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Nick Bellando on Ennin/Jikaku Taishi and Someone Named 'Ton'a'?
1: No, Ennin Did Not "Perform" the Amida Sutra on a Shakuhachi!
2: There Was Not Only 1 'Ton'a' - There Were 2 Named 'Ton'a'!
One in the 14th Century - Another in the 15th Century!
円仁/慈覺大師 - 頓阿 1 と 頓阿 2
Left: ESS BAMBOO Newsletter, mid-2025.
Right: Nick Bellando portrait. Source: Internet, anonymous photographer.
In an online accessible 2025 article authored by Nick Bellando, published by the ESS/European Shakuhachi Society in that year's Spring/Summer edition,
responsible editors: Clive Bell & Ramon Humet - responsible ESS chair person: Thorsten Knaub -
we read the following, on page 49, in Nick Bellando's words:
“In Tosai Zuihitsu (a collection of essays from the late 1400s), it is said that Jikaku Daishi (aka Ennin,
a Tendai Buddhist priest who died in 864), during a period when his voice couldn’t produce enough volume,
instead used a shakuhachi to intone the Amida Sutra.”
Of course, this is an obvious misreading of the original text referred to, first published in the Kojidan,
古事談, dated 1212:
Neither the Kojidan, nor the Tōsai Zuihitsu, state a word about
Ennin's voice "lacking in volume"!
Ennin reported to having played the shakuhachi to "intone" the 'ya' note,
or "sound", when reciting the Amida Sutra.
Source c/o Waseda University Library, Tokyo, URL: https://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/i05/i05_00445/i05_00445.pdf
Memories of Ennin / Jikaku Taishi & Kakua ...
More Will Be Added: Events that Most Probably
Never Took Place - And, "Translations" and "Renderings"
that Pathetically Fail a Few Simple Fact Checks
The TWO KNOWN 'TON'A' PERSONALITIES in JAPANESE CULTURAL HISTORY
A little after, on page 50 in that same ESS newsletter, Nick Bellando continues like this:
"The first that I’m aware of is Ton'a, a Pure Land monk and poet (1289-1372).
He is credited in the earliest hitoyogiri score collections with composing the piece "Korobi"."
Confused?
First and foremost: 14th century 'Ton'a' is celebrated as a respected poet"!
- 15th century 'Ton'a' is known to have been a much admired flute player! in his time, period!
How possibly could the 14th century poet Ton'a have been a 14th century 'Hitoyogiri' music composer -
not least more than two centuries before that flute appellation even appeared in recorded writing for the very first time,
around 1600 that is?
JAMES H. SANFORD, writing and publishing in 1981 ...
DO NOTE, that even renowned late US American Japanologist James H. Sanford made the mistake
of confusing the two Japanese Medieval Age Ton'a' personalities, 14th and 15th centuries, respectively
- the Poet, and the Shakuhachi Player:
On page 180 in James H. Sanford's 1981 very fine book titled "Zen-man Ikkyū".
Reference:
James H. Sanford: Zen-man Ikkyū.
Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, 1981.
THE POET TON'A a.k.a. NIKAIDŌ SADAMUNE, 1289–1372:
Wikipedia: Ton'a a.k.a. 'Tonna' - a 14th century poet
THE MUSICIAN, the 'SHAKUHACHI' PLAYER TON'A, d. 1457-60:
In 2001, Steven D. Carter told us something about the flute playing 15th century musician named 'Ton'a', n.d.:
Steven D. Carter: Chats with the Master: Selections from "Kensai Zōdan"
Read more here:
• JAPAN 2: 1233 - 1477
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