Acknowledgements:
I'd like to take this moment to acknowledge all the shakuhachi people who
have impacted my life in a tremendous way. We all have different styles and
traditions of playing, but we are still human and connected by the elements,
and so brothers and sisters in this phenomenal world. Sandra Ramos. Ogawa
Dozan-sensei in Yanai-shi, Yamaguchi-ken who gave me my first shakuhachi
lessons free for two years. Yamaguchi Goro, whom I first heard shakuhachi
from. Akira Kurosawa for making Ran. Gregory Havens who showed me my first
shakuhachi. Miayata Kohachiro for his gift of Sugomori. Christopher Yohmei
Blasdel who opened the door for me into a greater world of shakuhachi. David
Wheeler for his great efforts in Boulder and beyond. Iccho Muramatsu who
gave me inspiration not to quit shakuhachi. Lawrence Huff for his honkyoku
spirit. John Kaizan Neptune for showing me limitless potential and cleaning
up my act. Watazumi-doso for the Do-kyoku and awakening in me deeper
connections. Katsuya Yokoyama for showing me my soul's sound and infinite
passion. Riley Lee for stoking the fire of honkyoku in me. Marco Lienhard
for inspiring me to "go over the mountain". Monty Levenson for inspiring me
to persevere. Iwamoto Yoshikazu for instilling in me the honorabilty of
living a life of shakuhachi and deepening my practice. Iz Dulay for teaching
me how to face in the wind. Teruo Furuya for showing me the beautiful, human
side of shakuhachi living. Kakizakai Kaoru (honkyoku deity....can't wait for
his first CD!) for opening and moving my heart and mind to Do-kyoku (and for
his great soba!). Nakamura Akikazu for being a monster honkyoku player and
giving me some of his venom. Ray Brooks for inspiring me to go for the
experience. Takeo Yamashiro (Take-san) for showing me that shakuhachi is
love and life and people are the most primary. Hoshi Bonchiku for teaching
me genuineness in living a shakuhachi life and to "go with the flow". Earl
Stefanyshen for his pure heart. Elliot Weisgarber for introducing many in
the West to shakuhachi and for his support. Minoru Bodo Sumimoto for showing
me how to go with the wind. Peter Ross for selling me my Ichijo Flutes.
Ichijo Kobayashi for making fine shakuhachis that have taken me a long way.
Tom Deaver who's shakuhachi took me a good way on the Path. Mitsuhashi Kifu
for his talent and effort. Yonezawa Hiroshi, Sugawara Kuniyoshi, and Tanabe
Retsuzan for appreciating my sound and for their beautiful spirits.
Bamboo-san for setting up the Shin-jin O. And for all the shakuhachi spirits
who have inspired and helped me along the Way.
Update 6: Cranes and Mountains
August 2000
Pain penetrates deep for years. Burning, bladeful mind cuts me from the
Source and feeling the agony of past wounds now. Every pore filled with the
fire of living. This is the change. It is the healing. Slow healing. Faith
in the pain. Relief is found in the forest purity. Looking up through pine
and birch trees at the night sky my stars are fixed in the sea of darkness.
Everything revolving around me on the central mountain where movement and
stillness are one. This is my last year in Japan. Compression begins.
Moonlight filtering through the smokey veil of clouds deep in this mountain
village in Yamanashi, music and cicada soundwaves filling the air on this
cool, windy summer night. Taiko, Brazillian Samba, Erhu, Gu zheng,
Jazz...All these combinations in this field of time supported by the unseen.
I'm pretty tired still from my trip to Vancouver, Canada for summer holiday.
High points were seeing my wife, Sandra again....moving into our new
apartment in North Vancouver, and playing and spending time with Take-san
and Hoshi Bonchiku. Bonchiku sensei and I played at this year's Powell
Street Festival. We spent many enjoyable hours practicing for the show. We
only had 45 minutes to play so we decided to play one honkyoku each then end
with a semi-improvisation piece. I played Tsuru no Sugomori (Crane's
Nesting) first. Then Bonchiku sensei played Echigo Meian Sanya. The last
piece was a mixed duet piece of Shika no Tone and Take by Yamamoto Hozan and
improvisation with me on didgeridoo and Tibetan bell and Bonchiku sensei on
shakuhachis. I also had a nice time spending it with friends. I apologize to
all those in Vancouver whom I didn't get a chance to call and say hi. My
vacation was much too short! Now back in Japan I'm getting ready for a solo
performance I'm giving up in the north in Tohoku, Sendai on August 24, as
well as the next Shin Jin Okete Shakuhachi Competition on August 26.
There seems to be with me an interesting relationship with the piece Tsuru
no Sugomori. I first heard this piece several years ago on a CD by Kohachiro
Miyata which moved me deeply. I immediately tried to learn it from the CD
and spent the next several years trying to develop and deepen this piece in
me. I learned the Oshu-den version from Furuya sensei which I love very
much. Recently I heard an old recording (maybe 50 years ago) of Watazumi-do
playing Tsuru no Sugomori when he was named Iccho Hakata which was great
too. The crane also appeared in the form of the master biwa player, Tsuruta
Kinchi (Tsuruta meaning "Crane Field") who moved me deeply with her piece,
Atsumori which inspired me to take Biwa lessons. As you know, she is
connected with Yokoyama-sensei from their performances of November Steps.
Anyways, I will be playing Tsuru no Sugomori (Oshu-den) for the Second
Annual Shin Jin Okete (Shakuhachi competition for new players under 39) in
Tokyo this weekend as well as for the big hogaku competition in Kumamoto in
October. I'll give you details after the contest......
Second Annual Shin Jin Okete 8/26
Back in the same auditorium in Mizue, Tokyo where the last shakuhachi
competition was held. Many of the same people from last year are here. But I
see a few new faces which is nice.
I love the feeling of being with so many shakuhachi people and the fact that
these young folks are playing is great. I'm excited to hear how much
improvement some of the participants from last year have made. Like last
year, we had to all pick from a bag to see in which order we were to
proceed. Approaching the bag with folded pieces of paper, I had an intuitive
feeling I would be the first one, and.....to my shock a number 1 was written
on my paper! What a tense position to be in. The good thing about it is that
I can get it over with and watch every one of the performances. Anyways, I
only had one hour to warm up and get into my kimono. Good thing this piece
is internalized or I'd risk embarassing myself on stage. I was once again
surprised to see Christopher Yohmei Blasdel emerge from back stage. I gave
him a hug and discovered he was one of the judges! Totally unexpected. I
credit Christopher for pointing me towards some important portals that led
me to this point in my shakuhachi career. We met for the first time at a
performance he had in an old, misty temple in Kyoto 6 years ago. He's never
heard me really play yet so this was a good time for him to finally hear me.
Furuya Teruo-sensei, Yonezawa Hiroshi, and Sugawara Kuniyoshi were judges
again. The two new new ones were Christopher Blasdel and Tanabe Retsuzan. 15
minutes till showtime...Surprisingly, I was not as nervous as last year,
perhaps because I've played Sugomori so many times in the past 5 years. The
story of the cranes is imbedded in my heart and mind. Plus, I've worked on
my "tabane" (fluttering technique using the throat) to an acceptable
standard. But I'm the first one up...Gotta relax...5 minutes to
go....stretching muscles and tendons, blood rushing through freely....I must
merge with the cranes.....It's time.
Dawn. As the warm nest begins to stir the sun peeks over the horizon slowly
and steadily rises to light up the world. The mother and father crane let
out the first cry to usher in the new day. Little fledgling cranes make
tentative, awkward movements as they wake from deep sleep. The father crane
is wounded from an arrow from a hunter's bow; it's hard to fly so he stays
in the nest to care and protect the babies. Mother crane goes out and
gathers the food. She climbs out of the nest and spreads her beautiful wings
and takes off in glorious flight crying in joy to be free to fly. She goes
out and collects food then enjoys the pleasure of riding the winds. When she
returns to the nest, father crane is dying from his wound and decides to
leave and go to the crane graveyard to die in solitude. Mother crane cries
for the loss of her husband and says goodbye. She is left alone to raise the
baby cranes. When the children are old enough to leave the nest to start
their own families, mother crane goes to the crane graveyard on the central
mountain to die, and be reunited with her husband.
My concentration was suddenly disrupted by the sudden female voice on the
speaker announcing that my alloted 4 minutes was over, but I kept playing
and finished the piece, albeit a bit rushed since my mind felt time
pressure. Since I was over the time limit by a few seconds I thought I was
out of the running for sure.
While the judges were tallying the scores, there was a small competition of
who could blow the loudest "otsu no ro" (lowest D note on the 1.8
shakuhachi). The organizers used some computer software developed by a
doctor in Kyushu to measure the sound. But apparently it wasn't working
properly so the results were questionable. Anyways, it was a fun activity.
Afterwards all the judges came out onstage and announced the top three
winners. Third place went to Aoki Yasuharu who played Tamuke (Offering), one
of the most holy pieces of the honyoku. He played it wonderfully. I got
second. I'm satisfied! The Middle Path. Perfect. This money will pay for my
plane to Kumamoto for the all-Japan Hogaku (Traditional Japanese Music)
Competition on October 22 which is a bigger competition comprising of not
only shakuhachi but biwa, koto, and shamisen as well. I'm really excited
about it. I'll be playing Sugomori for that one, too. First place went to
Obama Akihito who played a beautiful "Daha no Kyoku" (Pounding Wave Piece),
one of my favorite pieces in the honkyoku repetoir.
I was happy to see Kakizakai-sensei there with his wife Megu. Although they
missed my performance, they witnessed the announcement of the prizes and
watched me receive it. On September 2, Kakizakai-sensei will have a workshop
at Meijiro comparing and demonstrating the piece, "Yamagoe" (Going Over the
Mountain), of Watazumi-do, Yokoyama, and himself. I won't miss that one.
Last year, the top three were all modern pieces. This year honkyoku
dominated the scene which made me feel great, although there were other
players who played modern pieces which I thought were great too. Honkyoku is
the ultimate, essential shakuhachi sound. It seems that the judges this time
were looking more at an overall performance presentation (e.g. stage
prescence, expression, dress, emotion, power, sensitivity). Again I was the
only one wearing kimono (and ironically the only foreigner in the
competition) which is too bad, since I think it would be a much more
interesting show if everyone wore their own, distinct garb (Japanese outfit
preferred!), instead of jeans and a t-shirt or some other western garment.
That's just my opinion. I was impressed with many other players who I
thought would win. But I was especially moved by Tamoki Yuko who played the
lovely honkyoku piece, Kumoi Jishi. Although there were some technical
weaknesses in the piece, she played it totally from the heart with perfect
pitch. And to see this beautiful woman play with such passion and power was
rare and wonderful. It was great to see such improvement in the players from
last year. Can't wait to see what next year's Shin Jin O will be like!
Out of nowhere the roots emerge between empty spaces of minute particles of
elemental chains. The pure energy of vibration bouncing off flegdgling
illusions, mirrors, reflecting the Source. Eternity in a single grain of
mountain holds the root in place, steady as the urge upward and outward
consumes this being, a starburst in the realm of emptiness. The sections
follow their own wayward path, dictated by the mysterious mover. From the
dark nothingness of concentrated filters, the first break into a new world,
reaching for the fullness of airlife, starlight, and the core sounds of the
Deep. Compression begins.
Face in the winds, blowing good chi to you~~~~~~~~~
Al
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Asaka Shakuhachi Circle
Alcvin Ramos (Shakuhachi)
2-2-18 Dream Palace #201
Asaka-shi, Nishibenzai
Saitama-ken, Japan T351-0021
Phone: 048-451-0414
Kita-Asaka Kominkan (Shakuhachi Dojo): 048-473-0558
(Outside Japan first dial 011-81 then delete first 0)
Email: komuchiku@hotmail.com
"There is something deeper if you would go deeper,
if you go to the source of where the music is being
made, you'll find something more interesting. At the
source, everyone's individual music is made. If you
ask what that deep place is, it's your own life and
it's knowing your own life, that own way that you
live."
Watazumi-do Shuso
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at
http://profiles.msn.com.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Jan 31 2001 - 12:46:37 PST