Saturday, November 04, 2006

Kumamoto II: The First Harvest

Yesterday was spent harvesting bamboo on a mountainside on the outskirts of Kumamoto city. It was another beautiful day. The folks who were leading the outing were Tsurugi Kodo and his student Jeff Cairns. This is the first time meeting them so I was very grateful that they let us come and harvest with them. I rode in the car with Tsurugi sensei and discovered he is part of a great line of shakuhachi players. He studied playing directly under Kawase Junsuke III and making under his father, Kyomudo who is a famous maker all over Japan and supplied many shakuhachi to the famous Jin Nyodo while he was still alive. Kyomudo is about 85 years old now and still in good health. I asked if he knows David Wheeler and he said, of course! Our group will be playing with their group, Wakanakai later today then have a party. It should be fun and very educational. I have never heard Tsurugi play, but talking to him, I know he is a top notch player. He`s played with folks like Mitsuhashi Kifu and other great koto and shamisen players. Tsurugi perhaps is the leading shakuhachi player and maker in the Kyushuu area.

The harvesting was great. We each came out with a few pieces. (I`ll go into this process in detail later)

After harvesting, we spent the afternoon doing `abura nuki` which means `oiling the bamboo` in order to prepare it for the curing process. We drove back into town to Kyomudo`s workshop and they brought out pots of sumi charcoal and we proceeded to heat our pieces of bamboo over the coals causing the oils to bubble to the surface of the bamboo which we wiped off with a cloth. The newly harvested bamboo is a dark green. But after oiling it turns a light green. Then it is left out in the sun for a few weeks to turn a golden yellow.

It is intersting to see the differences between the shakuhachi styles in Japan. Nishimura Kokuu`s line is more focused on getting rid of the distinction between the opposites such as `good player and bad player`, which is more of a religious/spiritual attitude. Humility and creating a good atmosphere is key, not so much technique. It felt great to spend time with the Nishimura Family. I will spend more time with Tsurugi today and play with their group and report what I experience later tonight, comparing his style with Nishimura Kokuu`s school.

Being a foreigner in Japan and having the opportunity to experience a trip like this, I feel is a great privilege. So I am constantly grateful for everyone for making this dream a reality......

Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com

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