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1664: The Shichiku shoshinshū Music Treatise by Nakamura Sōsan
The First 'Komusō' 'Shakuhachi-Rōnin' Ever Witnessed in Kyōto?
糸竹初心集
虚無僧尺八 - KOMUSŌ SHAKUHACHI
こむ
僧
の
手 - KOMUSŌ no TE
The Komusō chapter in Shichiku Shoshinshū,
1773 edition (An'ei 2), Part 1, page 6
Waseda University Library, Tokyo
虚無僧尺八というは
長さ一尺八寸に切ゆえ尺八というとぞ、
濫觴はたしかに不知、
そのかみ由良の法燈此道の祖たるよしいへども
了簡せず、
昔よりぼろぼろの家に用る物と聞こえたり、
梵字、漢字、色おし、 しら梵字などいひしもの
此尺八の執行者と聞こえたり。
近き此不人というこむ僧有て、
「ごろ」という手お吹出し、その外「れんぼながし」、
「京れんぼ」、「さむ也井川」、「吉田」
などいうさまざまの手有之、
いづれも律呂の調子にあはせたる物とは聞こえず、
されども我道にあらざれば、其深き事をしらず。
"The 'komusō' shakuhachi is named 'shakuhachi' because its length has been cut to the measure of 1 foot and 8 inches.
Its origin is certainly unknown.
Although it is being said that Hottō of Yura [Shinchi Kakushin] was the founder [of the 'komusō'], that I do not ascertain.
One hears that, since ancient times, this thing [the 'shakuhachi'] was used by the 'boroboro' practitioners, and also that the socalled 'bonji', 'kanji', iro-oshi',
and 'shira-bonji' were people who performed this 'shakuhachi' ceremoniously.
There are nowadays some outcasts [Jap.: 'fu-nin', "non-persons"] who are called 'komusō';
they are blowing a piece of music named 'Goro' - besides there are other tunes such as 'Renbo Nagashi', 'Miyako Renbo',
'Samunaru Ikawa', and 'Yoshida'.
One does not hear any of these pieces being played in the 'ritsu' [Dorian] or the 'ryō' [Mixolydian] musical modes.
As this, however, is not the tradition of my own, I do not know about this matter in depth."
Written and published by Nakamura Sōsan, 1664.
Trsl. by Torsten Olafsson, 2010.
Sources: Ueno, 1983, pp. 204 & 280, and
Shichiku Shoshinshū, 1773 edition,
Part 1, p. 6, owned by Waseda University, Tokyo.
This is, to the best of my knowledge, the oldest extant text
in which names of 'komusō' music pieces are recorded.
An old copy of the Shichiku Shoshinshū is preserved
at Waseda University, Tokyo.
Follow this link to study a full photographic documentation
(PDF, 15,8 MB) of the book: Shichiku Shoshinshū.
Go to PDF page 5, right side, to study the komusō chapter.
Link to Shichiku Shoshinshū, bibliographical details.
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