Friday, October 28, 2011
Roots Pilgrimage #6
I'm very excited to be embarking on the 6th Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage next week! Please stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Journey`s End
November 25, 2008
I`m posting this entry at the Kansai International Airport one hour before we board our plane back to Vancouver. The Roots Pilgrimage 2008 is complete and it has been absolutely magical and amazing as was expected. I apologize for not blogging daily the events of this year`s trip, but it couldn`t be helped as many of the places we stayed had no internet access of had a limited time for using the computer. So I will have to give the details and highlights of the trip later when I return from Japan.
I am really excited about sharing this year`s journey with you with pictures from all the participants and all. I will call this year`s trip "Take (bamboo) 5" Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage as the total number of participants dwindled down to 5 from the original 9. At first I was disappointed at all the cancellations, but in the end I was happy as it was the perfect amount of people for this kind of journey. It also corresponded to the 5 holes of the shakuhachi and the the famous piece by Paul Desmond which is also a popular piece to play on shakuhachi!
It was the most relaxed and slowest-paced trip to date which was great as it gave me lots of time to rest and everyone could enjoy the journey more. I will used this trip as a template for future Roots Pilgrimages.
When I return home I will give you an account of the main details of the body of our Roots Pilgrimage 2008.
I`m posting this entry at the Kansai International Airport one hour before we board our plane back to Vancouver. The Roots Pilgrimage 2008 is complete and it has been absolutely magical and amazing as was expected. I apologize for not blogging daily the events of this year`s trip, but it couldn`t be helped as many of the places we stayed had no internet access of had a limited time for using the computer. So I will have to give the details and highlights of the trip later when I return from Japan.
I am really excited about sharing this year`s journey with you with pictures from all the participants and all. I will call this year`s trip "Take (bamboo) 5" Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage as the total number of participants dwindled down to 5 from the original 9. At first I was disappointed at all the cancellations, but in the end I was happy as it was the perfect amount of people for this kind of journey. It also corresponded to the 5 holes of the shakuhachi and the the famous piece by Paul Desmond which is also a popular piece to play on shakuhachi!
It was the most relaxed and slowest-paced trip to date which was great as it gave me lots of time to rest and everyone could enjoy the journey more. I will used this trip as a template for future Roots Pilgrimages.
When I return home I will give you an account of the main details of the body of our Roots Pilgrimage 2008.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Roots 5 Begins
Roots 5 is half way over and I haven't posted any blogs about the trip yet which I apologize for. For some reason it's more difficult this time around to access a computer and find time to post. I'll endeavor to begin to describe this year's journey into Shakuhachi Heart Country.
All the way up to just beore leaving for Japan I was gigging intensively every day with Dharmakasa doing school shows at the Michael J.Fox Theatre. So was quite tired before the flight. The day before leaving I got a call from Chris, one of the participants on the trip saying that he will not be coming with me on the flight to Japan as his partner, Val got very sick. This put me in a somewhat cloudy mood but I prayed that she would recover and that I would see them in Japan in a week.
I met Barbara, my student at the airport at 3AM and we checked in safe and sound. I was feeling quite distant from Japan at the beginning of the trip; a lot more mellower than my usual heightened anticipation and pre-departure excitement.
To be continued....
All the way up to just beore leaving for Japan I was gigging intensively every day with Dharmakasa doing school shows at the Michael J.Fox Theatre. So was quite tired before the flight. The day before leaving I got a call from Chris, one of the participants on the trip saying that he will not be coming with me on the flight to Japan as his partner, Val got very sick. This put me in a somewhat cloudy mood but I prayed that she would recover and that I would see them in Japan in a week.
I met Barbara, my student at the airport at 3AM and we checked in safe and sound. I was feeling quite distant from Japan at the beginning of the trip; a lot more mellower than my usual heightened anticipation and pre-departure excitement.
To be continued....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage #5 Pre-departure
October 23, 2008
One week before we depart for Japan. It's hard to believe. My week before departure is chock full of performances in town. I'll be in Vancouver all week for performances and teaching up until October 31, the day before departure. I'll do my best to post how the trip in Japan is going.
One week before we depart for Japan. It's hard to believe. My week before departure is chock full of performances in town. I'll be in Vancouver all week for performances and teaching up until October 31, the day before departure. I'll do my best to post how the trip in Japan is going.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Anti-climactic Ending
Nov. 25, 2006
The next morning we headed up to Sakakita to harvest bamboo. It is final segment of the Trip, and my condition was still pretty rough. In fact, I didn`t even get to harvest as my body felt totally drained of energy and I still had a fever. I made it up the mountain, but all I could do was lay down on the ground as I listened to everyone else enjoying the harvesting with the happy sound of hammers hitting picks, digging out roots. Peter, being the considerate fellow he is, asked everyone to harvest one piece for me. Thanks, Peter! I eventually went back down the mountain and rested in one of the cars. Back at the ryokan, I slept all through dinner and the party (which I heard was wonderful), and through the night. But I didn`t have to go to the toilet as much as before.
The next morning was abura nuki, oiling the bamboo. I felt considerably better and even ate a little of the breakfast. I was still weak, but managed to oil all the pieces of bamboo that the others harvested for me. Murai-san would take all the pieces back to his place and sun them for us for two weeks then he will send them all to my place where they will cure till the making workshop in the summer.
Anyway, that officially ends the 2006 (Extreme/Ultimate) Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage in Japan. It was unbelievably beautiful and profound as usual. We made so many new friends and contacts and next year`s trip will be unique and fascinating once again, as we plan to attend the Meian-kyokai at the beginning of November, explore the relationship of folk music and honkyoku, and touch the world of yoko-bue.
I will be transfering this text to the Bamboo-In website and filling it in with more details and we will be creating a site where everyone will be able to see all the wondeful photos we took of the trip.
Thanks for following the blog and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Years!
Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
Alcvin
The next morning we headed up to Sakakita to harvest bamboo. It is final segment of the Trip, and my condition was still pretty rough. In fact, I didn`t even get to harvest as my body felt totally drained of energy and I still had a fever. I made it up the mountain, but all I could do was lay down on the ground as I listened to everyone else enjoying the harvesting with the happy sound of hammers hitting picks, digging out roots. Peter, being the considerate fellow he is, asked everyone to harvest one piece for me. Thanks, Peter! I eventually went back down the mountain and rested in one of the cars. Back at the ryokan, I slept all through dinner and the party (which I heard was wonderful), and through the night. But I didn`t have to go to the toilet as much as before.
The next morning was abura nuki, oiling the bamboo. I felt considerably better and even ate a little of the breakfast. I was still weak, but managed to oil all the pieces of bamboo that the others harvested for me. Murai-san would take all the pieces back to his place and sun them for us for two weeks then he will send them all to my place where they will cure till the making workshop in the summer.
Anyway, that officially ends the 2006 (Extreme/Ultimate) Shakuhachi Roots Pilgrimage in Japan. It was unbelievably beautiful and profound as usual. We made so many new friends and contacts and next year`s trip will be unique and fascinating once again, as we plan to attend the Meian-kyokai at the beginning of November, explore the relationship of folk music and honkyoku, and touch the world of yoko-bue.
I will be transfering this text to the Bamboo-In website and filling it in with more details and we will be creating a site where everyone will be able to see all the wondeful photos we took of the trip.
Thanks for following the blog and hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Years!
Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
Alcvin
Monday, November 27, 2006
Shakuhachi and Taiko in Aichi
Nov. 22, 2006
We left at a leisurely pace from Kyoto around 11 AM, kind of reluctant to leave but itching to move along on our journey. Our next destination was the Kokushou Temple in Aichi where we would meet the nembutsu (Jodo Shu) priest and shakuhachi player, Yano Shiku. I first heard about him through my association with the great master potter of Shiga Raki, Kanzaki Shiho, who actually dabbled a bit in making shakuhachi.
We took the shinkansen to Nagoya, then took a local train to the little town of Agui where we were met by Yano-san and his student, Vito, an Italian fellow from Germany who has been studying with Yano for about 1 year. We met Vito for the first time on our last trip there. They quickly drove us to the temple where we were shown to our tatami rooms which were very nice. Yano did an incredible job rennovating the temple from the ruin which he had described it had been in.
After getting settled in Yano-san shared with us a video taping of a performance he did with high level Shomyo chanting monks from Koya-san. It was a strange mixture of austere, traditional religious ritual with modern shakuhachi/piano/percussion music from Yano and his trio. At about 6 pm. we all gatherd in the Buddha Hall where we all played honkyoku for eachother. After that, Yano`s wife prepared a sumptuous meal of nabe yaki (boiled soup in pots) with various vegetables, seafoods, and meats. After the meal we all helped in cleaning up. We all relaxed a bit then Yano prepared a nightcap for us as we admired Yano`s collection of beautiful Japanese pottery....of course my favorite pieces were Kanzaki Shiho`s!
Eileen Kage, my taiko-playing friend from Vancouver recommended I check out Shidara Taiko when we come to Aichi as she was a roadie on their US tour this past summer she raved about them. So I checked the Shidara Taiko website and it said that they are performing in Aichi on the 23rd of November which is tomorrow. Yano check the time and place for us and found it was at 2:30 pm in a town called Nishio which is about 2 hours from Agui. This couldn`t have been better timing. We could see the show and make it to Matsumoto in the evening.
I slept quite nicely that night. The next morning most of us who woke up gathered in the Buddha hall for chanting and meditation. Yano lead the chanting as we all participated in 30 minutes of chanting `Namu Amida Butsu`. Then 30 minutes of silent meditation. Breakfast was bread, pasteries, juice, coffee, and fruits. Yano had a funeral job to do that morning so he bid us farewell around 9:30. Shidara Taiko responded to my email saying that they are waiting for us to come to their performance in the afternoon. Yano printed out a map for us to get to Nishio.
We left Agui at 11 am and got to Nishio about 1 pm. On the way, we somehow lost Randall as he wasn`t on the train when we disembarked from one station. I wasn`t too worried however, as it was fairly easy to get back to Kyoto.
We were greeted quite warmly by the Shidara staff and had a bite to eat in the nearby cafe before the show. The Shidara performance was quite impressive. Very technically advanced and powerful drummers with beautiful melodies from the shino-bue-playing females. During their encore, Matheus, John Paul, and I were pulled up on stage to dance with everyone which was quite fun.
After the show, I started to get a headache which started to morph into nauseating sickness. When we got on the Shinkansen, I was throwing up along with diarreah. I blamed the food at cafe before the show thinking it must`ve been something spoiled. We arrive in at the Ryokan Seifu So in Matsumoto around 9:30 pm, checked into our rooms (I got a single), took a bath, and I immediately crashed into futon and slept and went to the toilet (it must`ve been at least 15 times) literally all night long.
I wasn`t feeling any better the next morning. I even skipped breakfast as any kind of food made me feel even more nauseated. Most of the guys went out and visited the Matsumoto Castle and surrounded town which is quite beautiful. I heard Matheus also got sick but recovered pretty fast. I felt a little better by the evening but was still quite weak.
To be continued....
Alcvin Ramos
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
We left at a leisurely pace from Kyoto around 11 AM, kind of reluctant to leave but itching to move along on our journey. Our next destination was the Kokushou Temple in Aichi where we would meet the nembutsu (Jodo Shu) priest and shakuhachi player, Yano Shiku. I first heard about him through my association with the great master potter of Shiga Raki, Kanzaki Shiho, who actually dabbled a bit in making shakuhachi.
We took the shinkansen to Nagoya, then took a local train to the little town of Agui where we were met by Yano-san and his student, Vito, an Italian fellow from Germany who has been studying with Yano for about 1 year. We met Vito for the first time on our last trip there. They quickly drove us to the temple where we were shown to our tatami rooms which were very nice. Yano did an incredible job rennovating the temple from the ruin which he had described it had been in.
After getting settled in Yano-san shared with us a video taping of a performance he did with high level Shomyo chanting monks from Koya-san. It was a strange mixture of austere, traditional religious ritual with modern shakuhachi/piano/percussion music from Yano and his trio. At about 6 pm. we all gatherd in the Buddha Hall where we all played honkyoku for eachother. After that, Yano`s wife prepared a sumptuous meal of nabe yaki (boiled soup in pots) with various vegetables, seafoods, and meats. After the meal we all helped in cleaning up. We all relaxed a bit then Yano prepared a nightcap for us as we admired Yano`s collection of beautiful Japanese pottery....of course my favorite pieces were Kanzaki Shiho`s!
Eileen Kage, my taiko-playing friend from Vancouver recommended I check out Shidara Taiko when we come to Aichi as she was a roadie on their US tour this past summer she raved about them. So I checked the Shidara Taiko website and it said that they are performing in Aichi on the 23rd of November which is tomorrow. Yano check the time and place for us and found it was at 2:30 pm in a town called Nishio which is about 2 hours from Agui. This couldn`t have been better timing. We could see the show and make it to Matsumoto in the evening.
I slept quite nicely that night. The next morning most of us who woke up gathered in the Buddha hall for chanting and meditation. Yano lead the chanting as we all participated in 30 minutes of chanting `Namu Amida Butsu`. Then 30 minutes of silent meditation. Breakfast was bread, pasteries, juice, coffee, and fruits. Yano had a funeral job to do that morning so he bid us farewell around 9:30. Shidara Taiko responded to my email saying that they are waiting for us to come to their performance in the afternoon. Yano printed out a map for us to get to Nishio.
We left Agui at 11 am and got to Nishio about 1 pm. On the way, we somehow lost Randall as he wasn`t on the train when we disembarked from one station. I wasn`t too worried however, as it was fairly easy to get back to Kyoto.
We were greeted quite warmly by the Shidara staff and had a bite to eat in the nearby cafe before the show. The Shidara performance was quite impressive. Very technically advanced and powerful drummers with beautiful melodies from the shino-bue-playing females. During their encore, Matheus, John Paul, and I were pulled up on stage to dance with everyone which was quite fun.
After the show, I started to get a headache which started to morph into nauseating sickness. When we got on the Shinkansen, I was throwing up along with diarreah. I blamed the food at cafe before the show thinking it must`ve been something spoiled. We arrive in at the Ryokan Seifu So in Matsumoto around 9:30 pm, checked into our rooms (I got a single), took a bath, and I immediately crashed into futon and slept and went to the toilet (it must`ve been at least 15 times) literally all night long.
I wasn`t feeling any better the next morning. I even skipped breakfast as any kind of food made me feel even more nauseated. Most of the guys went out and visited the Matsumoto Castle and surrounded town which is quite beautiful. I heard Matheus also got sick but recovered pretty fast. I felt a little better by the evening but was still quite weak.
To be continued....
Alcvin Ramos
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Last day in Kyoto
We all woke early to go to the famous Toji flea market at Toji temple. Thank goodness the weather cleared up! It was a beautiful sunny, cool day, perfect for shopping. We got there around 8:30 and immediately split up to explore the vast grounds filled with vendors or various antiques and foodstuffs. My radar were out on the look out for old shakuhachis. I found one shakuhachi at one vendor which was in pretty good shape. I didn`t blow it at first as I wanted to canvas the whole place first then come back to it later. But then gave it one blow and it sounded pretty good. I ran into John Paul and he said there were a few not so good shakuhachi near the entrance on the other side of the temple. I went around to each and every vendor asking occasionally if they had shakuhachi. One vendor said he just sold the ones he had. The shakuhachi the John Paul saw were pretty bad. Not worth anything. I walked all over and no other shakuhachi were to be found. I was getting pretty tired after a few hours of walking around. So I headed back to the first shakuhachi I found. I met Randall along the way and mentioned that shakuhachi to him and he said he was interested in it so I brought him to it. Met up with Peter as well and he said he tried the flute and agreed it was pretty nice. So we went back and I really played it for at least 15 minutes and was very surprised how really nice it was! It was quite balanced except for the `chi` being slightly sharp, but that`s expected with old flutes. Good RO. Pretty good balance. Randall wanted a bamboo flute so I said this was a great opportunity to get one at a great price. So he got it!
Jane, John Paul, and I split up with the group and went to Izutsuya, a Shinto good store where both Jane and John Paul bought beautiful purple hakama, juban (under shirt for kimomo), and black and white kimono tops. Then we went to the used kimono shop, Kikuya where a found a beautiful light golden brown hakama and ka-kobi for an incredibly inexpensive price! I was so happy to find this great buy. Afterwards we went back to the Daiya Inn for a rest. Oba-san at the Inn said she was going to give us a sushi party in the evening since it was our last day and she would miss us. At 5 pm I met Zachary Braverman at Kyoto Eki and he passed me one of Taniguchi-sensei`s original prints which he wasn`t attached to. Then I took the bus to Sannenzaka where I scanned all the shops again for gifts then visited Fujie and Reiko-san at Hakuba and said my farewells till next year.
Tomorrow we depart from Kyoto for Kokushou Temple in Aichi prefecture to spend time with the Nembutsu priest, Yano Shiku. Shidara Taiko will also be performing in Aichi on the 23rd so we may be able to catch their show......
Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
Jane, John Paul, and I split up with the group and went to Izutsuya, a Shinto good store where both Jane and John Paul bought beautiful purple hakama, juban (under shirt for kimomo), and black and white kimono tops. Then we went to the used kimono shop, Kikuya where a found a beautiful light golden brown hakama and ka-kobi for an incredibly inexpensive price! I was so happy to find this great buy. Afterwards we went back to the Daiya Inn for a rest. Oba-san at the Inn said she was going to give us a sushi party in the evening since it was our last day and she would miss us. At 5 pm I met Zachary Braverman at Kyoto Eki and he passed me one of Taniguchi-sensei`s original prints which he wasn`t attached to. Then I took the bus to Sannenzaka where I scanned all the shops again for gifts then visited Fujie and Reiko-san at Hakuba and said my farewells till next year.
Tomorrow we depart from Kyoto for Kokushou Temple in Aichi prefecture to spend time with the Nembutsu priest, Yano Shiku. Shidara Taiko will also be performing in Aichi on the 23rd so we may be able to catch their show......
Alcvin
www.bamboo-in.com
ramos@dccnet.com
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