Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

smjazz1981 · 2015-08-15 14:27:29

Doing a bit of nerding out on the Komuso website and reading about some early historical figures, and this person, Watanabe Kakuzan, keeps coming up. It looks like most of the lineages can be traced back to him. And I can't find any information on him. Does anyone know anything about this person?

I would also be interested in finding out any other books, websites, or other sources of research materials on Shakuhachi and Komuso history.

Thanks!

Last edited by smjazz1981 (2015-08-15 14:29:35)

smjazz1981 · 2015-08-15 19:14:51

Jin Nyodo to Kawase Junsuke I to Katsuura Shozan to Ozaki Shinryu to Watanabe Kakuzan

(Myoan) Ozaki Shinryu to Watanabe Kakuzan

(Tozan) Nakao Tozan to Katsuura Shozan to Ozaki Shinryu to Watanabe Kakuzan

(Chikuho) Sakai Chikuho I to Katsuura Shozan to Ozaki Shinryu to Watanabe Kakuzan

The Kinko lineage is a little more direct, but there is still some cross pollenation there, and it is still possible to trace some of the big Kinko names back to Watanabe Kakuzan (this can be done with Goro Yamaguchi). And I know that this doesn't necessarily suggest much about him as a player or as a teacher. I just find it interesting to see lineages converge in this way. Maybe he was a great master of the instrument, or maybe he was a very mediocre player and teacher who had a very gifted student (Ozaki Shinryu) and just helped him to get the ball rolling, and that one student had other gifted students who did notable things for Shakuhachi tradition. Who knows?

Last edited by smjazz1981 (2015-08-16 12:24:33)

Yungflutes · 2015-08-18 12:11:21

smjazz1981 wrote:
And I know that this doesn't necessarily suggest much about him as a player or as a teacher. I just find it interesting to see lineages converge in this way. Maybe he was a great master of the instrument, or maybe he was a very mediocre player and teacher who had a very gifted student (Ozaki Shinryu) and just helped him to get the ball rolling, and that one student had other gifted students who did notable things for Shakuhachi tradition. Who knows?

It's really difficult to talk about musicianship since the Western concept of it would be very different to how Kakuzan may have approached playing the flute, especially at that period in time.

The most objective way to gain any informed judgement of the old music is to listen to old recordings.

There's always been cross-pollenation. The best musicians do their own thing and people are influenced. It's like any other art.
Happy blowing!

Tairaku 太楽 · 2015-08-21 19:27:04

Yungflutes wrote:
The most objective way to gain any informed judgement of the old music is to listen to old recordings.

And here's a good source.

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/index-e.html

Yungflutes · 2015-08-25 11:31:49

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:
Yungflutes wrote:
The most objective way to gain any informed judgement of the old music is to listen to old recordings.
And here's a good source.

http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/index-e.html

Thanks for posting this link Brian. It's such a great resource!
- Perry

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2015-08-15 14:27:29

Watanabe Kakuzan

#2 2015-08-15 19:14:51

Re: Watanabe Kakuzan

#3 2015-08-18 12:11:21

Re: Watanabe Kakuzan

smjazz1981 wrote:

#4 2015-08-21 19:27:04

Re: Watanabe Kakuzan

Yungflutes wrote:

#5 2015-08-25 11:31:49

Re: Watanabe Kakuzan

Tairaku 太楽 wrote:

Yungflutes wrote:

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