Dear List members,
Hello. My name is Alcvin Ramos. I was a member of the list in the past but
dropped and recently rediscovered it. I have been in Japan now almost a one
year studying shakuhachi (5 years ago I was in Japan for 3 years studying
shakuhachi but returned last year to resume my studies). I spent several
months in Southern California and studied a little with Yoshizawa Masakazu
in L.A. then moved to Vancouver, B.C. which I consider now my home base.
There, I studied with Ray Brooks on Vancouver Island (Blowing Zen is a
great!) and the wonderful Takeo Yamashiro (my mentor in Vancouver). Back in
Japan I am studying under two magnificent teachers: Kakizakai Kaoru and
Teruo Furuya, two of Yokoyama Katsuya's top disciples. Kakizakai sensei
just recently had a performance at the NHK Hall in Tokyo of the famous
piece, November Steps, composed by Takemitsu Toru, who first utilized
traditional Japanese instruments (shakuhachi and biwa) with western
orchestra. Needless to say, I was deeply moved by the performance. Biwa was
played by Nakamura Kakujo, disciple of legendary Tsuruta Kinchi. They were
called out for three bows. I was shouting for an encore (Yamagoe!
Atsumori!), but it was not to be since everthing was under a strict
schedule. The performance originally had Yokoyama-sensei scheduled to play
but his condition is not getting much better so he asked Kakizakai-sensei to
play in his stead. He couldn't have picked a better person! (I highly
encourage anyone coming to Japan to study with him in his beautiful little
town of Chichibu, Saitama-ken!)
While here in Japan I've been sending my friends updates on how I am doing
and I have been getting nice comments on the updates. Truly, I am having a
magical time living in Japan, studying at the foot of the masters. I thought
perhaps other shakuhachi players and enthusiasts could benefit from my
updates of what I'm learning and experiencing in Japan so I will post my
updates on the list so others may read it. Perhaps it may help stimulate
some shakuhachi discussion, too. I will begin with update number one and
post the others consecutively. Much has transpired since the first update
so, I hope you enjoy them and feel a little of my experience in shakuhachi
heaven.
Al
Update 1@October 31, 1999
I hope all of you are doing well and in good spirits. I have been in Japan
now for about one month and things are going wonderfully well and smooth.
The last time I was in Japan was from 1992-1995 and it was kind of a rough
experience since my famililarity with living in the culture and especially
the language usage was quite limited. But this time around things are so
much more fluid and easy since all that I've learned has sunk down and
penetrated to a deeper part of my consciouness.
I live in the little town of Asakadai in Saitama Prefecture, just outside of
Tokyo. I take the trains to and from work. I am amazed with the wonderful
design of the transportation system in Tokyo. A miracle of modern technology
(some might say a bane for the landscape!) It seems quite a complex and
daunting task at first to use but it is very efficient and easy once one
gets used to it.
Teaching English to corporate business people is so much more enjoyable and
satisfying for me than teaching jr. high and high school kids since these
folks are very interested in learning something. It is very refreshing. I
also work as an editor for a petro-chemical research center a few days to
give me more variety in work.
But the reason why I am here in Japan is to study shakuhachi. I had my first
lesson with Furuya Teruo sensei the second week in Japan and it was quite
revelatory for my playing. I improved so much after just that one lesson. I
go to him every Friday for about one hour. Furuya sensei is one of the top
deshi (disciple) of the master Katsuya Yokoyama (and a very nice man, I
might add!). Yokoyama sensei recently had a stroke and is unable to play. He
is undergoing rehab in his hometown of Bisei, Okayama Prefecture. But he
still gives lessonsby singing and talking to the student about the music. I
also just started studying with Kakizakai Kaoru (Kaki-san) every other
Saturday in the town of Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. He is also a major
deshi of Yokoyama senseiAand a superb teacher and human being as well! The
other major deshi of Yokoyama-sensei is Matama-san who lives in Yokohama.
But I'll mainly be studying with Furuya-sensei and Kaki-sensei. They
specialize in the style of shakuachi playing called Watazumi-do popularized
by the eccentric virtuoso player, Watazumi-do Shusho and further carried on
to new heights by Katsuya Yokoyama. I am also interested in studying a
little of the Jin Nyodo tradition of shakuhachi with Mitsuhashi Kifu in
Tokyo. So I will start lessons with him in November. I feel quite fortunate
to be in Japan at this time in history since this generation of shakuhachi
teachers are more open about lettiing students study with other teachers. In
the old days there was an interesting contradiction. The master prohibited
the student from studying with anyone else, but it was common practice and
generally understood that everyone stole techniques from various teachers
(surreptitiously of course) even from one's own master! This is one of the
main functions of the uchi-deshi system (where the student becomes a live in
disciple of the master) so that it is easier for the student to "steal"
techniques form the master. Interesting use of language! My schedule is
flexible enough to give me lots of time to practice which I am grateful for.
I practice every morning and evening for a few hours. Some days I have large
gaps of time where I can practice even longer.
It's fascinating to see how this instrument reflects the Japanese culture in
various ways. For instance, the presence of space between things and
thoughts is prevalent in the shakuahchi and Japanese culture. This space is
called 'ma'. In martial arts it's called 'ma-ai' or the meeting of space
between opponents. This ma exists when people communicate with each other in
Japanese. Silence is a valued virtue in the society which comes from the
Confucian and zen influence of the mistrust of words. .More weight is placed
on a person's actions. Japanese are not conditioned to be assertive in their
expression of speech like in the west. "Silence is golden" is a popular
saying in Japan. As a result this 'ma' is very important in shakuhachi
traditional honkyoku (original shakuhachi solo pieces) as well. The long
note as it trails off in to non-existence and back into its full sound and
back into nothingness is a standard Japanese tone line. The degradation of
the note, the sound of air hitting the blowing edge making the sound of the
wind through the trees as it dies down to silence is aesthetically pleasing
in shakuhachi music. It's all about creating tone colours and shapes much
like a painter uses paints to create a picture. It's true that shakuhachi
music tends to be on the minor side of the musical scale. This is in keeping
with the wabi-sabi aesthetic of the lonely, dark, solitary sonic mood that
expresses the suffering of existence and the hardships of the monaststic
life as well as the beauty of the degeneration things. The intentional
flattening or narrowing of the note is also reflective of the close, narrow
proximity that people and buildings are in. The flattening to full note
cycle is like weaving in and out of Japanese streets: narrrow to wide to
narrow to wide; just like breathing.
Take good care everyone. I'll write again to give you an update on how I'm
doing.
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
Office: 03-3486-7667
(Outside Japan first dial 001-81 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
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