First Japanese Calligraphy Class

Today I attended the first of my Japanese calligraphy classes at WEA, 5.30pm Wednesday afternoons. Our teacher is Michiko Honda and I joined after learning of the class from Kevin. She knows Riley Lee and Ben Dixon - what a small world.

It was very interesting to be shown the techniques, both by demonstration of the correct stroke style and order and by Michiko individually guiding our hands and supervising the motion. The onsets and little flick-offs or sweep-away brush motions are extremely critical to the balance and beauty of the characters. Pictured below, for example, is haru, the character for spring, appropriate for the current season commencement. It works around the vertical centre in a symmetrical yet flowing design. The three horizontal beams are of different lengths by design but their thickness, too, can be deliberately and aesthetically un-identical in a non-formatted way, i.e. without rules. For most other details - stroke order, rhythm, beginnings and endings - there is a correct form to learn, practise and follow. The two hour class was actually quite relaxing and enjoyable!

For me, the interesting part is observing through practice, the parallels between calligraphy and shakuhachi playing [that numerous wize sages point out as a connection between shakuhachi, shodo, aikido, chado, sumi-e and other traditional art-forms in Japan]: both take immeasurable time to accomplish the grace and power of the inimmitable masters in the tradition; both have various lineages and styles; extreme composure and patience/awareness to blow/brush timelessly slowly leads to a better feeling; the nuances of tapering off, control, stability of breath or brush-stroke; learning forms; both require mind-body awareness and connection; aesthetics of balance and taste; the Zen quality of utter concentration that excludes external intrusions and mind-chatter achieve envelopment.


Dojo and Ro-buki practising

Today, my friends Kevin Melville and Bev came over for ro-buki practice. We had not all practised to a level of confidence between times but it was nice to develop a sense of community. We watched some travel slides, drank genmaicha and ate sembae and rice crackers, etc. from Tokyo Mart at Northbridge. I played Hifumi Hachigaeshi - it was good practice to play with an audience, though still never the same as when privately practising! We watched some of the Yokoyama video lesson. I have set up the new furnishings in my lounge room to achieve a hint of Zen simplicity and sincerity: just the simple bamboo mat, Japanese low table and chair to practice on, and the possibility to sit on tatami cushions on the floor.

Tsugaru Concert Angel Place

Angel Place - shakuhachi, shamisen and tabla - contemporary multi-cultural fusion concert.

The shakuhachi player had very curious double jointed fingers that appeared very tense for playing and an embouchure that enveloped the end of the flute so that Judith thought he was eating it. The primary shamisen player was quite indulgant-looking, rather absorbed and euphoric in his endeavours but his son seemed sincere, accompanied by a serious koto player and amusing tabla player. Plenty of amusement and an easy-listening predominantly modal and pentatonic concert, not at all traditional.

Toru Takemitsu book arrived

The Music of Toru Takemitsu by Peter Burt arrived from Amazon. In particular, the chapter “into the reflection of an Eastern mirror” considers his approach to November Steps for shakuhachi, biwa and orchestra and Autumn for the same combination a couple of years later. I will be looking at the ways in which Takemitsu tried to integrate Western instruments and an inherent tonality and techniques of orchestration with idiomatic writing for the traditional Japanese instruments. This coincides nicely with the DVD Kaoru Kakizakai sent me of his performance of November Steps performed with NHK Symphony Orchestra.

from Wikipedia:
Tōru Takemitsu (武満 徹 Takemitsu Tōru, October 8, 1930–February 20, 1996) was a Japanese composer of music, who explored the compositional principles of Western classical music and his native Japanese tradition both in isolation and in combination. Born in Tokyo, Takemitsu first became interested in western classical music around the time of World War II. He heard western music on American military radio while recuperating from a long illness. He also listened to jazz from his father's ample collection. Takemitsu was largely self-taught in music. He was greatly influenced by French music, and in particular that of Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen. In 1951 he founded the Jikken Kobo, a group which introduced many contemporary western composers to Japanese audiences. Takemitsu at first had little interest in traditional Japanese music, but later incorporated Japanese instruments such as the shakuhachi (a kind of bamboo flute) into the orchestra. November Steps (1967), a work for shakuhachi and biwa (a kind of Japanese lute) solo and orchestra was the first piece to combine instruments from east and west. In an Autumn Garden (1973-79) is written for the kind of orchestra that would have played gagaku (traditional Japanese court music). Works such as Eclipse, (1966) for shakuhachi and biwa, Voyage (1973), for three biwas should also been mentioned as works that are decidedly derived from traditional genres. Takemitsu first came to wide attention when his Requiem for string orchestra (1957) was accidentally heard and praised by Igor Stravinsky in 1959 (some Japanese people wanted Igor Stravinsky to hear some tape recorded music by Japanese composers and put in the wrong side of the tape - when they tried to take it out, Stravinsky didn't let them). Stravinsky went on to champion Takemitsu's work. Takemitsu's works include the orchestral piece A Flock Descends Into the Pentagonal Garden (1977), Riverrun for piano and orchestra (1984, the title is the first word in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake), and the string quartet A way a Lone (1981, another piece inspired by Finnegans Wake). He reworked his 1981 piece Toward the Sea (for flute and guitar) twice, once for flute, harp and string orchestra and later again for flute and harp. Chamber music such as Distance de Fee (1951) for violin and piano, or Between tides, for violin, cello and piano, are to be also mentioned. And such jewels of the piano music as Rain tree sketch (1982), Rain Tree Sketch II (1992), Les Yeux Clos (1979) and Les Yeux Clos II (1988) are considered to be amongst the finest works for the instrument written in the twentieth century. He also composed electronic music and almost a hundred film scores for Japanese films including those for Hiroshi Teshigahara's Woman in the Dunes (1964), Akira Kurosawa's Ran (1985) and Shohei Imamura's Black Rain (1989). His first score was for Toshio Matsumoto's Ginrin. His music for cinema rests deeply upon the concept that a new film needs a new sound colour, and is as much about taking out sounds as about taking them in. Some of the formal concepts in Takemitsu's music depend deeply on visual imagery, taken from paintings, dreams, or his concept (about which he writes much) of the garden. Takemitsu died in Tokyo on February 20, 1996. He was posthumously awarded the fourth Glenn Gould Prize in Autumn, 1996.

Further reading
• Peter Burt, The Music of Toru Takemitsu (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
• Noriko Ohtake, Creative sources for the Music of Toru Takemitsu (Ashgate, 1993)
• Toru Takemitsu, Confronting Silence (Fallen Leaf Press, 1995)

Hifumi Hachigaeshi lesson at Ben’s

Breath control. Intonation fine. Breath control achieved by constant diaphragm pressure will produce higher register and stability of tone and note decay without fragmentation/splitting sound. Practise leaf-decays in ro-buki and longer breaths. Breathe deeply. Initial ornaments beginning phrases should still be more rapid, make sure tsuri glissandi go high enough audibly. At the climax mura-iki section of part 3, close down throat and inner mouth space [rather than raise tongue] and keep lips very loose to achieve airy rough throaty tone quality like Yokoyama’s. Yokoyama’s ornaments on the the high G are with 2, then 2+3, but 1 can sound OK too if hit the hole accurately and completely cover it to change pitch inflection. Ben and I decided it would be interesting to try ‘Japanese-style’ lessons, i.e. listening in on each other’s for the afternoon and learning from the experience and struggles of one-another. In Japan, Kakizakai’s lesson-teaching filled a whole day and students are free to listen for as long as they can. This is a very efficient way to pick up new knowledge and a little nerve-racking performing with such scrutiny so probably helpful practice.

  

Katsuya Yokoyama videos from Japan

Mejiro sells VHS taped explanations of main honkyoku in several volumes, each unfolding the techniques and expression behind two pieces. Played by Yokoyama (Living National Treasure & teacher of Kakizakai, Furuya, Riley Lee, etc.). Considering the technology, the tapes sound very good and reach back to an era that we cannot otherwise access. The two I bought include Hifumi Hachigaeshi/Shingetsu and Daha/Yamagoe.

Japanese shakuhachi kabuki character print

E-bay victory! Japanese kabuki character playing shakuhachi print 24”

Haruka Kakizakai brought Miura shakuhachi

The exciting arrival of my new shakuhachi made by Ryuho Miura. Kaoru Kakizakai Sensei’s son, Haruka, brought it over to Sydney with him, freshly finished the previous Friday. Haruka is here for a 10-day exchange in Waringah. I commissioned the flute when I was Japan and Miura made it really fast (for him). I am looking forward to practising to harness its big warm sound. Immediately I notice an embouchure adjustment is required and the instrument is fatter and finger-holes more spaced apart so some physical adaptation is required at first. But it also exudes beauty and the care with which it has been crafted in fine details like the exquisitely smooth lacquering inside, the refined utaguchi (mouthpiece cutaway) and lathing of the bamboo root end exposing the raw grain of the pale, natural bamboo colour, free from any staining or smoking. Obviously, this instrument reinforces my intention of a daily and long-term commitment.