28 October 2014

WATAZUMIDO DOSO ROSHI (1910-1992) "HOTCHIKU"



There is a request for Hotan Yamamoto's "Silver World" which I have as a LP. But unfortunately not yet ripped.
Honestly I don't know when I will be able to do so...
But I got three rips - some month ago - from a great shakuhachi player whom I previously only knew by name.
Have listened to the music only a bit - but it's quite special to say the least.....



Watazumido, shakuhachi (Hochiku)

01.   Saji  06'34
02.   Watazumi No Shirabe      06'14       
03.   Sugagaki  02'04
04.   Mushirabe  01'10
05.   Suzuru        02'52
06.   Sanya      11'23
07.   Sanan  09'22
08.   Kudariba (Kansai)  01'39       
09.   Kudariba  (Oshu)  03'10
10.   Kokuji       08'33
11.   Tamuke  03'08
12.   Hifumi No Shirabe  01'53
13.   Honshirabe  01'58       
14.   Reiho  03'11
15.   Shingetsu  05'05


Recording Date: 1968

Tracks 1-13 taken from "Watazumido (Hochiku)" (Polydor, 1968); track 14 from "Hochiku to shakuhachi" (Polydor, 1961), track 15 from "Hochiku" (Polydor, 1961).

POLYDOR UDC-499 (CD - Japan 2000)

WATAZUMIDO DOSO ROSHI (1910-1992) is perhaps the most legendary of all modern shakuhachi players and teachers. Amongst his many students is Yokoyama Katsuya, one of greatest players in Japan today.

Regarding himself as something other than a musician, Watazumido based his music in an uncompromising vigorous physical discipline. He was a practitioner of the Jo stick, a long hardwood pole with which he used to stretch, massage, pounds and invigorate his body in a daily regimen beginning at 3:30 AM each day. For over 3,000 consecutive days, he maintained this discipline.

Watazumido studied Rinzai Zen attaining the title of Roshi or Master and later became the Kanjo or unifying head of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism. He shunned traditional organized Zen practice for 32 years in favor of his own iconoclastic approach distinguished by breath training and vigorous exercise at its core. The lengthening of the "Out Breath" in his practice is directly descended from the wisdom of the breath as practiced in Zen.

Watazumido's music is as unique as it is intense. His style of shakuhachi playing is based on a discipline combining Zen breath awareness and the martial arts. He is known for the blowing an original, personal style of Honkyoku on bamboos of enormous size and length called hotchiku flutes. shakuhachi.com

20 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. this is great !.. thanks for sharing the love... i hope you enjoyed the WD everest lp , mysterious sounds of the Japanese bamboo flute... i would perhaps should post it here given the awful digital gloss of the possibly unauthorized reissue on cd!

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  3. looks something precious
    -musically I mean-
    thank you

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  4. do you know the work of sabu orimo? he's a contemporary shakuhachi player, often described as playing in a "primitive" or outsider style. the few recordings of his that i've heard are very worthwhile, certainly of potential interest to inconstant sol folks. check out his discogs page: http://www.discogs.com/artist/874135-Sabu-Orimo

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  5. I lost this a couple of years ago on a deceased external hard drive -- thanks so much for posting this beauty...!

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  6. Thanks for this wonderful shakuhachi music. And thanks for remembering my request for 'Silver World' – though I think it was Nick who responded. I think the difference to this kind of music are players like Gary Peacock or Masabumi Kikuchi ... But as I said before: take your time. Maybe (with a little luck) sooner or later 'Silver World' will appear – I'm in no hurry.

    dan-the-man

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  7. I should have Silver World up in the next few days, next weekend at the latest.

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  8. Amazing how much strength and encouragement you give each tone. Beautiful. Thank onxidlib.

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  9. @ Hookfinger: That sounds great! Thanks in advance for your work. dan-the-man

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  10. The Hozan Yamamoto record is now here:
    http://hooksgems.blogspot.de/2014/11/hozan-yamamoto-masabumi-kikuchi-silver.html

    Reuab

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  11. Unreal sounds ! Thanks a lot, Onxi !

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  12. @ Hookfinger: Thanks a lot for posting this wonderful music! It took me a while to understand you posted it at your own blog - but now I found it, it lives up to what I expected: this is music from a silver world – really special, not easy to describe – and no reason to do so. I'm listening with great pleasure – and will do so for a long time. Thanks again for fulfilling my request so fast.

    dan-the-man

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  13. Years late I wonder if there's any chance of re-up this?

    Great blog yours.

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  14. Man, thanks a ton! It's awesome, of course. Didn't work to download on Chrome but FF did the trick.

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  15. thanks ernst i may of already have this one
    but if i do i probably got it from here
    so a thanks is long overdue
    roberth

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