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T.O. Profile / Bio / CV

Torsten Olafsson Profile Featured in the Music Magazine
     Hōgaku Journal Vol. 430, Nov., 2022

Profile Status Update, Late 2022. Original Profile
     submitted to Hōgaku Journal Vol. 430, Nov., 2022

Disclaimer

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Highlighted new and updated web pages
as of September 26, 2023:

2000: Tsukitani Tsuneko's Classical Shakuhachi
     'Honkyoku' Study: Historical Sources, Notations,
     and Kinko-ryū 'Honkyoku' Analysises

No, No, & No Again:
     Edo Period 'Komusō' were not "Zen Monks"
     of the Rinzai Zen Sect of Japanese Buddhism:
     The 'Komusō' and the Authoritarian 'Danka' System
     The 'Komusō' Movement's Place & Destiny
     in Mid- to Late Tokugawa Society

April, 2023 - More "Fuke Shakuhachi" and 'Suizen'
     Disinformation in Print and on the Internet,
     Discovered & Revealed - Debunked & Rejected

4+ "Historical" 'Komusō' Documents
     to be Completely Discarded & Ignored

The Shakuhachi by Kiku Day as of 2023:
     The Ethnomusicologists' Shakuhachi History Truth Ethical
     Dilemma - according to SOAS PhD Dr. Kiku Day

1703 & 1705: The Kyōto Myōan-ji
     c/o Kōkoku-ji & Myōshin-ji Interrelationship

1705: The Kōkoku Temple Ordination Platform
     and Kyōto Myōan-ji's Fake "Chief Monks" -
     In the Words of Makihara Ichiro, August 10, 2007

Overall conclusion that has manifested itself
     as the inevitable outcome of the present,
     more than 4 decades long research project

1974: The Year of the End of 'Shakuhachi Suizen'
     - When the Term 'Suizen' was Kidnapped, Hi-jacked,
     and Degraded into Mere "New Age", "Healing",
     "Holism", and "Mindfulness" Meaninglessness

1974 ...: Untruthful 'Suizen' & "Shakuhachi Meditation"
     Information & Assertions, East & West
     - Presented in Western Languages, Primarily

The "BIG LIE": "Nothing like a 'Fuke-shū' ever existed"

The Nakatsuka Chikuzen Shakuhachi History
     Research Legacy - A Tribute

Highlighted Illustrations

Where does All That Widespread Fraudful
     'Fuke Shakuhachi' Disinformation Come From?
     WHY and HOW has Ascetic Shakuhachi History
     been so Sadly Thoroughly Falsified?

Torsten Olafsson Profile Featured in the Music Magazine
     Hōgaku Journal Vol. 430, Nov., 2022

Profile Status Update, Late 2022. Original Profile
     submitted to Hōgaku Journal Vol. 430, Nov., 2022

1930: Kobayashi Shizan & Tomimori Kyozan
     Co-publicize the Shakuhachi Concept 'Suishō-zen' a.o.

1950s ... : The Origin of 'Suizen' at Kyōto Myōan-ji:
     Kobayashi Shizan, Tomimori Kyozan,
     Tanikita Muchiku, Yasuda Tenzan,
     Hirazumi Taizan, Koizumi Ryōan,
     Fukumoto Kyoan, Yoshimura Sōshin a.o.

1890-1950: The Remarkably Differing Narratives
     about the Kyōto Myōan-ji, the "Myōan Society" and the
     'Taizan-ha' Tradition of 'Suizen' Shakuhachi Practice

1950s: A Modern 'Komusō' 'Suizen' 'Takuhatsu' Credo

1977 & 1978: The Legacy of the Late Myōan Taizan-ha
     'Suizen' Teachers Yoshimura Fuan Sōshin
     & Ozawa Zetsugai Seizan

To be - or not to be: a "Zen Buddhist Priest"?

1950s ... : The Origin of 'Suizen' at Kyōto Myōan-ji:
     Kobayashi Shizan, Tomimori Kyozan,
     Tanikita Muchiku, Yasuda Tenzan,
     Hirazumi Taizan, Koizumi Ryōan,
     Fukumoto Kyoan, Yoshimura Sōshin a.o.

1852: Kyōto Myōan-ji's 32nd 'Kansu' Rodō Genkyō's
     Commandments Regarding 'Komusō' Begging Practice
     and 'Sui-teki shugyō' - and the Possible Origin
     of the Now so Very Misused Term 'Suizen'?

1705: The Kōkoku Temple Ordination Platform
     and Kyōto Myōan-ji's Fake "Chief Monks" -
     In the Words of Makihara Ichiro, August 10, 2007

1861 ... : Shakuhachi, Fuke & 'Komusō' Narratives
     Authored and Published in Western Languages

1630 at the latest: Iwasa Matabei's Famous Painting of
     Two 'Fuke-Komosō' With Swords & An Umbrella Maker

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The Chinese Ch'an Monk P'u-k'o, the Komosō Beggars
     & the Imperialistic Catholic Christian Intruders
     - the Rōnin Samurai, the 'Fuke-Komosō', the 'Komusō'
     & the Kyōto Myōan Temple - an Unbiased Narrative

The Amazing Fuke Zenji / Fuke Shakuhachi /
     Fuke-shū Legend Fabrication Hoax


Highlighted Illustrations


1549 ... The Catholic Christian Century in Japan
     & the Temple Patron Household System

Ascetic Shakuhachi Ideology
     and the Realization of The Non-Dual
     - Highlighted Quotations

Chronology of Ascetic Shakuhachi
     Ideology-related Terms, Concepts & Names


Various Errors, Misconceptions & Loose Ends

Wikipedia: Inaccuracies & Misunderstandings
     about 'Komusō', 'Fuke-shū', 'Suizen' et cetera

A Critical Look at the European Shakuhachi Society's
     Official Online "History And Origins"
     and "Glossary" Web Pages


The Source Collections

The Japanese Written Sources - An Overview

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Texts, Quotations & Illustrations
     A Chronological Panorama


INDIA - 1 web page:

 •  INDIA: 2600 BCE - 800 CE

CHINA - 2 web pages:

 •  CHINA 1: 6000 BCE - 500 CE

 •  CHINA 2: 500 CE ...

JAPAN - 8 web pages:

 •  JAPAN 1: 600 - 1233

 •  JAPAN 2: 1233 - 1477

 •  JAPAN 3: 1477 - 1560

 •  JAPAN 4: 1560 - 1614

 •  JAPAN 5: 1614 - 1664

 •  JAPAN 6: 1664 - 1767

 •  JAPAN 7: 1767 - 1883

 •  JAPAN 8: 1883 ...

The WEST - 1 web page:

 •  The WEST: 1288 ...

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Research Cases of Particular Significance,
     Real Importance & Special Concern

The ANCIENT CHINESE 'SHAKUHACHI'


c. 630: Did the Imperial Music Master
     Lü Ts'ai really Invent "the Chinese shakuhachi"?


ERA of Mythical Pre-KOMOSŌ
     "Buddhist" Shakuhachi Players

     c. 600 to c. 1480


c. 600 to c. 1450: The Fanciful Fully Fabricated Fairytales
     about Prince Shōtoku, Ennin, Kakua, the Kyōkunshō "Blind
     Monks", Shinchi Kakushin/Hottō Kokushi, Fuke & Chō San,
     the Four Chinese Buddhist Laymen, Kichiku/Kyochiku,
     Myōfu, Kusunoki Masakatsu, the 'Boroboro',
     Rōan & Rakuami

c. 600 to c. 1480: Pre-Komosō Non-Duality
     The Non-Dualism of Huineng, Shih-t'ou, P'u-k'o, Dōgen,
     Ming-chi, Ikkyū, Rōan & Rakuami

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ERA of the KOMOSŌ - The "Mat Monks"

     ca. 1450 to ca. 1550


1470s?: The Dance-kyōgen Play Rakuami

1474: Tōyō Eichō and Ikkyū Sōjun at the
     Inauguration of the Rebuilt Daitoku Temple, Kyōto

1486: The Ōuchi Clan's Ban
     on Komosō, Jugglers & Monkey Keepers

1494 & 1501: Two Enchanting Muromachi Period
     Poetry Contest Picture Scrolls

1512: The Taigenshō Court Music Treatise

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ERA of the FUKE-SŌ / FUKE-KOMOSŌ

     ca. 1550 to ca. 1628?


The Komosō & Fuke-sō / Fuke-komosō Sources


1550-1560: Fuke and the Early Setsuyō-shū Dictionaries

1571: The Term 'Komosō shakuhachi' appears
     in Top-ranking Imperial Court Minister
     Yamashina Tokitsugu's Diary "Tokitsugu's Chronicle"


1614: The Keichō kenmon-shū Short Story Book:
     The Fuke-komosō in Hachiō-ji, West of Edo City

1614: The Keichō kenmon-shū Short Story Book:
     A Story about a Fuke-komosō and his Mother

1621-1625: The Neo-Confucian Scholar Hayashi Razan
     on the Shakuhachi, Komosō and Related Matters

1623: Anrakuan Sakuden's Encounter
     with a Wandering Fuke-komosō

1628: The Kaidō honsoku Fuke-komosō Credo

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ERA of the KOMUSŌ
     "Pseudo-Monks of the Non-Dual & None-ness"

     ca. 1628? to 1871


The Early 'Komusō'-related Texts
     - from ca. 1628? to ca. 1750


1628?: A "Fuke Shakuhachi" related Murder Case
     in the Province of Tosa on the Island of Shikoku?

1637-1640: The Shimabara Uprising on Kyūshū,
     the National "Sects Inspection Bureau", and the
     Efficient Extinction of Catholic Christian Believers

ca. 1640?: The Kaidō honsoku "Version 2" Copy

1640?: Was a Very Early "Komusō Temple" built
     in Nagasaki on the Island of Kyūshū?

ca. 1640?: The Strange Butsu-gen 'Komusō' Document

1640-1646: Abbot Isshi Bunshu's Letter to Sandō Mugetsu
     - the 1981 Kowata Suigetsu Version of the Text

1646 at the latest: Abbot Isshi Bunshu's Letter to a
     "Proto-Komusō" named Sandō Mugetsu

1646 ... The Hottō Kokushi / Kakushin Legend:
     "The Four Buddhist Laymen" & the "disciple" 'Kichiku'

1649: Hiroshima Fief Authorities Issue Regulation
     to Control 'Komosō' and Other Claimed "Troublemakers"

1650s?: The Kaidō honsoku "Version 3" Copy

1653 to 1687: The Shōgunate Takes Legislative Measures
     to Regulate & Control Society Including All Social Groups
     Namely: Warrior/Samurai, Farmer, Craftsman, Merchant,
     Religious, Imperial - and, not least: "Outcast"

1657: 'Tōzoku-jin sansaku jōjō' - A Government Directive
     to Investigate 'Komusō' and Other "Outlaws"


The Kyōto/Kansai Sources


1659?: A Falsely Dated Myōan-ji Document Revealed

1664: The Shichiku shoshinshū Music Treatise

ca. 1665-1675?: The Kyotaku denki Fairy Tale is Born?
     Shinchi Kakushin, Kichiku, Kyochiku & Kyōto Myōan-ji

ca. 1665-1675?: The Kyotaku denki Original Text, 1795/1981
     edition, the Kyotaku denki kokujikai Illustrations,
     and Tsuge Gen'ichi's 1977 Translation


The Edo/Kantō/Tōkyō Sources


1677: The Enpō 5, 6th Month
     Reihō-ji 'Komusō' Set of Rules

1678: The Enpō 5, 12th Month Komusō-ha Oboe
     Bakufu Memorandum of January 11th, 1678

1687: The Jōkyō 4, 6th Month
     Reihō-ji 'Komusō' Set of Rules


ca. 1685-1690: The Yōshū fu-shi
     & Jinrin kinmō zu-i - Evidence of Kyōto Myōan-ji

1694: Myōan-ji Founder Engetsu Ryōgen's
     23 Rules for his 'Komusō' Disciples

1703 & 1705: The Kyōto Myōan-ji
     c/o Kōkoku-ji & Myōshin-ji Interrelationship

1705: The Kōkoku Temple Ordination Platform
     and Kyōto Myōan-ji's Fake "Chief Monks" -
     In the Words of Makihara Ichiro, August 10, 2007


1722: The Kyōhō 7, 6th Month,
     Reihō-ji 'Komusō' Memorandum

1730: The Kyōhō 15, 7th Month, Ichigetsu-ji
     & Reihō-ji 'Komusō' Memorandum


1732: The Shakuhachi denrai-ki
     and Early 'Honkyoku' History


1735: Kyōto Myōan-ji Temple Chief Administrator
     Kandō Ichiyū's Letter about 'Sankyorei-fu',
     the "Three Non-Dual Spirit Music Pieces"


1748: Chikamatsu's Play Kanadehon Chūshingura
     and the Komusō Shakuhachi Piece 'Tsuru no sugomori'

1751: The Keichō 19/1614 'Komusō' Certificate
     The Many Different All Fabricated Versions


1752: Kyōto Myōan-ji Founder Engetsu
     Ryōgen's 23 Fixed Rules for the 'Komusō'

1779-1784: Isaac Titsingh's Account of a Pure Land Sect
     Funeral with Entertaining 'Yamabushi' and 'Komusō'


1795: The Kyotaku denki kokujikai Source Book

1795: The Kyotaku denki Original Text, 1795/1981
     edition, the Kyotaku denki kokujikai Illustrations,
     and Tsuge Gen'ichi's 1977 Translation


1816: Miyaji Ikkan's Shakuhachi hikki Book

1819: The Ranzan City Society for the Study of
     Old Documents: Keichō no okitegaki, Enpō 5 Oboe,
     Okite & Shakuhachi kyoku-moku

1819, 1st Month: The Ranzan Old Documents Study Society
     Presents List of 18+17 Shakuhachi Music Pieces
     of the Early Kinko Shakuhachi Tradition

1823: Hisamatsu Fūyō's Hitori mondō a.o. texts

1871: Map of 26 "'Suizen' Temples" compiled by Steve Weiss
     - "approved by Kurahashi Kōdō II", 2005

1871: Edo Period 'Komusō' Bath House Temples
     ... and Bamboo Tea Whisk Making ...
     Did the Meiji Government's November 30th Ban
     on the so called "Fuke Sect" also Put a Sudden Stop
     to a Thriving 'Komusō' Bath House Temple Business?

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Post-Edo & Post-WW2 Period History Sources & Matters
     The Re-Writing & Re-Falsification
     of "Fuke Shakuhachi" Narratives


1 - MEIJI PERIOD till the mid-20th CENTURY

     1868-1945


1872-1878 (1843-44): The Komusō zakki
     Source Collection


From 1879 ... 1896-1914:
     The Koji ruien Historical Encyclopedia

1880-1899: Tokugawa kinreikō - A Source Collection
     of Tokugawa Period Laws & Regulations


1890: Higuchi Taizan - Teaching, the "Myōan Society",
     and the Taizan-ha Tradition of Shakuhachi Asceticism

1890-1950: The Remarkably Differing Narratives
     about the Kyōto Myōan-ji, the "Myōan Society" and the
     'Taizan-ha' Tradition of 'Suizen' Shakuhachi Practice

Early to mid-20th Century Research Pioneers,
     Author Musicians, Editors & Publishers, Japan:
     Mikami Sanji, Kurihara Kōta, Uramoto Setchō,
     Nakatsuka Chikuzen, Mori Hikotarō, Tanikita Muchiku,
     Nishimura Kokū, Takahashi Kūzan, Tomimori Kyozan,
     Ikeda Juzan a.o.

1902: Mikami Sanji's Critical Article
     'Fuke-shū ni tsuite', "About the Fuke Sect"

1930: Kobayashi Shizan & Tomimori Kyozan
     Co-publicize the Shakuhachi Concept 'Suishō-zen' a.o.


1931-1932: Tokugawa kinreikō - A Source Collection
     of Tokugawa Period Laws & Regulations

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2 - POST-WW2 till TODAY: JAPAN

     1945 ...


1950s ... : The Origin of 'Suizen' at Kyōto Myōan-ji:
     Kobayashi Shizan, Tomimori Kyozan,
     Tanikita Muchiku, Yasuda Tenzan,
     Hirazumi Taizan, Koizumi Ryōan,
     Fukumoto Kyoan, Yoshimura Sōshin a.o.

1950s: A Modern 'Komusō' 'Suizen' 'Takuhatsu' Credo

1960: Uramoto Setchō's Essay about
     'Gyō no ongaku': "Music of Asceticism"

1974: The Year of the End of 'Shakuhachi Suizen'
     - When the Term 'Suizen' was Kidnapped, Hi-jacked,
     and Degraded into Mere "New Age", "Healing",
     "Holism", and "Mindfulness" Meaninglessness

1974 ...: Untruthful 'Suizen' & "Shakuhachi Meditation"
     Information & Assertions, East & West
     - Presented in Western Languages, Primarily


Shakuhachi Historianship in Japan Today?:
     The "Traditionalists" and the "Truth Tellers"


1977 & 1978: The Legacy of the Late Myōan Taizan-ha
     'Suizen' Teachers Yoshimura Fuan Sōshin
     & Ozawa Zetsugai Seizan

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3 - POST-WW2 till TODAY: The WEST

     1945 ...


1945 ... : Some Early Post-WW2 Shakuhachi Narratives
     Written and Published in Western Languages

Translations of Shakuhachi Source Texts
     published in the West / Outside of Japan
     including the Internet / WWW
      - The Translators

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Literature in Western Languages

Literature in Eastern Languages

Links

T.O. Profile / Bio / CV

Profile Status Update, 2022

Contact Info

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