...

Nyogetsu wrote:

Intangible National Treasure is the same thing as "Living National Treasures". There is no waiting list.
There is also no rule that there ALWAYS has to be a TOZAN and a KINKO LNT at any given time.
The LNT are supported in every way by the Japanese Gov't.
Good idea to take care of a country's LNT while they are still alive !

Previous recent Kinko-ryu LNT have included Yoamaguchi Goro and Judo Notomi.

I guess also it has to do with each fields. In the sword owrld there is rules and guidelines the stems out of the smiths organization the will be used to make the recommendations to the Japanese goverment.

Last edited by Gishin (2008-08-29 22:16:57)

Tairaku, perhaps the 'something' in your question is important in the interpretation.

Last edited by Jeff Cairns (2008-08-30 03:28:45)

Kiku Day wrote:

What I have experienced is also that many talk about players they admire as 'somebody who should be a living national treasure' - which again somehow changes to 'being a living national treasure'. During the 11 years I was studying shakuhachi in Japan, I heard many people tell me that Nishimura Koku was a living national treasure. But I learned something else when I wrote on the website of the first European Shakuhachi Summer School in London that Tilo was a student of former living national treasure, Nishimura Koku. I had people complaining to me for this wrong information (which was good, so I could correct it).
The woman who is now head of Nezasa-ha is not a living national treasure, but she is highly respected - as far as I understand. So perhaps you have had something similar to my Nishimura experience.

What Kiku is saying is exactly what I have experienced on other occasions in different fields of Japanese traditional arts. What seems to be happening is for example teacher X of any given art is well seen and recommended or often used for shows etc in his prefecture so he will sometimes be called a national treasure by people in the surroundings.

Now that being said for me the whole national treasure thing is actually the Japanese governement trying to preserve and promote traditional culture and by doing so they will usually if not always pick the BEST at presenting the Japanese package to the Japanese and other intersted foreigners in the way they are idealizing their own culture. So you will not see unique Shakuhachi players or people that made some freaky blades from some more obscure times of Japanese hisotry etc. It will always be PERFECT and by the BOOK with not much boldness.

What you will usually see is a top clas performer of Japanese culture as they want to see it and as they wish to see the type of person they like. So the likes of Nishimura Koku etc  would not be the type to be seen there because of their TOO/FREE AND INDEPENDENT different style. This is why you can see players like Yamaguchi Goro, Yamamoto Hozan, Aoki Reibo etc. Some will say Yamamoto Hozan is more modern and unique, yes he is but overall he still plays the Japanese package game when needed.

I forgot her name. I picked up the CD from Mejiro and I think they called her "Intangible Cultural Asset". She's good, very simple. I just looked for the CD but couldn't find it, misplaced.

OK I did some research, looks like "Living National Treasure" and "Intangible Cultural Property" as they are translated are the same thing. The gal who blows Nezasaha might have been overstated by Mejiro in their advertising?

I just remembered John Singer met her and played with her. I'll ask him what her name is.

Tairaku wrote:

John says her name is Sudo.

Thanks guys. I'll email Mejiro. According to a 2007 pilgrimage promotion Alcvin Ramos and company were supposed to have met with Sudo Shuho-sensei. I don't know if they actually did.

For anyone intersted, I contacted Saori at mejiro about the Sudo Shuho reording and got this nesage from her

"Yes, we did sell the Sudo Shuho CD before which has gone out of print.
There is no plans for re-print.

Sorry for the inconveniences. "

That's to bad, sounded like an interesting recording

Last edited by jeff jones (2008-09-01 22:44:36)