Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

World Shakuhachi Discussion / Go to Live Shakuhachi Chat

You are not logged in.


Tube of delight!

#1 2008-10-10 21:44:38

caffeind
Member
From: Tokyo
Registered: 2006-04-13
Posts: 148

7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

Yokoyama has stated that seven hole shakuhachi were first developed during early Showa. Can anyone provide information about players using seven hole shakuhachi or any works that were composed at that time, particularly in relation to Shin Nihon Ongaku? Thanks.

Offline

 

#2 2008-10-12 05:15:33

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

According to Tukitani Tuneko, the 7-holed shakuhachi came about in 1920 (taisho 9).
I paste the section about 7 and 9 holed shakuhachi in the chapter Tukitani wrote in Alison Tokita and David Hughes's book, The Ashgate Companion to Japanese Music. I hope I don't break copyright rules - hoping this will inspire people to buy this excellent book. It is really worth having.
I don't know how difficult it would be to find Kawamoto's pieces.

2.5.2 Increase in number of fingerholes

The influence of Western music has led to various innovations in shakuhachi
construction. First, many modern instruments are made with the positioning and
angling of holes modified somewhat to produce intervals equivalent to Western
major seconds and minor thirds. This also helps when playing in the traditional
ensemble with koto or shamisen. Earlier-style instruments often had the holes evenly
spaced, which required changes in blowing angle if one wanted to produce those
intervals. (See Emmert 1977 and Shimura 1996.)

A more radical reform of the shakuhachi was brought about by the desire
easily to play Western heptatonic and chromatic music. Producing the chromatic
scale requires half-closing holes or changing the blowing angle (or both). These
techniques inevitably entail irregularity in volume and timbre among the 12 tones;
such irregularity is in fact what makes the shakuhachi special, but for new music
calling for uniformity it is a disadvantage. Thus the seven-hole and nine-hole
shakuhachi were produced.

Ueda Hōdō (1892–1974), who left the Tozan-ryū in 1917 to found his own
school, the Ueda-ryū, unveiled a seven-hole shakuhachi in 1920 (Takamatsu 1992:
195–7). A decade later, Takeuchi Jutarō invented another seven-hole shakuhachi,
first employed by Kinko performer Kawamoto Seirō. It was a standard shakuhachi
with extra holes inserted between the first and second and again between the third
and fourth holes (Takeuchi 1930). Kawamoto wrote new compositions for it, but
with the outbreak of the Second World War it went into rapid decline. Today it is
used rarely in Western-style music and sometimes in folk song.

A nine-hole shakuhachi invented by Koga Yūzen (Koga 1932) was not put to
practical use. In 1949 Shibata Seizan of Kyoto invented a nine-hole instrument, for
which he published compositions in staff notation. With its four small extra holes it
can accurately and easily produce all 12 tones, but is now hardly used.
Even five-hole instruments, when intended specifically for Western-style music,
may have the fingerholes slightly re-positioned to suit Western temperament.


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

Offline

 

#3 2008-10-12 06:49:50

Justin
Shihan/Maker
From: Japan
Registered: 2006-08-12
Posts: 540
Website

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

Kiku Day wrote:

The influence of Western music has led to various innovations in shakuhachi
construction. First, many modern instruments are made with the positioning and
angling of holes modified somewhat to produce intervals equivalent to Western
major seconds and minor thirds. This also helps when playing in the traditional
ensemble with koto or shamisen. Earlier-style instruments often had the holes evenly
spaced, which required changes in blowing angle if one wanted to produce those
intervals. (See Emmert 1977 and Shimura 1996.)

Hi Kiku
Do you have those articles to which this refers (See Emmert 1977 and Shimura 1996) ? It would be great if you could post them here, to give more detail. As it is, this paragraph seems to imply that many modern shakuhachi have holes which are (relative to earlier shakuhachi) moved/changed in response to Western music, and that by coincidence that helps them also be in tune with traditional sankyoku music. But I expect that the referred to articles may bring greater detail. It would be great to hear more.

It is my understanding that the transition from evenly spaced evenly sized holes occurred (at first at least) not in response to Western music but specifically for traditional ensemble music. Araki Kodo II as well as being a honkyoku master was a keen sankyoku player, during the Edo period and into the Meiji period. At that time few sankyoku pieces had been notated, and he did much to improve the situation, broadening the shakuhachi sankyoku repertoire. He innovated modifying the pitch to better play in ensemble. Either he or his son Araki Kodo III modified the hole position also. Both masters were key figures in popularizing sankyoku and ensuring the continuance of Kinko-ryu honkyoku - thus thoroughly focused upon traditional Edo period music.

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Offline

 

#4 2008-10-13 03:21:10

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

Hi Justin,

This will be very short.
I can't, no matter how much I'd like to, post a full article here.
I had the Simura article in my own bibliography, so I can tell you which article it is:

Shimura, Satoshi. 1996. Techniques and Spirit of Making the Shakuhachi: For an Understanding of the Two Spiritual Worlds in Existence today. In Der “Schöne” Klang. Edited by Wolfgang Pülhorn and Dörte Huß. Nürnberg: Germanisches National Museum, 270 – 277.

I have been thinking about getting this article into the ESS newsletter. I just haven't had the time to organise it yet. Perhaps some time in the spring. I've got the permission from Shimura, so it should happen.

The Emmert article, I have to search to get the details. Don't have time sorry. Have too many deadlines right now.

I think what is referred to here regarding the tuning is that also sankyoku music's way of tuning has changed with the contact to Western music. The pitch and intervals were not as exactly like the Western before the contact. So, I think that is what she is referring to when writing

"The influence of Western music has led to various innovations in shakuhachi construction. First, many modern instruments are made with the positioning and angling of holes modified somewhat to produce intervals equivalent to Western major seconds and minor thirds. This also helps when playing in the traditional ensemble with koto or shamisen. Earlier-style instruments often had the holes evenly spaced, which required changes in blowing angle if one wanted to produce those intervals. (See Emmert 1977 and Shimura 1996.)"

Anyway, more later when things are less hectic.

Last edited by Kiku Day (2008-10-13 14:37:00)


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

Offline

 

#5 2008-10-14 03:40:36

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

The missing article:
Emmert, Richard. 1977. The Japanese shakuhachi and some comparison with several vertical flutes of Southeast Asia. In Asian music in an Asian Perspective 115-24, edited by Koizumi Fumio et al. Tokyo: Heibonsha.


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

Offline

 

#6 2008-10-20 00:24:21

caffeind
Member
From: Tokyo
Registered: 2006-04-13
Posts: 148

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

Thanks for the info Kiku, exactly what I was after. I've been waiting on that book for a while, just ordered a copy.

Offline

 

#7 2008-10-23 20:40:23

caffeind
Member
From: Tokyo
Registered: 2006-04-13
Posts: 148

Re: 7 hole shakuhachi/Shin Nihon Ongaku

"Ueda Hōdō (1892–1974), who left the Tozan-ryū in 1917 to found his own
school, the Ueda-ryū, unveiled a seven-hole shakuhachi in 1920 (Takamatsu 1992:
195–7). A decade later, Takeuchi Jutarō invented another seven-hole shakuhachi,
first employed by Kinko performer Kawamoto Seirō. It was a standard shakuhachi
with extra holes inserted between the first and second and again between the third
and fourth holes (Takeuchi 1930). "

What was the first seven hole shakuhachi, and how did it differ from the one that Takeuchi Jutaro developed?

Last edited by caffeind (2008-10-23 20:40:40)

Offline

 

Board footer

Powered by PunBB
© Copyright 2002–2005 Rickard Andersson

Google