Jin Nyodo No Shakuhachi 04

Jin Nyodo
Teichiku - XL-70137
1998

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Shika no Tōne (Kinko Ryū)	鹿の遠音	16'08	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
	Kinko-ryu: SHIKA-NO-TONE 1-shaku 9-sun 16 min. 7 sec. 1. About the title: This piece takes as its theme the yearning call of a stag for a mate at the height of autumn. However, it is not devoted exclusively to depicting the way of life of deer, but expresses as well the scenery and mood of isolated mountains in autumn. As a representative piece among Kinko-ryu honkyoku, it is widely known, but we should note that there is in fact a piece by the same name in the Myoan tradition and that the two pieces are completely different works. 2. Structure of the piece It is fashioned in a kakeai style for two flutes which makes it an exception among classical shakuhachi honkyoku which were originally structured for solo performance. However, on this recording Jin Nyodo uses a solo format, playing both melodies. In the kakeai style where two flutes are used, as one player's melody ends the other player's melody begins, to create an overlapping effect; but as a composition it is still fully capable of standing by itself even without this overlapping of melodies. The piece can be broadly divided into five dan: Dan 1 - This can be subdivided into two parts: an opening jo section and an initial developmental section in a higher range. In this latter section the blowing technique called muraiki, which is used a great deal in this piece, is introduced. This special feature of the piece leaves a distinct impression. Dan 2 - This section is the core of the work. Continuing from the preceding dan which reached into the highest range, this section begins with a powerful melody in the lower range of the second octave. At last the pitch rises and enters the main developmental section which centers on the ha and hi tones in the KO register. Four elegant and subtle melodies are developed, repeated, and passed back and forth between the parts. Dan 3 - Continuing from the preceding dan, and after a transitional melody which fills in the interval, the melody of the first dan is repeated and gradually the heightened mood relaxes somewhat. Dan 4 - The mood of the piece becomes tranquil again and a hushed feeling spreads overall. Dan 5 - A short finale section which closes the piece with a feeling of the clear serenity of autumn. 3. Special features of the piece: This piece is the most beautiful piece among the many Kinko-ryu honkyoku for its wealth of variety.
2	Hi Fu Mi Hachigaeshi no Shirabe (Kinko Ryū)	一二三鉢返の調	11'02	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
	Kinko-ryu: HI-FU-MI HACHIGAESHI-NO-SHIRABE 1-shaku 8-sun 11 min. 2 sec. 1. About the title: This piece represents one kind of shirabe. It combines Hi-Fu-Mi Shirabe and Hachigaeshi ("returning the bowl"), which was played when a priest received his begging bowl back. In addition it also has an irete (interpolation) by Araki Chikuo. 2. Structure of the piece The structure is [I (the first half of Hi-Fu-Mi Shirabe) - II (hachigaeshi) - III (the irete by Chikuo) - IV (the second half of Hi-Fu-Mi Shirabe)]. Because Hi-Fu-Mi Shirabe does not have any high points and has no clear-cut form, the insertion of the hachigaeshi, which begins with a takane, gives the more stable structure of low - high - low. Therefore it is only natural that the one-piece form of Hi-Fu-Mi Hachigaeshi-no-Shirabe which utilizes the hachigaeshi is the one that has taken root. 3. Special features of the piece: As a basis of Kinko-ryu this piece is compulsory for study. In terms of melodic pattern or the pace of the composition, it is a classical Kinko-ryu honkyoku and is representative of its type. In comparison with other schools, some special features of melody include the frequency of that form where as the melody ends, the chin is lowered so that the ending is played with meri; another is the frequent use of meri-playing with (lowered) chin when each melody shifts from the first tone to the second. To continue, the following are special characteristics of Kinko-ryu honkyoku in general: a. In distinction from honkyoku of the Tohoku style that has a clear-cut jo-ha-kyu structure, these pieces either have a plateau-like structure that contains several peaks or else they move in a meandering manner. b. They have little extreme of fast or slow rhythm; the whole piece progresses quietly with a feeling of rather uniform rhythm. c. The melodic patterns are somewhat limited, without any large phrase units; rather, smaller units are combined and altered, and are repeated while undergoing variation. As a result of the above features all the pieces of Kinko-ryu tend to sound rather similar with a few exceptions such as Shika-no-Tone with its rich variety of melodies, and San'ya-Sugagaki or Akita-Sugagaki with their distinctive rhythmical feeling.
3	San'ya Sugagaki	三谷菅垣	05'18	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
	Kinko-ryu: SAN'YA-SUGAGAKl 1-shaku 8-sun 5 min. 15 sec. 1. About the piece: Please refer to the section on San'ya in "Commonly Used Titles." There are two titles (in Chinese characters) both originally pronounced San'ya-Sugagaki but these in fact are different pieces. 2. Structure of the piece There are no clear-cut dan but the piece can be seen as dividing into three sections: [Section I - Section II (upper range) - Finale]. In the first third of section I (6 breaths) all the basic melodies are introduced; then the section proceeds to combine them. In the second section one new melodic pattern appears in a higher range which is then combined with the various melodies of Section I. The musubi (finale) consists of a short new melody. 3. Special features of the piece: It is played as one of the most sharply rhythmical pieces among Kinko-ryu honkyoku, and has a lucid, liberated mood.
4	Taki Ochi (Ryogenji)	滝落	10'37	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
	Ryugenji: TAKIOCHI 2-shaku 1-sun 10 min. 36 sec. 1. About the title: South of Izu-Ohito is found the Asahi Waterfall which is said to be 33 jo (1 jo = 10 shaku or 3.31 yards) high. Near the pool below the falls was the komuso temple called Ryugen-ji and it is said that this piece was composed there. There is also a piece Takiotoshi among Kinko-ryu honkyoku, and it is thought that they originally may have been the same piece based on the fact that they have many melodies in common and that the structure of the pieces has many coinciding points. However, in the form in which it is taught at present, the Ryugen-ji piece is much more classically ordered in form and has a clearer sense of formality. Moreover, as regards differences in artistic style, the mood of the two pieces has become quite different, so that on first listening one would not realize that they were originally the same piece. Jin Nyodo learned and passed on Ryugenji Takiochi from Horiguchi Zeku of the Fudai-ji tradition. 2. Structure of the piece This piece is in three sections: [Honte - Honte-gaeshi - Takane]. A more detailed analysis is as follows: I Honte: a (RO) - a' (KO) - b - c - d II Hante-gaeshi: a - a - b III Takane: a' (without the final breath) - e - d (without the initial breath) - f (musubi) Section II repeats the first half of Section I, but since this section should have the feeling that the amount of water pouring over the waterfalls increases until it finally becomes a great cascade, the tempo is faster and the sound is blown more strongly. Section III (Takane) represents the waterfall at its greatest force, and so is played strongly and in a high range. In particular, the melody, which descends from the KO-nohi tone appearing after the highest pitched section, is felt to be the most beautiful melody in this piece. Together with an inserted connecting melody, this is repeated three times. 3. Special features of the piece: This piece has a feeling of extreme decorousness in form and a structure without any useless excess. It has a lyrical quality of great refinement that makes one think of a sumie landscape. Among classical honkyoku it stands out as a famous composition.
5	Tsuru no Sugomori (Fudaiji)	鶴の巣籠	10'09	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
	Fudai-ji: TSURU-NO-SUGOMORI 1-shaku 8-sun 10 ruin. 9 sec. 1. About the title: Please refer to the section on Tsuru-no-Sugomori in "Commonly Used Titles." Fudai-ji was a komuso temple in Hamamatsu and was an important temple for the transmission of the Koten Sankyoku in their finest form. Jin Nyodo learned the Fudai-ji pieces from Horiguchi Zeku. 2. Structure of the piece It is formed from a shirabe and honte, the latter being divided into five dan. The shirabe is tranquil and relaxed in the traditional introductory shirabe style. The five dan of the honte are all roughly the same length. In terms of pitch, the first and third dan are fairly low, while the second, fourth and fifth dan shift to a higher range. At the end of each dan the tempo relaxes, and as the music enters the new dan the tempo gradually picks up and returns to the original speed. We can say that there are small "hills" within each dan, as well as the larger "mountains" within the whole piece formed by the high range of the second, fourth and fifth dans. However there is no real jo-ha-kyu development, and each dan is constructed in a parallel manner to the others. 3. Special features of the piece: a. Melodies using koro-koro (in the case of this piece used from the opening of the honte), kara-kara etc. are linked together and repeated throughout the piece. b. The beat is clearly articulated. c. It has a balanced "dan" structure. d. The mood of the piece is not at all heavy or somber; rather it has a free and pleasant feeling. The above features do not apply to this piece alone but can be said to be commonly characteristic of almost all Tsuru-no-Sugomori compositions apart from Hikyoku Tsuru-no-Sugomori. There are many pieces entitled Tsuru-no-Sugomori which are different compositions, perhaps ten in all, but this one is outstandingly beautiful in its classical structure. Note: The end of the piece on this recording is disturbed by the sound of thunder.
6	Sokaku Reibo	巣鶴鈴慕	09'08	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo
7	Yugure no Kyoku	夕暮の曲	08'04	Shakuhachi: Jin Nyodo