Komuso Zen Priest Playing Shakuhachi

http://samuraidave.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/a-chance-encounter-with-japans-pa...

Komuso were Zen Buddhist Priests who used to travel about playing the Shakuhachi (Japanese Flute) for meditation and alms. Komuso means "Priest of Nothingness."

I encountered this Komuso while I was in Nagoya. Komuso ceased to exist from the late 19th Century onwards.

The titles are bits of Zen sayings from samurai and Zen Masters. The subtitles tell the tale of the Komuso and their ultimate fate.

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Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• japan
• komuso
• shakuhachi
• flute
• zen
• buddhism
• culture
• music

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[UpForDanceroid]

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

[KitsuneShapeShifter]

@Cypres Oh, thank you. ^_^

[Cypres]

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

[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.

[KitsuneShapeShifter]

why the hat?

[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.