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Beyond Japan Update
Shakuhachi Summer Adventure
June, 2003
"Without love, beauty, and danger, it would almost be easy to live."
Part III: Shakuhachi Summer Camp
Day 1
David Sawyer arrived to pick me up from the hostel in Boulder where I was staying, just before 9:30 am on the Thursday, first day of the Shakuhachi Summer Camp. We drove back to David's house to pick up Yoko and her koto and things. Then we all drove to the Sunrise Ranch way out in the country at the picturesque foothills of Loveland, outside of Boulder. Upon stepping onto the Sunrise Ranch grounds I was immediately struck with a sense of peace and excitement evoked by the well-constructed facilities and anticipating the meeting of all the shakuhachi spirits; especially seeing Kakizakai sensei again as well as Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, and reacquainting myself with Riley Lee whom I was eager to study with, and to see Michael Gould and Yoshio Kurahashi again. After checking in, familiar faces started to appear --Bill Fletcher, Elliot Kallen, Bob Sedivy, Duke Bhuphaibool....then Christopher, Riley, and Kakizakai sensei in the cafeteria. It felt like a big family reunion. The featured teachers this year were Christopher Yohmei Blasdel, Kakizakai Kaoru, Yoshio Kurahashi, Riley Lee, David Wheeler, and Michael Chikuzen Gould. I wish I could've studied with everyone, but there is only so much one can do in 4 days.
The day started with lunch then we dove into our first lessons. I took Christopher's class where we studied "ICHIJOU" a piece by Kineya Seiho expressing the fleeting quality of life on earth.
After dinner everyone gathered in the main "Green Room" where we got in a big circle and did self introductions where we had to tell our name, where we came from, how many hours roughly have we practiced shakuhachi in our lives, and why we haven't quit shakuhachi yet. There were about 30 of us so it took a while to get through every one, but it was enlightening and inspiring to hear everyone's response. All the while David Wheeler translated flawlessly into Japanese everyone's answers. Amazing.
Day 2
I awoke to the sound of Jia Gottlieb preparing for his morning workshop on breathing. I would've loved to join but I was still a bit ill. I even missed breakfast. I just wanted to sleep all day. I finally got up at 8:00, took a shower, joined the RO buki opening and then attened the first workshop of the day given by Riley Lee where he taught techniques of "komi buki" and the importance of proper pitch in playing shakuhachi. Then we went through the old komuso piece, "TORI" which is the second piece in the Komuso beggin series which includes Kadotzuke, and Hachigaeshi. Later that day I had my first private lesson with Riley where we worked on the 5-section piece, "Chikurai Gosho" by Moroi Makoto (and Sakai Chikuho).
At lunch, met more people which was a total delight. I guess the main thing on everyone's mind that day was 'What were we going to play for the student recital that night?" Jay Keister, a professor of ethnomusicology at Colorado University approached me and asked if I would like to play shakuhachi with him on a minyou piece where he would sing and play shamisen. I thought I'd give it a try although I mainly specialize in honkyoku. Riley also mentioned that there would be lots of people so performing in groups would help the night go faster.
The student concert that evening was very moving. Still feeling feverish and dizzy, Christopher announced that Jay and I were to open the show. I have a tendency to get picked first for these things. We played our piece and then sat down and enjoyed the rest of the players. As I listened to the various permutations of shakuhachi players and music, I suddenly felt my fever lift like a posessive spirit leaving my body. AHH, THE HEALING POWER OF THE SHAKUHACHI! I was quite moved also by Karl Signell's performance of the Persian Ney flute. It was quite haunting and stirring. Aferwards, Karl offered to demonstrate how hard it was to make a sound out of it. I think it may be even more difficult to get a sound out if it than the shakuhachi!
The simple sound of the solo shakuhachi moves me so greatly and the evening culminated in Corey Sperry's final offering of a section of the piece, "One Legged Tori". David Wheeler was correct when he described Corey as a shakuahchi bodhisatva, as he came back from Japan and worked tirelessly to manifest the World Shakuahchi Festival in 1998 and the subsequent 5 Shakuhachi Summer Camps for all of us to enjoy.
Day 3
The next morning I woke like seed breaking through the earth into sunlight. Totally recovered from my 2-day bout with a sickness, I ate a hardy and delicious breakfast and took on the day with vigor and enthusiasm. I spent most of the day studying with Kakizakai sensei replenishing my supply of good energy and teaching techniques from him. Also went through some basic minyou pieces with Riley Lee, "Itsuki Komoriuta" and "Kaigara Bushi".
Corey Sperry and Karl Signell observing Kakizakai sensei at a lesson.
This night was the main event of the Camp, the Masters Concert where all the senseis were to perform:
Michael Gould- Tamuke (honkyoku)
Riley Lee- Koku (honkyoku)
David Wheeler/Yoko Hiraoka- Battle of Yajima (classical sankyoku)
Christopher Yohmei Blasdel- BYO (composed 1980) by Yohei Hirose
Yoshio Kurahashi- Koku (honkyoku)
Riley Lee/Kakizakai Kaoru/Christopher Yohmei Blasdel- Fudo #4 by Kineya Seiho
Kakizakai Kaoru- Shingetsu (honkyoku)
Everyone- Kaze no Tori Michi (Theme song to the anime "Tonari no Totoro")
Michael Gould
Riley Lee
David Wheeler
Needless to say it was beautiful beyond words. The last piece from the popular Japanese anime performed by all the senseis was a wonderful ending to a magical evening of shakuhachi music.
The party afterwards was also very interesting and full of humor and joviality. Again was amazed at David Wheeler's fluid fluency of both Japanese and English as he spontaneously translated translated several jokes and anecdotes flawlessly , quickly, and with nuances. Later, had a nice catching up talk with Christopher who gave me good advice for the Shakuhachi Festival in Vancouver this November.
At midnight I retired to the Rimrock room and drifted off into a shakuahchi dream-filled night.
Day 4
The next day was the last full day of Camp. Spent more time with Kakizakai sensei and learned a new honkyoku called "Asuka Reibo" from Riley Lee which a is very beautiful piece, from the Meian tradition of the Nara district of Japan.
The evening was duet night. Every one gathered in the Green Room and we all played various duets and trios dividing up in to groups as appropriate. Riley conducted as we all enjoyed the joyous sounds of the shakuhachi melodies and harmonies weaving the a magnificent sonic tapestry of love and beauty.
That night, instead of attending the party I was drawn to a small and quiet communion of flute players in the now empty Green Room. Jia, Duke, Glen, Kurita-san, and I basically enjoyed the night playing the different flutes that we had in our presence. I had been meaning to go to Kurita-san's room to check out his hand made bamboo shakuhachi. This seemed like a good time to do so and asked to see some of his long flutes. He quickly went back to his room and brought back his stock of flutes that he made. All of us proceeded to enter into a timeless place enjoying the aesthetics of each flute. Kurita-san, an engineer by trade told us he's been making shakuhachi since he was 17 years old. Now he's 64. That's 47 years of making experience! Why he never became a professional maker is unclear. But his level of craftsmanship is as fine as the best of makers. He said through the years he would attend Yokoyama sensei's workshops and at each gathering ask the teachers and high level players to inspect the flutes he made. Then he would go home and make adjustments until the flutes were acceptable to the teachers. Kurita-san then took out his favorite 1.8 that he'd been in the process of refining over a 10 year period. A dark burgundy, well-cured piece of bamboo with a super-beautiful, wide-bored open bell. I played it and the sound was so sweet and smooth with beautiful tonal color, balance, that it nearly made me weep. I immediately knew this flute was very special. We kept on asking him the price but he wouldn't say. Jia and I were especially moved by that 1.8 since we played it over and over again dumbfounded by its profound beauty. Kurita-san said he had Aoki Reibo play it at the Boulder Festival in 1998 and he even was impressed by it's high quality.
All of us communed deeper and deeper into the night until we reached a point of climax when it was understood it was time to retire for the night.
Day 5
The last morning was the most perfect ending to my Shakuhachi Summer Camp experience. Christopher gave an encore workshop of his relaxation techniques which moved me greatly. It consisted of relaxing all parts of the body to maximize playing ability; he also incorporated movement to help energy flow and to "reset" the body's alignment. We became swaying seaweed in the ocean currents; our fingers striking snakes; our bodies ghosts moving through the atmosphere; then we sank in to the primordial core of the earth. We awoke from the dream, changed, anew, like a butterfly from its cocoon.
Epilogue:
On my way home, on the bus passing through Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, up on to beautiful Canada again, thoughts are filled with the wave of shakuhachi energy spreading through the world. It's an energy worth nurturing and growing. This adventure full of love, beauty, and danger ending and restarting again as I take yet another step on the Shakuhachi/Bamboo Path.
The beautiful beings flowing from Japan Shakuhachi gods with wondrous veils and attendant spirits flowing unique into eternity with deep smiles and tender hearts giving.
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