Daiyon FUDO - Kineya Seiho

Ishikawa Toshimitsu
Kyoto Records - KYCH-2003
1994

Track	Title	Kanji	Length	Artist
1	Daiyon Fudo	第４風動	11'58	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	Seiho Kineya is one of the top composers in the world of traditional Japanese music today. This work, for three shakuhachi, is the fourth piece in a series called "Fado." It compares the trembling and confusion of the heart to the wildness of the wind. The deep insightfulness of this piece paints a splendid picture of longings for the peaceful coexistence of nature and human beings. Seiho Kineya's special ability is to create compositions on a classical base and then experiment with new techniques on top of that base. His talent makes listeners stand in utter awe of his compositional abilities.
2	Ichijō	一定	08'25	Shakuhachi: Yonemura Reisho
	The title "Chino" means that whatever is undertaken in life should be pursued in a logical and consistent manner until it is completed, as if that act is being indelibly recorded in the heart. In this work the composer, who is well-versed in the classical shakuhachi repertoire, seeks to display all of the wonderful aspects of the shakuhachi. This composition was first premiered in West Germany in 1970 by the world-renowned shakuhachi player Hozan Yamamoto, and since that time many people throughout the world have come to love this work.
3	Henro	遍路	10'18	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	On the island of Shikoku in western Japan there is a tradition called "Henro meguri" of making a pilgrimage to 88 sacred places, and believers strive to make this pilgrimage once in their lives. After completing the "Henro meguri" the pilgrims' troubles will have been overridden and they will find peace and tranquility in their hearts. This composition layers that idea of a physical pilgrimage on top of a musical pilgrimage, and the road to good music is likened to a pilgrimage. Pilgrims making the "Henro meguri" begin by ringing a bell and then continue to ring that bell throughout their journey. The sound of the shakuhachi creates the same effect as the ringing of the bell on that pilgrimage.
4	Shika no Tōne (Kinko Ryū)	鹿の遠音	11'15	Shakuhachi: Yonemura Reisho
	The two shakuhachi in this work represent two deer crying out to each other deep in the mountains on a late autumn day. This is a very popular, refreshing, and thoroughly enchanting composition, and the dialogue between the two shakuhachi is rich in change. There are an infinite variety of expressions possible in this piece depending on the performers, and it is one of the most often-performed and important works in the shakuhachi repertoire.
5	San'ya Sugagaki	三谷菅垣	05'42	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	This is one of what are known as honkyoku, or the basic classical repertoire for the shakuhachi. It is known in different parts of Japan under different titles, and there are also different pieces in also different pieces in various regions which use the same name. Most honkyoku are characterized by free rhythm, but "Sanya" is unique in that it has a fixed rhythm with clearly definable beats.
6	Tsukikusa no Yume	月草の夢	03'08	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	These two short compositions, like 'Rando Fukuda's other shakuhachi works, are tinged with sweetness and nostalgia for the romanticism of the Taisho era (1912-1926). Both of these pieces were written at the beginning of the Showa era (1926-1989). Many of Rando's shakuhachi works are based on themes of childhood days or heart-rending memories, and amidst the shakuhachi repertoire they shine brightly. He is widely known for his songs "Fuefuki Doji" (Flute-playing Child) and "Beni Kujaku" (Red Peacock), but in real life he lead a solitary existence.
7	Kikyō Gensōkyoku	桔梗幻想曲	03'40	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	These two short compositions, like 'Rando Fukuda's other shakuhachi works, are tinged with sweetness and nostalgia for the romanticism of the Taisho era (1912-1926). Both of these pieces were written at the beginning of the Showa era (1926-1989). Many of Rando's shakuhachi works are based on themes of childhood days or heart-rending memories, and amidst the shakuhachi repertoire they shine brightly. He is widely known for his songs "Fuefuki Doji" (Flute-playing Child) and "Beni Kujaku" (Red Peacock), but in real life he lead a solitary existence.
8	Watazumi no Iroko no Miya	渡津海鱗宮	10'06	Shakuhachi: Ishikawa Toshimitsu
	The composer was influenced by a painting called "Wadatsumi no Irokono Miya" which was painted by his father Shigeru Aoki, a famous Western-style painter. Based on the Japanese myth called "Wadatsumi"(Deep Sea), this work was incomplete when it was first performed in 1928. The arrangement heard here was completed by Tomiko Kojiba in 1981, and it was premiered by the great Yokoyama Katsuya, a shakuhachi performer and Rando's student, who has been instrumental in making Rando's music better known. This work can be likened to the Western divertimento style, and Rando's great talent can be felt when listening to it.