Komuso Zen Priest Playing Shakuhachi

[bornintoTROUBL3pt2]

is this the actual audio or is a track layed over the video?

[RoninDave]

@bornintoTROUBL3pt2 i dubbed it because the actual playing was too quiet and the city too noisy. I mainly wanted to create a zen-like feeling of unrealness with the speed settings on the camera

[MountAnalogue]

what honkyoku is this?

[Dogebol7]

Incredible, I live in West and to find a Komusō playing Shakuhachi in the middle of the street seems incredible to me, I really want to see one, but here in Spain It's impossible, I'm so sad because of Spain's culture.

Please upload more videos like this is the only way I can keep in touch with Japanese culture, and I can swear you that find videos so good as this is difficult.

+1 and favorites I really hope it will help you.

[KitsuneShapeShifter]

why the hat?

[Cypres]

@KitsuneShapeShifter it is traditional hat thatt helped the Komuso to meditate and not to be distracted by their senses

[KitsuneShapeShifter]

@Cypres Oh, thank you. ^_^

[Ivghald]

Try reopen it in second window and play both continuously! <3

[BrockAtkinson]

I like papyrus font. It's so foreign and oriental.

[TheFebri10]

But try take positive side guys. however it's dubbed, still you can listen the real shakuhachi's sound.

[LEAHCIM71457]

The Music is from RILEY LEE-The cd is ORIENTAL SUNRISE. 1982-Sona Gaia Productions WI-USA.

[ejohnso1967]

@LEAHCIM71457 Thanks so much for answering this. I had asked several times on here and not received any answer. I am very glad to know the artist! ;)

[jazz2life]

Beutifull, poetic... thank you :)



[pineapplepeanuts]

What shakuhachi is he playing exactly?

[ejohnso1967]

Ah, so Ronin Dave does exist! So many people have asked on here where the music is from. I think pretty much everybody is aware it does not match the zen in the video. I don't care - I am still interested in the music. I want to know who the musician we hear is, what the song title is. I think some other people do too. Can you please tell us that?

[fearlessjt]

2:15 "That's what she said" :P

- all jokes asside im luving this Soooo SOOOTHING ^_^ -

[kennichi75]

Les Komuso furent abolis... pour l'ingérence dans les affaires séculières et non pas le vide de l'être.

[kennichi75]

Les Prêtres Komuso étaient des Bouddhistes du Zen.

Les Komuso jouaient du Shakuhachi la flûte japonaise.

Le Shakuhachi aidait les Komuso à méditer.

Le terme "Komuso" signifie "Prêtre de la Vacuité".

Les Komuso portaient des chapeaux pour cacher leur identité.

Le Shogunat d'Edo accorda aux Komuso le rare droit de voyager librement.

De nombreux Komuso travaillèrent pour le Shogunat en tant qu'espions.

Quand le Shogunat tomba aux forces loyales de l'Empereur...

[chuck030956]

Does anyone know what peice of music that is?

[gggggianni]

Beatifull video and music, i've linked a videoclip taken from my album Ab Origine, didgeridoo and shakuhachi flute. Gianni Placido.

[arivas713]

komuso? are u sure? i thiught that they were disbanded a long time ago?

[GBN231]

Very nice~

[123pelerin]

i don't want to sound ignorant, but if the Komuso were abolished, who is that person performing in your video?

[mdougan1000]

Times change, governments change. Monks continued to play the shakuhachi in private, and later simple lay people have taken up the playing of shakuhachi, either for the pleasure of playing beautiful music on a beautiful instrument, or as a form of meditation or both.

Today, I'm sure it is perfectly legal to practice suizen (blowing zen) on a street corner if one so wishes!

[Peekingduck]

They still exist but in a smaller way. It has been more or less taken out of it's original context and been quite diluted as buddhist priests these days usually make LOADS of money in Japan. Some are still the real deal, but very few...

A modern replica of the original ways perhaps.

[Charleyx10]

@123pelerin The Komuso were forced to stop playing hundreds of years ago when the Japanese Shogunate was overthrown because the priests spied for the shogun in turn for exclusive rights to play the bamboo flute over all other citizens. This period of silence lasted only a few years, and some music was lost. They must be slightly different now, but still exist. ^ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA

[dayvidghazelbash23]

Looked at but not seen:its name is formless.listened to but not herd its name is soundless reached for but not obtained, its name is intangible.

[yayogde74]

thanx for sharing

[bengerstein]

A Komuso in New York City would probably be harassed, maybe even beaten up, or told to leave... People in Japan are so much more respectful and with such deeper traditions. You have to really be able to trust your surroundings in order to do something this. There is very little documentation on this profound ritual. Thanks for the footage. Would have been good to hear what was actually being played though, opposed to overdubbed music...

[YoungKoolness17]

totally but ...america is america....no changing that some people just ..like that from the start

[123pelerin]

people in any culture are often xenophobic; perhaps Japanese are more familiar with Zen and more likely to leave practitioners alone....surely certain American-style performers are tolerated in New York. It's surely possible that some Americans performing on a street corner in a way seen as foreign or threatening to Japanese might attract crticism in Tokyo, etc. it doesn't make it right, but people every have a tendency to fear or resent the unknown

[mdougan1000]

I live in NY and I have to disagree.  NY is fortunate to have many street and subway musicians who are very popular, and crowds of people stop to listen and enjoy.

One of the things I love most about this city is that you can walk through Central Park and hear the lovely sound of a flute or sax playing under one of the ornate bridges. I've also played my shakuhachi in the Park and have never been harassed, beaten up or told to leave. So please don't perpetuate negative stereotypes.

[DNAblues]

@mdougan1000 I totally agree. In New York I also loved to lisen to music played in the subway stations. There was a wonderful violinst whom I used to listen to every morning on my way to work. Unfortunately, post 9/11 he was no longer allowed to play there for so called "security reasons." He always drew a crowd. This was at the World Trade Center. In fact he played one night to a sold out audience at Carnegie Hall during a snowstorm. His name is James Graseck. New Yorkers respect culture.

[anythingnew]

@mdougan1000

This is why I love big cities, where people don't give a shit about what you do. You can totally be yourself.

[UpForDanceroid]

@mdougan1000 ....westerners...I'm one, dont consider myself one.

[notbadfilms]

A Komuso in New York City would be fine.

I see "weirder" acts all the time. Street performers are pretty beloved in the city and the MTA even sponsors some of the people who perform in the subway.

I've seen musicians performing all types of ethnic musical styles: koto, erhu, kora, steel drums, traditional african drumming, flamenco, mariachi, and a guy dressed like a gorilla playing funk guitar! ...Oh, and I have seen Shakuhachi players.

New York City is extremely tolerant.

[wagge67]

This is a beautiful tune, I would like to know the name of it

[VegaEtereo]

That was beautiful. thank u.

[shakuhachi]

a komuso in modern tokyo?!?!

a komuso would never play a piece like this, not that it really matters :)

[RoninDave]

it's not in tokyo - it's in nagoya

[senxo]

You can tell that the music on this video is dubbed. There is not matching noise from the city and it continues to play through when it switches from night to day. I would like to hear the live audio of this.

[RoninDave]

it was all at the same time of night. that was just camera setting that makes it look brighter

[senxo]

Thats not why. You do not hear the people, or the city noise. The music is a track played over the real feed. What you hear is not what the monk is playing. Just be honest, you will get more respect.

[senxo]

@RoninDave No doubt he is playing something, but the sound here is not live music. If so you would also here sounds from his surroundings. This video is obviously dubbed and edited. You speak of spiritual things, being honest is a spiritual virtue. I'm glad you admitted that the sound was dubbed. Thanks

[RoninDave]

@senxo "This video is obviously dubbed and edited."

Well duh! Cars and people don't move like that in real life.

"You speak of spiritual things, being honest is a spiritual virtue."

You are a strange cat, senxo, that's being honest. No one else complained about what was obviously dubbed. I just wanted to make a dream-like video that talked both about the Zen-qualities of the komuso's music and their historical reality. You focused too much on the mundane and unimportant.

[senxo]

@RoninDave, I'm not complaining and if you read it again I actually complimented you. The title says that the monk is playing, yet the music we hear is not from the monk. Wanting clarification on your intentions, yes. Complaining? No. Also you said, " I just wanted to make a dream-like video that talked both about the Zen-qualities of the komuso's music ", you could have put this in your description and been crystal clear.

[RoninDave]

@senxo and as I said you're the only one who has made this much of a fuss about it. pop a chill pill and don't worry about things that don't concern you so much or are of little importance in the grand scheme of things.

"you could have put this in your description and been crystal clear."

I guess this is why shampoo labels say "Wet Hair then apply"

[nrchyintheuk]

@senxo i think the video is just slowed down for effect...

[booksteve]

Thanks RoninDave, I enjoyed this clip very much.

[ETruth1]

I wish I could somehow get this in mp3 leave it on repeat and just meditate.

thank you so much for this! i miss Japan hope to go back one day.

may the creator's peace and love be with you

dustin

[autumnbowler]

In Zen, anything can be a form of meditation if done mindlessly. Sweeping, walking, music, archery, or even, as the famous book said, the art of motorcycle maintainance!

[anguaji]

fantastic video! amazing to see one of these monks in contemporary setting....

[wunjothurisaz]

Very nice video. Informative too, and a great reminder of the consequences of one's actions.

[mdougan1000]

Very nice video. You said that you experimented with changing the camera speed, what did you shoot at, do you remember? Very nice effect.

Also, whose shakuhachi playing did you dub in for the soundtrack and what recording?

[Dhaerma]

where can i find this music??

[cheng1LA]

I like komuso and shakuhachi, but I don't think that by putting a straw hat on face, a person can hide his ego. What happened to them is only a proof to that...

[marbs0204]

Well, covering the face with the hat was meant to be more of a symbol to reflect the unimportance of the everyday, transitory ego and that it is not the 'self'. Its use as a way of spying/hiding was really only the secondary reason, not the primary reason.

[cheng1LA]

OK, if it was only a symbol, like you say, then what was the real means of dealing with that rascal ego in everyday life?

[wunjothurisaz]

In Zen, ritual or symbolic acts serve as a reminder. The idea of the straw hat was not to literally hide ones ego, but to serve as a reminder to the monk to uproot ego. But, as in all things, no-one is perfect. It likely only took a few komuso, and a little bit of strategically applied pressure from the Shogunate to ruin it for the rest. Some komuso serving as spies does not mean all did.

[cheng1LA]

Thanks for the reply, but, again, it was not what my question was about. I asked how they controlled their minds, their method of controlling the mind. I guess it was music itself, but I wish I could learn more about it.

[wunjothurisaz]

Zen is predicated on zazen, a form of meditation. In practicing zazen, you let your mind rest on everything equally, and on nothing specifically. Zen practitioners apply this mindset to everything they do, including the shakuhachi.

Broken down: By letting your awareness rest on all things at all times, you are no longer focussing on the thoughts and emotions that cause attachment to particular things. You also bring yourself fully into the present.

[wunjothurisaz]

If you are interested in finding out more, I recommend the Three Pillars of Zen, a book written by Philip Kapleau. It is one of the few books on Zen that was written by a westerner who is also a dedicated practitioner. It was the book that really got me into taking up Zen practice.

[cheng1LA]

ok, that makes sense, thank you

[churl82]

They quieted the mind through several ways - meditation thru their music, being present (this is a big one b/c almost all live either in the future and/or the past. this is the where pain and suffering lie. Find the book - The Power of Now (by Eckart Tolle) - fantastic book and it will answer your question. Thank you.

[skatoolaki]

Thank you for the lesson on komuso and the beautiful music of the shakuhachi.

[devilgirl255]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I love the sound that the Shakuhachi makes.

[muraiki]

Look at those Japanese how their interest were awake by the spiritual music of that komuso...

[swynhyrde]

Exquisite video. Thanks for sharing.

[CulturePeaceForever]

government spys dressed as monks...

[YodouKomuso]

Thank you for that ! It is very touching. I am sure there were some komuso with integrity. How could there not be as they bathed in the tones of honkyoku. Great video. Thank you.

[CulturePeaceForever]

Komuso are mostly "tradition" now,but they are Not actually Government spys anymore are they!? That would be too obvious wouldn't it? Love the beautiful,peaceful sounding shakuhachi.Thank you for posting!

[neocoders]

Wow I had no idea these guys still existed..are there many in this tradition?

[komusosd]

Nice video, great idea!

As a shakuhachi player I first notice that sound and finger moves don't match (talking about details, ha ha).

Great!

[RoninDave]

that was out of necessity as the original sound was practically drowned out unfortunately by all the city's noises.

[komusosd]

I know.. I record sound separately too

[maestrix]

Such a well made video, Dave, thank you very much for this.

[shiftinaction]

Wonderful images and music. Thanks for submitting this to the Conscious Shift group!

[norsehawk]

Great video, that shakuhachi music is so peaceful, I'm going to see if I can find some of that.

[Gamble1981]

Great Video Dave!!!! I really enjoyed the quotes as well. Again great job, thanks! (^_^)

[tokyocooney]

great vid dude

[BusanKevin]

Really nice vid RoninDave. very nice...

[Daichen]

That is so awesome! I wanna learn to play shakuhachi!!!

[MisterNES]

Interesting. Everyone is just walking right past him and giving him no notice. They aren't even getting within 5 feet of him. It's as if he's standing alone in his own little reality.

[RoninDave]

good observation. When I played around with the speed of the camera he was the only thing that remained constant while everything else sped by in a blur

[SlickWilly440]

Nice video editing. At first I thought I was listening to the music that guy was creating with the Shakuhachi, but then I was like "How is he isolating that sound from the rest of the background noise." Then it hit me, it's not the recording of the person in the video.

Very relaxing to watch, kind of music one would want to fall asleep to, in a good way.

[RoninDave]

yeah, his actually playing was too drowned out by the city's noises so I remixed some shakuhachi music and put it over footage.

[kansaiPJ]

Very beautiful music and a well-put-together video. Five stars.

Thank you for sharing it.

[nuppon]

諸行無常な世の中よ、そんなに急いで何処へ行く。って感じでしょ­うか。

良い映像ありがとうございます。

[corpsevalentine]

sugoi!!! thats so awesome! thanks so much for sharing! ^_^

i love the quotes too! perfect! you know your Japanese history well! I'm just learning teehee

[atomicboyx]

that was pretty =D

[NichiBeiTrader]

Very well done. Thanks Dave!

(Fortunately not the 'shakuhachi' I was expecting) ;-)

[kansaiPJ]

Shame on you NichiBeiTrader! Hehehehe....

[NichiBeiTrader]

Sorry. Gutter mind, I know...

[kansaiPJ]

Me too! ;-p

[Kobayashi77Maru]

cool!