Sound of Zen (Zen no Oto)

Presented by the Shakuhachi Society of BC in conjunction with the Vancouver Opera's Views of Japan

November 7, 3:00 PM. Atsuya Okuda, Master of the Hocchiku (Bamboo of Dharma), Flute concert at the The Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard Street).
Artist talk at 2:00 PM
Tickets: Suggested donation $20.00 or pay what you can.

Atsuya Okuda is the only master and formal teacher of the jinashi-nobekan shakuhachi in Japan. This is his first visit on the westcoast of Canada. "In 1985 Atsuya Okuda turned his back on a twenty year career playing jazz trumpet, and dedicated himself to teaching jinashi shakuhachi in Tokyo. Okuda subscribes to a purist, Zen-oriented approach to the instrument. As shown on the sleeve photos of his CD, he cuts bamboo in the hills and crafts his own flutes, which remain as natural and unworked as possible - no lacquered bore, no inlaid mouthpiece. This type of shakuhachi is called hocchiku, and the sound is fragile and intimate, a world away from the full, projected sound of the concert hall performer. In fact Okuda was apparently reluctant to make a recording at all, but we should be glad he has, for he is probably the finest player of his type since the death in 1992 of the Zen monk Watazumi (acclaimed by Steve Lacy as his favourite improviser in Wire 225) and Nishimura Koku. Okuda's sound may be quiet, but his playing has terrific subtlety and a patience of almost geological dimensions - if a rock in a Zen garden could play music, this is what! it would sound like. His delicate phrasing on the ancient piece "Shin-kyorei", tinged with multiphonic chords, is a joy to hear. His 17 minute version of "Koku", the ultimate hymn to Zen emptiness, is performed on a longer flute, and here Okuda reaches in deep, both in terms of pitch and spirituality."--THE WIRE

In the shakuhachi and traditional Japanese music world, pure hocchiku players are a rare breed, and masters of the instrument even rarer. With the passing of Nishimura Koku and Watazumi Doso, Atsuya Okuda is the only master of hocchiku left in Japan. Proclaiming to have had no teachers, Okuda has successfully memorized and internalized vast amounts of koten honkyoku. He is also a master improvisor and freely explores new expressions for the instrument. Okuda is a maverick in the world of shakuhachi, choosing to separate himself from the mainstream. Embodying the ideal of the lone traveling musician, he is certainly the modern equivalent of the Komuso Monk of Emptiness.

BC-based shakuhachi artist, Alcvin Takegawa Ramos has been playing hocchiku for over ten years will provide a brief introduction to the instrument.

Hocchiku

There are many types of Japanese end-blown flutes, ranging in length from several inches to several feet, of which the shakuhachi is probably the most well-known type. The hocchiku (hocchiku means 'Bamboo of the Dharma or Way') is a special type of shakuhachi. Other names the instrument go by are: jinashi nobe kan, kyotaku, pon-nuki, and take. Purists of hocchiku sharply distinguish the instruments they play on from the standard shakuhachi which was a flute whose bore is built up with paste and lacquer. Hocchiku are very raw pieces of bamboo with minimal work done to the inside of the bore, and which are very large in diameter. In addition to the large bore, the practice of hocchiku requires the player to play extremely long pieces of bamboo up to and exceeding 3 shaku (1 meter). Consequently the sound is much more subtle, dark, and quiet accenting the microtones and nuances of the flute rather than volume and temperment. This is the type of flute that was played before the wave of westernization in Japan which changed the face of Japanese traditional music. It is purely a solo instrument focussing on the koten honkyoku (traditional solo zen-inspired pieces). Extreme control of breath and relaxation of muscles is part of the practice which allows one to acccess an incredibly complex and subtle sonic universe.

Bamboo and Zen

The essence of zen is a quite and tranquil mind and full spiritual awakening. Part of the training to reach this state of spiritual awareness is the practice of zazen (seated meditation). Another practice is suizen (blowing zen). In zazen the legs are placed in the lotus position, the breath is gentle and the consciousness is inside the unconsciousness is mind is in control and unity with the spiritual self results.

The sound that appears by suizen is The Sound of Zen and the aim is that through our relation to this naturally occuring tonal color, our view of the world widens. The sound that appears, when the wind accidentally blows into a decayed bamboo in a mountainside grove is considered the supreme sound. In suizen, it is possible to express the totality of the universe with the quality of one single sound. This is also referred to in Japanese as ichion jobutsu, single tone enlightenment.

The Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism (founded by the Chinese Zen priest, Fuke Zenshi) used shakuhachi blowing as part of their training during the Edo period. In the book, Kyotaku Denki Kokujikai, (history of kyotaku) published in 1795, it is explained that "Kyotaku" is another name for the shakuhachi flute used by the Fuke sect.

There are many written decriptions from the Edo period about the Komuso, mendicant Zen Buddhists, who hid their faces behind a braided hat, dressed in a Buddhist stole and traveled alone on foot throughout old Japan. But their true origins still remain shrouded in mystery.

The Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism appears as a historical fact in 1677 after the Shogunate's recognition of the sect under strict Zen Buddhist precepts. Throughout the Edo period the shakuhachi was considered not a musical instrument, but as a tool for Buddhist practices and was referred to also as "Take", which means bamboo in Japanese. in 1871 the Fuke sect was abolished and the use of hocchiku as a Buddhist tool ended. Since then it has spread to the general public as a musical instrument, which is what the shakuhachi is considered today.

The shakuhachi of today has built up its own niche as an instrument for folkloric ballads or as part of a trio or ensemble. Helped by the work of professional craftsmen they devised the shakhachi into a "jirari nakatsugi kan", an instrument that has the tonal quality to match other western musical instruments. During the process of manufacturing this modern, standard type of shakuhachi, the bamboo is cut into two detachable pieces. The inner surface of the bamboo is shaved and replaced with plaster and lacquer.

Instruments like the hocchiku have been cast to the wayside to make room for the wave of westernization and commercialization that Japan so eagerly embraced. Thanks to the efforts of those like Atsuya Okuda, the beauties of the hocchiku are being rediscovered for a new generation of sonic explorers.

Other Appearances:

* November 5, 7:30 Concert @ St. Mary's Church in Oak Bay; tickets $15. Contact 604-480-3909/merkuryford@yahoo.com for more info.
* November 6, 1:00 PM Atsuya Okuda Master of the Hocchiku lecture/demonstration @ the house of Peter Smith: 5187 Windsor Street, Vancouver, BC 604-321-2456. Afterwards there will be a potluck-dinner. Please bring something tasty. Suggested donation $20.00/pay what you can. Please call or email to register. 604-883-2023/ramos@dccnet.com.

*Those wishing for a private lesson: $50.00 per person. Please call in advance to arrange a time. 604-883-2023/604-788-0060 (cell).