Introducing Shichiku Kokin-shu, an English translation of a book of hitoyogiri shakuhachi scores originally written in 1805! You can find the book on the hitoyogiri page. Videos on how to play using the book appear below.
Show and tell: an Edo-era hitoyogiri from 300 years ago, and a few words on the mythical origins of the hitoyogiri shakuhachi's sound - not the phoenix, not the bell, but the cry of the Golden Monkey.
Kotake, lesson one - playing and fingering basics. This is the first in the "Kotake" series of videos; start here if you want to ease into the classical pieces by starting with somethig more familiar (Or, skip down below for the classical hitoyogiri path). Juntei Kamiya, the book's author, created these pieces as a more accessible in-road to the slightly more complex classical hitoyogiri shakuhachi solo repertoire. These pieces use the more familiar Edo-era miyakobushi scale, and are quite a bit of fun.
Kotake, lesson one: Banshiki version. This is the same as Kotake lesson one, but I use a banshiki (slightly shorter, approximately pitched at B) hitoyogiri. Originally five lengths of hitoyogiri shakuhachi existed, but the ōshiki was standard; as time passed, banshiki flutes were used in more windy conditions, while the others (G, E, and D) fell out of use.
Kotake, lesson two - shirabe and netori, the "prelude" pieces.
Kotake, lesson two: Banshiki version.
Kotake, lesson three: Renbo.
Kotake, lesson three: Banshiki version.
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson one: Basic playing and fingering techniques for ōshiki, the Summer mode. This mode is the standard mode, and the same figering is used for other lengths of shakuhachi as well; banshiki flutes play it the same, only the pitch will be raised around B instead of A. If there is demand for them, I may provide banshiki versions of these videos in the future.
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson two: Netori and shirabe. These are the "prelude pieces" for the Summer mode in the classical hitoyogiri "honkyoku" repertoire.
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson three: Shote. Shote is the first piece in the hitoyogiri shakuhachi "honkyoku" repertoire. This introduces us to some basic techniques used in playing these 400+ year-old pieces, originally played by samurai, literati, and beggar-monks.
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson four: Ichi-no-te. Here we add one more technique to what we've learned so far. Maybe you can hear the lonesome call of the mountain monkey in this piece...
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson five: Ni-no-te. This piece introduces us to another fundamental technique represented by イ.
Ōshiki hitoyogiri, lesson six: Kochigo. Kochigo is a love song that was written for a girl living at a certain temple. The young man who wrote it would play it as he walked by... Playfulness, longing; the senses in this piece can go much deeper than surface-level infatuation. The soul's longing for God, hope, enjoyment of his presence -- needless to say, this is my favorite piece at the moment.
Ichikotsu hitoyogiri, lesson one: Basics and netori. The Ichikotsu mode is played during the "Doyo" season. Doyo refers to the first 18 days of each season; its name suggests that this is a time to ground ourselves before going into a new season. If you want to skip the technical explanations and get right into netori, skip to about 14:00 in the video.
一節切 一越調 初手 Classical Ichikotsu Hitoyogiri, lesson two: Shote. Shote, also known as "Takene," is the first song in the Ichikotsu / Doyo repertoire for hitoyogiri shakuhachi. This song is different from those of the same title played in other modes - in addition to using a different mode, the composition itself is unique.
一節切 一越調 朝顔獅子 Classical Ichikotsu Hitoyogiri, lesson three: Asagao Jishi. Asagao-jishi is an old ensemble piece that was played together with the shamisen. It comes from the same era as the classical solo hitoyogiri pieces, but differs in that it has a distinct rhythm. The rhythm, however, is not indicated in the score. It's up to us to "resurrect" this ancient piece - my strategy was to play it over and over until a rhythm began to emerge. Perhaps you can find something in it that I missed!