Tamuke - La International Shakuhachi Society

Tamuke

Taniguchi Yoshinobu
Tai Hei Shakuhachi - CSS-1
2001

Pista	Título	Kanji	Longitud	Artista
1	Kokû (Nezasa Ha)	虚空 (根笹)	21'02	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	Koku is one of the Koten Sankyoku or "Three Ancient Pieces" along with Mukaiji and Kyorei. The characters in the title refer to "nothingness" and "emptiness". "Ko" is the same character used in the word "komuso" or the "Priests of Nothingness". "Nothing" or "No-Thing" is a translation of the Buddhist concept of mu. Mu is used to refer to the "spiritual self". In Koku, one is awakened by "sound" coming out of "nothing" or out of the cosmos. This Nezasa Ha Sect version of Koku is characterized by the persistent use of the komibuki blowing technique.
2	Yamagoe (aka Reiho)	鈴法	05'37	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	Sometimes called Yamagoe Reibo, this song is used to set one's standards for training. It was not originally intended as a performance piece. The practitioner must find the extremes of everything in order to realize a part of oneself that hasn't as yet been used. In other words, one must push to the threshold of dying during one's training in order to glimpse the self limiting ideas of life/death.
3	Reibo (Don't know which version)	霊慕	12'08	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	This piece is also called Reibo. The character "bo" is read "shitau" which means "to mourn or yearn for someone". In this case, it is for the soul of Fuke Zenji, founder of the Fuke sect of Buddhism.
4	Kyorei (Don't know which version)	虚鈴	15'09	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	Kyorei is one of the "Three Ancient Songs" (Koten Sankyoku) transmitted through Fudai Temple originally finding their way to Japan some time between 619 and 907. The "kyo" in its title means "to blow" the flute. "Rei" means "spirit" and refers to the spiritual nature of human beings and the cosmos. The original title, however, was written with the "rei" meaning "suzu" or "bell" and referring to the hand bell rang by Fuke Zenshi, the founder of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism in China. Legend has it that Fuke Zenshi would walk around the streets ringing his bell to attract a crowd to whom he would then preach his principles. Kyorei expresses the depth and quietude of the soul and should be played with humility in a natural way.
5	Tamuke	手向	04'41	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	"Tamuke" literally means "hands folded together in prayer" and is a eulogy or requiem for the departed souls of loved ones. It is a melody that brings indescribable sorrow and stillness deep into the heart. Tamuke originated in the Fusai Temple in Ise, Wakayama Prefecture, a branch of the Kyoto Meian Temple. Let's look at the image of a person sitting in prayer, facing. . . what? Facing the unknown. Someone special and dearly loved has crossed over to the other side. You are communicating with them, however, your mind faces "nothing". You expect them to walk through the door any minute, but they do not. They have vanished from the face of the earth. The rational mind cannot deal with this very well. We sit in an attitude of respect for both the deceased and in the face of the unknown. When one goes through this "tearing away" that occurs when someone who is a part of your life dies, a wide range of emotions are experienced: pain, anger, fear, sadness, bewilderment, hope, expectation, helplessness, grief, and so on. Tamuke gives us a vehicle to express these deep feelings and a way to communicate with our loved ones. In Japan, most homes have a Buddhist altar where one can sit and connect with those who have passed on from this world. Often there is a photograph of this person in front of the altar as well as some food or drink they enjoyed. One sits at the altar, burning incense and communicating in some form, usually by chanting a sutra, by talking or even in the silence of memories. This is wonderful because, in Japan, there is a place to make such contact in a most natural way. A shakuhachi player can sit in this space before the altar playing Tamuke until the person in his or her heart appears. Time is not part of this world; one should naturally lose oneself in this process and several hours will pass in an instant. Play shakuhachi to express the emotions you experience at the gates of death. Play while remembering the things you experienced with this person, recalling their existence as if you are sharing old stories with them. Play until tears of sadness stream down your cheeks, then tears of happiness, as you feel their presence sitting next to you and the relief that they still have an existence, albeit in a different world. The feeling of Tamuke is whatever you bring to it. Not just a sad effigy, but something very real as you play from your life experience. Do what is natural. Play happily if you feel like doing so; this is a private matter. Tamuke gives an opportunity to play from the core of your life. This skill cannot be taught, but only learned through "doing".
6	Ukigumo	浮雲	04'03	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	Let one's body float up like the clouds, playfully blown this way and that by the wind. If the winds blow, the clouds move. If the winds are still, the clouds are still. The image is very natural. If the winds blow or don't blow, either way, clouds do not care. From this perspective, look down upon the human condition. Consider all the situations that we get ourselves into and all worked up about. . . for at least a day. When the next day arrives, something new comes along to get us worked up again, replacing the previous day's concern. We are so serious and uptight! The clouds say, "Why fight it all? If the wind blows, it blows. Don't try to stop it. If the wind doesn't blow, don't wish it were blowing". Why bother with the world? Let others go gray, bustling East, West. In this mountain temple, lying half-in, half-out, I'm removed from joy and sorrow. - Ryushu (1308-88) Yamagoe / Conquering The Mountain The actual characters used in the title are "yama" ("mountain") and "koeru" ("to excel, to overcome, to go beyond"). Uki Gumo is an expression of the mental toughness necessary to undergo spiritual training. The mountain is a typical symbol of a hardship being faced which, at first, seems impossible to transcend. The more you look and think about it while standing at bottom, the bigger it looms up over you. There's nothing to do, however, but to start climbing! It seems that one has to push oneself to the edge of "impossible". In shakuhachi training this is also true. You should seek the boundaries of "can/can't", "possible/impossible". Find what you can and cannot do. Learning shakuhachi requires immersing oneself in the activity of discovering, creating and recreating the extremes. In the extremes are found the limits and the parameters that ultimately define form. Only the act of "working" (climbing, training, meditating) will take one "beyond one's self".
7	Mukaiji (Don't know which version)	霧海箎	09'17	Shakuhachi: Taniguchi Yoshinobu
	Mukaiji is one of the "Three Ancient Pieces" along with Koku and Kyorei. The three characters used in the title help one to understand the meaning of this song. "Mu" means "kiri" or "fog"; Kai" is "umi" or "sea" and "ji" means "bamboo flute". The image evoked is of a monk sitting in a boat on a lake. Mountains arise from the lake and are shrouded in fog. Out of the fog comes a bright light "sound" which strikes the monk in the forehead. This light/sound a symbol of satori or sudden enlightenment.