Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

jeff jones · 2009-04-17 20:03:23

A friend of mine translated this for me from an interview with Tomimori Kyozan in I believe in 1968. I'm looking feverishly for the name of the female interviewer and the exact date the interview was done. I believe it was done as part of her masters studies, when I do find the information I'll post it.

Today, Ajikan is played quite differently from how Miyagawa
Nyozan
played. Although the form is the same, the level of spirit
is
different. Myozan's verve is no longer carried. The original of
Ajikan,
Sashi (that people play today), is rather closer to Ajikan in
taste. Ajikan
is an interesting tune. Sashi (that had been
transmitted) in the Oshu area
was brought to Fukuoka and became
Shinhichi Sashi. This was brought to Kyoto
by Miyagawa Nyozan. To this
Higuchi Taizan in Kyoto added phrases from Koku
as well as a melody
taken from a shomyo song, Akigarasu (autumn crow), which
became
Taizan's Aji. It was Suenaga Sessan in Fukuoka who named
Ajikan.
Miyagawa Nyozan learned Oshu Sashi from Hasegawa Togaku who was
the
last abbot of Futaiken in Sendai, and Nyozan's Ajikan embraced
his
myoan style and the Oshu style of playing.

The reason why many
people today play Ajikan in such a stagnant style
is that many learned Ajikan
from Tani Kyochiku who used 2.5 long
shakuhachi. That's how it became a dull,
dark song. Miyagawa Nyozan
played it on 1.8.

Interviewer: There is a
recording of Miyagawa Nyozan's Ajikan, even
though the quality of the
recording is not so great.

Kyozan: Yes, unfortunately, the recording does
not carry the true
sounding. To our ears, his playing actually sounded quite
rough. But
he had subtle expressions that nobody could imitate—the level
of
frantic playing. That is the true Ajikan that expresses the spirit
of
shingon's Ajikanpo (?). That is what is missing in
today's
performances. Only the form is imitated. People simply drag the
song
and extend the form.

Interviewer: There is also a recording of
Nishimura Koku's Ajikan. He
was a disciple of Tani Kyochiku.

Kyozan:
Yes. Tani Kyochiku's Ajikan also carries some sort of taste
and import.
However, Miyagawa Nyozan said, "I wonder where he learned
it from? If that is
the Miyagawa Nyozan's Ajikan, it would be
troublesome." I think it is fine if
there is Tani Kyochiku's Ajikan.
But he probably should have changed the name
of the piece.

Last edited by jeff jones (2009-04-17 20:05:06)

Bogert · 2009-04-17 20:54:24

This is great info, thanks. If you have anything else like this I'd love to read it.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2009-04-17 23:57:13

Thanks Jeff, very valuable. Particularly because most or all of the modern players playing "Ajikan" are going along with the supposedly decadent version.

Bas Nijenhuis · 2009-04-18 04:44:24

Would this be the Ajikan of Nyozan of(1.8) which you speak?

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/m … ajikan.mp3

jeff jones · 2009-04-18 18:33:08

Your welcome everyone.

Bogert I'm sorry that was the only section my friend had translated, but there are some books out by Tomimori Kyozan he was rather prolifick. This was taken from a recorded interview.

I am still looking for the name of the woman interviewer I believe the interview was done in 1968, but for the life of me cant find the exact info as of yet. Driving me a little nuts...

I believe that's the Ajikan in question, it would be really great to find out that there where more recordings of him out there.

edosan · 2009-04-18 19:53:44

jeff jones wrote:
Your welcome everyone.

Bogert I'm sorry that was the only section my friend had translated, but there are some books out by Tomimori Kyozan he was rather prolifick. This was taken from a recorded interview.

I am still looking for the name of the woman interviewer I believe the interview was done in 1968, but for the life of me cant find the exact info as of yet. Driving me a little nuts...

I believe that's the Ajikan in question, it would be really great to find out that there where more recordings of him out there.

There are also two other variants of Ajikan on that site (three in all) played by Nyozan.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2009-04-18 20:39:03

edosan wrote:
There are also two other variants of Ajikan on that site (three in all) played by Nyozan.

I don't think so......are you sure about that?

edosan · 2009-04-18 23:06:01

Tairaku wrote:
edosan wrote:
There are also two other variants of Ajikan on that site (three in all) played by Nyozan.
I don't think so......are you sure about that?

Pretty sure...check your inbox.

Moran from Planet X · 2009-04-18 23:06:21

Don't know about that, but there is Uramoto Setchou's Ajikan 1 & 2 on that same page

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/m … jikan1.mp3

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/m … jikan2.mp3

----------------------------------

and two recordings I had missed in earlier scouring of this source:

Takahashi Kuuzan

oush ureibo

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/m … ureibo.mp3

tsuruno sugomori

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/m … gomori.mp3

This site is so great.

Riley Lee · 2009-04-19 14:55:07

Jeff, I only saw this thread today, 4 1/2 years after you began it, but just in case....

I would be exremely surprised if the female interviewer wasn't Tukitani Tuneko (or in the Hepburn system with which most of us are more familiar: Tsukitani Tsuneko). She was working on her MA around that time.

Bogert · 2009-04-20 10:10:12

Speaking of Ajikan,
I noticed on Riley's CD "Breath Sight" the Ajikan is different.. where does this piece come from? Does it have a different title too?

jeff jones · 2009-04-20 11:57:25

Hi Riley Thanks allot. I'm sure your right, I'm still looking for the information, this is now driving me crazy. Time to put things in order.

edosan · 2009-04-20 12:21:27

Bogert wrote:
Speaking of Ajikan,
I noticed on Riley's CD "Breath Sight" the Ajikan is different.. where does this piece come from? Does it have a different title too?

Pretty sure that Ajikan is from the Chikuho Ryu, the lineage that Riley first studied in.

jeff jones · 2009-05-24 11:42:12

Well it seems like I finally found the disc I was looking for with the name of the woman who had done the interview.
Of course I had stooped looking and found it on top of some books in a book shelf. Anyway it's writen

"Tomimori Kyozan interview 1968-10-27 by Rekisen Yoku"

The English translation on the disc was done by Oi Kuniyoshi a long time student of Tomimori Kyozan's . I'm not sure about the name or the translation but that's what there, just trying to be thorough.

Last edited by jeff jones (2009-05-24 11:43:46)

Kiku Day · 2009-05-24 12:25:13

Very interesting, Jeff. Thank you for posting this.
Sounds like it would be worth reading a bit of what Tomimori Kyozan had to say.
Have you read some?

jeff jones · 2009-05-24 18:20:21

Hi Kiku no I haven't been able to read any of his books they're all in Japanesee, I have two of them one of which is solely about Taki-Ochi. Hopefully some day though.

No-sword · 2009-06-05 07:21:07

I actually just finished reading a pamphlet of his called "Ajikan and Nyozan/Kyochiku" (阿字観と如山、狂竹). Here's my quick-and-dirty translation of an entertaining part about Jin Nyodo:

I think it must have been in 1939. "Jin Nyodo went to Miyagawa [Nyozan]'s place wanting to learn 'Ajikan', but got turned away at the front gate -- three times!" was the story I heard. [...] I thought this sounded like Miyagawa, but also a bit of an overreaction, so I went over to ask him about it.
"Word has it you turned Jin away from your gate three times -- is it true?" I asked.
"Not at all," he replied.
"But that's what people are saying," I said.
"Well, he did come here..." he said, and explained. "Jin told me that before he came to see me, he'd been playing 'Ajikan' all over the place. That was with a long flute, same as Tani [Kyochiku]. I don't know whether he learned it from Tani or who he learned it from, but either way, I don't see why he should come all the way out here to learn it from me. If I meet and talk to him, I won't be able to avoid playing it for him. But if I play it for him, he's just going to play it Jin-style on a long flute, right? And then what am I going to do if he goes around saying 'This is "Ajikan," I learned it from Miyagawa'?" [...]
Jin, left with no other choice, took to hanging around Miyagawa's house, and waiting for someone inside to practice "Ajikan" so that he could listen in. He was a man possessed by "Ajikan," you might say [...] As for who won that particular fight, it's hard to call. Either way, somebody will complain.

jeff jones · 2009-06-05 09:39:03

That's really a great story, thanks allot for posting that!

PSmith · 2010-08-27 14:20:29

Atsuya Okuda plays a piece called Yuri Saji (行薩慈). He has given me a copy of a study he did with the lines of each written side by side. It is practically identical to Ajikan, but with yuri technique and more lines added at the end. He lists Yuri Saji as an adaptation of Yamagoe (山越)--gyo of shin-gyo-so (真行草). He uses the title Bo Saji (真薩慈) for Yamagoe.

Komuso.com gives Katsuya Yokoyama's liner notes that also make mention of the link between Sashi, Ajikan and Yamagoe.
http://www.komuso.com/pieces/Yamagoe_%2 … ho%29.html

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2009-04-17 20:03:23

Sashi- Ajikan

#2 2009-04-17 20:54:24

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#3 2009-04-17 23:57:13

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#4 2009-04-18 04:44:24

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#5 2009-04-18 18:33:08

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#6 2009-04-18 19:53:44

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

jeff jones wrote:

#7 2009-04-18 20:39:03

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

edosan wrote:

#8 2009-04-18 23:06:01

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

Tairaku wrote:

edosan wrote:

#9 2009-04-18 23:06:21

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#10 2009-04-19 14:55:07

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#11 2009-04-20 10:10:12

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#12 2009-04-20 11:57:25

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#13 2009-04-20 12:21:27

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

Bogert wrote:

#14 2009-05-24 11:42:12

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#15 2009-05-24 12:25:13

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#16 2009-05-24 18:20:21

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#17 2009-06-05 07:21:07

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#18 2009-06-05 09:39:03

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

#19 2010-08-27 14:20:29

Re: Sashi- Ajikan

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