Shimura & Yomei's interviews

I found this part of Shimura Zenho's (along with Christopher Yomei's) interview quite interesting. It's in the 4th clip of 6 youtube clips. To translate roughly,



The interviewer: Is the muscle employed for jinashi playing quite different from the one you use for the jiari?

Shimura: When playing wind instruments we use muscles that are hardly observable from the outside. So we cannot really tell how muscles work for each type of the flute. But I've experienced this: A flute (jinashi) didn't sound well initially. But as I used it for a year, it started sounding well. In a few years, the tones that initially didn't come out easily became vibrant. As Chris said earlier, the shakuhachi - be it jiari or jinashi - can make beautiful tone colors. So if you listen to these two different types of shakuhachi on recordings, you may not notice the differences of sound. If you listen to them in a live setting, you may be able to notice the differences slightly. The differences can only be that much. However, those are the sounds heard as a product. In reality, the process of the player becoming able to make a jiari or jinashi sound must be different. I believe the instrument develops the player. Therefore, the body of a jinashi player is the one that was formed through the jinashi shakuhachi. A jiari player develops a body that plays jiari well. You cannot attain both. Of course, you can pursue both and ultimately achieve certain levels. But there are more contradictory things than commonalities [between playing jiari and playing jinashi]. That's how I feel.

The interviewer: So the body developed for each type is incomparable from each other...

Yomei: Shakuhachi, koto, shamisen, and other instruments necessitate the use of the body. Without being aware of the corporeal domain and able to handle the body well, you cannot play good music. Western instruments have developed in the way that they have been distanced from the body, like piano, and synthesizer in particular, you use your brain to make music. It's important to feel the instrument through the body. Jinashi is the one that you need to play with the body. It's as if you play through the air hole coming from the inside of the body.

(END)

Parts of Shimura and Yomei's performances are uploaded here (thanks Jeff for the links!):
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2272484
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2272282
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2272475

If you read Japanese, here is the program of the event. (Pasted from http://asianimprov.at.webry.info/200910/article_1.html) The interviews were conducted prior to the concert.

第３回地半アートプロジェクト

１ 呼竹 受竹 よびたけ うけたけ　 　　　 志村禅保　クリストファー遙盟

虚無僧たちが托鉢の際に、作法の曲として挨拶代わりに吹いた曲。この短い旋律で、どの地方の虚無僧であるかが分かったという。

２ 明暗対山流本曲 瀧落 たきおち 　　　 志村禅保（照明作　三尺三寸地無し管）

今回の課題曲の一つ。伊豆の旭瀧をテーマに江戸時代に作られた曲。尺八の各流派に同名異曲が存在する。明暗対山流は素朴で、地無し管による演奏が水流の表現を際立たせる。

３ 琴古流本曲 瀧落の曲 たきおとしのきょく

　　　　　　　　　　　　クリストファー遙盟（山口四郎作 一尺八寸地有り管）

琴古流「瀧落の曲」は、きめ細かい装飾音と、優雅な旋律パターンの繰り返しにより構成されている。今回の地塗りの尺八による演奏は、音色のつやに注目したい。

４ 琴古流本曲 鹿の遠音 しかのとおね　　　　 志村禅保　クリストファー遙盟

最も知られる尺八の曲の一つ。秋の深山に、遠く響きあう鹿の鳴き声の描写が秀逸。

*** 15分の休憩 ***

５ 胎蔵界 たいぞうかい 　　　クリストファー遙盟 (山口秋月作 二尺九寸地無し管)

クリストファー遙盟は若い時、高野山で胎蔵曼荼羅（大悲胎蔵生曼荼羅）を見て、感銘を受けた。中央に大日如来、回りに十二の院に分かれ無数の如来が放射線状に坐っている。それぞれの如来を「音」として考えると、曼荼羅は一つの曲を描いていると思いあたり、深い感動が押し寄せてきたという。

６ 虚空 こくう 他　 志村禅保（林虎月作 地無し古管「松風まつかぜ」、「虫の音」）

「虚空」は尺八古曲として最も大切にされている曲の一つ。作曲者とされる寄竹（きちく）は夢の中で妙音を聞き、曲を書きとめたと言われる。今回、江戸時代の古管尺八の名器により、竹の違いが楽しめる選曲となっている。