ochaya<\/a> (\u304a\u8336\u5c4b) on the verdant grounds of the hospital. The medical centre takes full advantage of its location on the wooded slopes of Kyoto’s eastern mountain slopes, Higashiyama. After a few brief words of introduction he asked me to play my shakuhachi for him. Then he did the same for me. From that point on, he shared his knowledge almost entirely in the form of music lessons instead of interviews. Unlike my lessons with Tanaka Sensei, Dr. Kojima and I rarely discussed the intellectual and spiritual basis of the shakuhachi. He preferred to teach in the traditional manner, through imitation and repetition of each melodic fragment (kata \u578b). Although that style of rote instruction is often interpreted as a mechanical process by Westerners, it is balanced by the teacher\u2019s intense concentration on the each musical minutiae and a general spiritual demeanour which conveys the organic spirit (kokoro\/shin \u5fc3) and \u201clife\u201d of the music.<\/p>\nMy weekly lessons were bracketed by a long commute by foot to the hospital along the famous Philosopher’s Walk (\u54f2\u5b66\u306e\u9053, Tetsugaku no michi) which borders a peaceful little canal that meanders between ancient temples, groves of cherry trees, and traditional houses. The lessons and the walks were intoxicating. And the music I was being taught was a major revelation, given that I was studying many of the same titles in the other school I was studying. The contrast between the music of each school\u2019s piece with the same name was more than a subtle difference in performance styles. The many performance practices and even the notations were significantly different. Unlike the Kinko-ry\u016b which emphasized melodic craftsmanship achieved with a multitude of complex performance practices, Dr. Kojima\u2019s school valued utter simplicity and bareness. And yet both schools value wabi-sabi ( \u4f98\u5bc2), an aesthetic that valorizes primitive tone which is seemingly improvised on the spur of the moment.<\/p>\n
Two conundrums<\/h2>\n
As I settled into a weekly routine of shakuhachi lessons with Dr. Kojima (and Tanaka-san), two vexing problems arose.<\/p>\n
Because I was a professional flutist, I was learning how to play the repertoire at a furious pace compared to traditional beginners who normally learning how to play the instrument as well as play the literature. The marvel is that the repertoire perfectly suites their needs with its minimal melodies and ultra-slow pace. But rather than being an advantage, my advanced technique was viewed as a hindrance. I was missing the point. The long and rocky path to proficiency mirrors the struggle to achieve Zen Buddhist enlightenment. The slow and painful progress can even echo the near impossible demands of a k\u014dan (\u516c\u6848). \u201cHow can I musically meditate when I can barely make a sound?\u201d \u00a0My dubious advantage was complicated further by my extensive studies in Buddhology which allowed me to see behind the instruction to its Zen Buddhist context. But rather than illuminate Zen truths from hard-won experience, I was glibly identifying each moment of discovery with terms and concepts I had learned in my university studies.\u00a0 I was not following Bodhidarma\u2019s classic (and contested) explanation of the Zen experience:<\/p>\n
A special transmission outside the scriptures; (Ky\u014dge betsuden \u6559\u5916\u5225\u50b3)<\/p>\n
No dependence upon words and letters; (Fury\u016b monji \u4e0d\u7acb\u6587\u5b57)<\/p>\n
Direct pointing to the human mind; (Jikishi jinshin \u76f4\u6307\u4eba\u5fc3)<\/p>\n
Seeing into one’s own nature and attaining Buddhahood. (Kensh\u014d j\u014dbutsu \u898b\u6027\u6210\u4f5b)<\/p>\n
Even though my flute-playing skills were an obvious if problematic advantage, I never allowed them to obscure or detract from my deference and respect. We worked through each honkyoku note-by-note, with never a word of complaint from me. Later, I wrote down my experiences of each lesson at home, with academic commentaries and personal musings, in the same manner as my follow-up with my lessons with Tanaka Sensei. I compiled quite a tutorial for my personal use and my graduating thesis.<\/p>\n
In addition to the flaw of proficiency I just described, I was confronted with another dilemma. By studying with sensei in two different schools, I was crossing a dangerous line where students never study outside their school for fear of having their allegiances questioned. I had already established my commitment to the Kinko-ry\u016b. Although I had only intended to conduct interviews with Dr. Kojima, my interviews were transformed into a shakuhachi lesson designed for a beginner in his school. As I returned again and again for information, I was instead offered \u201clessons\u201d. It slowly dawned on me that I was becoming a shakuhachi student associated with another school. This quandary is somewhat paralleled in the west where a music student might take music lessons on the same music instrument from two teachers simultaneously, also viewed askance if not out-and-out transgression. On the other hand, taking music lessons from one teacher, then another in sequence is commonplace, and even recommended. I look back at my own string of flute teachers with great pleasure. Unfortunately, for the purposes of my research, I had to telescope this well-known path of sequential instruction into a simultaneous learning experience.<\/p>\n
The Inner Circle<\/h2>\n
Dr. Kojima was\u00a0very kind to me. He drew me into his inner circle of students which included one other westerner, a man my age named David who was born and raised in Kyoto. His father was the director of the Baptist hospital where Dr. Kojima practised. Unlike me, his interest in the shakuhachi was confined to his own personal curiosity whereas I was steeped in a research project that occupied almost my every waking moment.<\/p>\n
Both David and I were given extraordinary glimpses into a closed world – the inner workings of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai association. One of the most surprising occasions was the invitation to participate in the Mifune \u201cthree boat\u201d festival (Mifune Matsuri \u4e09\u8239\u796d). The festival features over a dozen traditional boats filled with three kinds of traditional performance artists, floating leisurely on the large Osagawa pond on the eastern side of Kyoto\u2019s Arashiyama hills. During the time of the glittering courts, the purpose of the entertainment was to entertain the leisurely courtiers with art music and dance in a novel manner. (I was reminded of Handel’s Water Music.) We performers reproduced the occasion for the local populace and the few lucky tourists that got wind of the event.<\/p>\n
More important occasions were the group lessons called Suizen-kai (\u5439\u7985 \u4f1a) also known as\u00a0 Kyochiku Zenji H\u00f4san Kai (\u865b\u7af9\u7985\u5e2bi \u5949\u8cdb \u4f1a), and the yearly recitals (Shakuhachi Honkyoku Senkoku Kenso Taikai\u00a0 (\u5c3a\u516b\u672c\u66f2\u5168\u56fd\u732e\u594f\u5927\u4f1a).<\/p>\n
The recitals were filled to capacity with some 50 plus players crowded into the main hall of the modest temple. They were exhausting. The association seemed to have a come-one-come-all policy to shakuhachi players of all traditional schools and associations which taught honkyoku according to the dictates of their school\u2019s style. The open invitation meant that anybody could play, good or indifferent, resulting in eight or more hours of three-minute solo and unison performances, performed at the slowest pace possible, as required by the tradition in all the schools. At one of the recitals I attended, as a member of Dr. Kojima’s coterie, I had an opportunity hear Riley Lee (now a famous Australian shakuhachi\u00a0 player). He made a very impressive entrance, surrounded by devoted fans. At the same recital Andreas Gutzwiller (another now famous European teacher\/player) was hovering around the edges, taping all the performances. At least, I think it was them. Unfortunately both men left the recital before I could introduce myself. There was also an amazing and extremely rare performance of a honkyoku by a woman who played a honkyoku on a traditional transverse flute, a shinobue (\u7be0\u7b1b).<\/p>\n
The purpose of the group lessons was to maintain a consensus of the performance practices of a particular school of playing that exists within the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai assocation – the Taizan-ry\u016b (\u7537\u5c71\u6d41). The lessons were (and are) conducted by the head teacher (rijich\u014d \u7406\u4e8b\u9577).\u00a0 The Taizan-ry\u016b originated with Higuchi Taizan (\u6a0b\u53e3 \u5bfe\u5c71, 1856-1914) who was also one of the founding fathers of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai. The association was created in 1883 (Meiji 16) for the express purpose of preserving the repertoire of the defunct Fuke-sh\u016b (\u666e\u5316\u5b97) and its community of komus\u014d\u00a0 (\u865a\u7121\u50e7),\u00a0 the Zen Buddhist flute-playing monks of long ago. The Fuke-sh\u016b had been banned in 1871 along with many other Buddhist institutions that were purged (haibutsu kishaku \u5ec3\u4ecf\u6bc0\u91c8) during the Meiji era and the rush to off-load redundant institutions that were dragging the pace of westernisation.<\/p>\n
Even though the ban was eventually lifted in 1881, the Zen Buddhist sect was never re-constituted, presumably due to a lack of interest among young men who were more interested in becoming Zen Buddhist acolytes in the mainstream Zen sects. However, a large body of laymen players had been slowly arising, even during the earlier Tokugawa era, ready to replace the komus\u014d with their own style of lay devotion. They were naturally following in the footsteps of the ancient precepts of Vimalakirti (Yuima \u7dad\u6469) and other great \u201chouseholder Buddhists\u201d (aka Sk, upasaka, Jp ubasoku \u512a\u5a46\u585e ). Higuchi Sensei was one of the most prominent of these revivalists. For his efforts, he received the designation of 35th abbot and the official title of K\u014cD\u014c in the newly formed My\u014dan K\u014dkai.<\/p>\n
As luck would have it, Dr. Kojima is one of the most proficient teachers and scholars of the repertoire of the Taizan-ry\u016b.<\/p>\n
Dr. Kojima<\/h2>\n
Born in 1928 in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, Dr. Kojima began his shakuhachi training in 1951 with Tanikita Muchiku (\u8c37\u5317 \u7121\u7af9, 1878-1957) ROAN, 37th abbot of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai and a prominent student of Higuchi Taizan. Dr. Kojima eventually received his certification (My\u014dan D\u014dshu \u660e\u6697\u9053\u4e3b) and the honorary natori (\u540d\u53d6) of ISSUI (\u4e00\u5439), in 1969 under the tutelage of the 38th abbot, Koizumi Shizan (\u5c0f\u6cc9\u6b62\u5c71) RYOAN (ca. 1953-72). Since then, he has taught continuously, including many Westerners such as myself. He has been an active participant in the activities of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai and can be heard every year at their recitals. He has also consulted for several television productions such The Komus\u014d Temple (Komus\u014d no Tera, 1973), The Spirit of the Shakuhachi (Fuke My\u014dan Shakuhachi no kokoro, 1978) and Zen and Shakuhachi (Zen to Shakuhachi, 1982). His dedication to the shakuchachi and its ideals is also evident in his magazine article \u201cZen and Shakuhachi\u201d, published by Hanazono (1979, volume 29, pp. 12-18).<\/p>\n
In 1991 (Heisei 3) Dr. Kojima was elected to the pre-eminent position of 41st abbot of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai, and given a second official name, HOAN (\u4fdd\u5b89). \u00a0His lineage extends deep into history, past the rejuvenation of the honkyoku repertoire and the formation of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai to the traditional (and according to some, mythological) beginning of the komus\u014d tradition in Japan by Kakushin (\u5fc3\u5730\u89ba\u5fc3, 1207\u20131298), now designated as the first Kansu. HIs student Kyochiku Zenshi (\u865b\u7af9\u7985\u5e2b) was designated as the second kansu and is depicted as a statue in the alcove of the main hall in My\u014dan-ji. The tradition of playing the shakuhachi in a Zen Buddhist manner is traced even further back to ancient China and one of Zen Buddhism\u2019s most interesting pioneers, Zhenzhou Puhua ( \u93ae\u5dde\u666e\u5316, aka Fuke-zenji\u00a0 \u666e\u5316\u7985\u5e2b ca. 770-840 or 860). His disciple, Chang Po\/Ch\u014d Haku (\u5f35\u4f2f) imitated Puhua\u2019s ubiquitous and controversial handbell (rei \u9234) by blowing a single tone on a shakuhachi.<\/p>\n
During the 2012 World Shakuhachi Festival in Kyoto, Dr. Kojima opened the program of the My\u014dan Ky\u014dkai concert by playing Kok\u016b (\u865a\u7a7a), perhaps the most revered composition of the sacred literature. It was a very great honour and a fitting tribute to his august position as the 41st Kansu.<\/p>\n
As is true of all lay members of the Ky\u014dkai, Dr. Kojima had a \u201cday job\u201d that sustained his interest and dedication before retiring. He was a doctor of medicine with a long and distinguished career at the Japan Baptist Hospital in Kyoto, specializing in geriatric medicine. Not content with simply maintaining his medical practice, he actively pursued research programs which culminated in a presentation on gastric cancer delivered to the 6th International Cancer Congress in Florence, Italy in 1947. He is married with four daughters and several grandchildren.<\/p>\n
For a young person such as myself in the long ago, bristling with anticipation and awe as I sat poised on the cusp of adulthood, mentors like Dr. Kojima and Tanaka-sensei are a godsend. They introduce a heightened awareness of life at just the right moment and with just the right spirit of guidance and patience. We should all be so blessed.<\/p>\n
Bibliography<\/h2>\n
James Sanford (1977) \u201cShakuhachi Zen. The Fukeshu and Komuso,\u201d in Monumenta Nipponica<\/i>, Vol. 32, No. 4 (Winter, 1977), pp. 411-440<\/p>\n
Kamisango Y\u016bk\u014d (1974) \u201cshakuhachi no rekishi,\u201d translated and edited by Christopher Y\u014dmei Blasdel as \u201cThe Shakuhachi \u2013 Its History and Development,\u201d in The Shakuhachi, A Manual for Learning<\/i> (Ongaku no Tomo Sha, 1988; second edition, Printed Matter Press, 2008)<\/p>\n
Norman Stanfield (2013) \u201cTwo Perceptions of Music Compared: The Meian and Kinko Schools of Sacred Solo Shakuhachi Music,\u201d in The Annals of the International Shakuhachi Society, Volume 1<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A\u00a0few months ago\u00a0I posted a UBC blog entitled “Honouring Tanaka Sensei”. I described the revelations and adventures I experienced from my encounters with that very great man. Now it’s time drop the other shoe. At the same time I was studying with Tanaka Motonobu of the D\u014dmon-kai\u00a0 (\u571f \u9580 \u4f1a) Kinko-ry\u016b (\u7434\u53e4\u6d41) school of shakuhachi […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6987,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[245632],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world-music-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6987"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1398"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1697,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1398\/revisions\/1697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1398"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1398"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/normanstanfield\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1398"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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