Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Looks good. Nice cover too, did you do that Darren?

Brian...  thanks, but heck no, I had no hand in his album.  I'm just looking forward to hearing it, that's all!

Kiku, very astute.  Yup, sure enough, my scores here read 古典本曲 as you suggest.  I wish it wasn't like this but I know only a dangerously small amount of Japanese and even less kanji.  So I can't speculate about the missing character.  I wrote "koten honkyoku" because I'm sure that's what Al told me at one point.  I'll ask him what's up with the discrepancy and report back if he doesn't get here first.

-Darren.

Hi Kiku,

I realize that I may be breaking some rules here. I know no one in and out of Japan who used "KO HONKOYKU" ??? before. But I decided to use KO HONKYOKU on the cover of the new CD for a few reasons. First, I wanted to simplify the kanji. I wanted to convey this act of taking away, paring down, as my life is constantly going in this direction. KO is also referring to ?? "koten" (classical) and ?? "koden” (legendary) and I didn't want to write out all the kanji for those two charactures. Also, the honkyoku are based on the old but constantly being recreated anew by each individual, as we play from the heart (????), thereby, essentially, breaking the strict rules of classicism, so ommitting the "ten" and "den" seemed fitting. And, 3 kanji is more auspicious than 4 kanji on the cover, as three alludes to the three powers (heaven, earth, man) but 4 is an inauspicious number in Japan since its pronunciation alludes to death (shi).

Gomen nasai to the hardcore scholars!!!

Ts'ai Ken T'an (and my father-in law) said: Water which is too pure has no fish.

Best,

Alcvin

Last edited by Takegawa (2007-09-03 22:10:33)

Looking forward to it!!
What length flutes are you using?

Geni

Takegawa wrote:

I realize that I may be breaking some rules here.

Oh well, who cares! Rules are there to be broken - especially if done elegantly... and your cover certainly is elegant!

Takegawa wrote:

KO is also referring to ?? "koten" (classical) and ?? "koden” (legendary) and I didn't want to write out all the kanji for those two charactures.

典 can apparently carry a lot of meanings, such as ceremony; celebration; law code; rule.

I was curious if it was an expression I didn't know. And if it was a 'home made' expression, I was curious to know what was behind it.
Well done on both the new term and the CD. Can't wait till listening to it.
I heard from Shugetsu you are playing his flutes.

Last edited by kikuday (2007-09-04 07:40:11)

Hi Al,

Best of luck on your new CD !

On the subject of "paring-down" Japanese words/concepts, and giving them new meanings - it reminds me of a CD that I recorded for LYRICHORD DISCS about 10 CDs ago. I entitled it ICHI ON BUTTSU, instead of the more well-known saying- ICHI ON JO BUTTSU.

I felt that the slight difference for me signified "One sound.. Enlightenment" (or how one perfect sound can be the same as enlightenment), rather then the "becoming enlightened" from one sound.

My teacher (KURAHASHI YODO SENSEI... Yoshio's father) said that the reason that he played Shakuhachi was to find the perfect sound to cause World Peace- to become a Boddhisatva and wait until all sentient beings were enlightened before entering Nirvana himself.

It has given me a great goal to strive for every time i have picked up my flute for the past 34 years!

Ronnie

I got my CD yesterday and the sound quality and playing is great!  The CD, insert and packaging were all top notch.  This is a great contribution to the community.

Thanks!

Last edited by BrianP (2007-09-25 16:41:27)