The "Zen Shakuhachi" Historical Evidence Research Web Pages

1950s: Yasuda Tenzan, Hirazumi Taizan & the New Term 'Suizen'

吹禅 - SUIZEN

"Blowing a Flute Meditation" - "Flute-blown Meditation" ... ?
"Blowing a Flute Non-dualistic Contemplation Practice" - "Ascetic Bamboo Flute Practice"


This is a research project in continuous progress
- webpage updated on April 22, 2021.

OBS: A new, expanded webpage about this topic has been compiled and uploaded:

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.




INTRODUCTION

From "ASCETIC BREATHING" to 'SUIZEN' - a PRELIMINARY TIMELINE


1823: The Kinko-line shakuhachi player Hisamatsu Fūyō explains his shakuhachi playing as 'Kisoku shugyō', 気息修行, "Breathing Asceticism".

1852: The 32nd Kyōto Myōan-ji 'Kansu', Rodō Genkyō, presents the term 'Sui-teki shugyō',
吹笛修行, "Blowing a Flute Ascetic Practice".
That was, in fact, especially with regard to begging activities in which only two players were allowed to travel together, states Rodō Genkyō.

1914, November 22: the 35th Myōan 'Kansu', Higuchi Taizan, founder of Myōan Taizan-ha, dies.
Kobayashi Kyozan is appointed the 36th 'Kansu'.

1928: Uramoto Setchō writes three essays on the topic 'Fuke Shakuhachi' but does not mention 'Suizen' there.

1928, March 15: 'Kyozan-bō', 虚山坊, most probably "Young Kyozan", alias Tomimori Kyozan, authors an article on pages 23-25 in the Myōan Kyōkai bulletin Dai Myōan, 大明暗, titled 'Sui-shō-zen' man-go', 吹簫禅漫語, "This and That about (the Term) 'Blowing a Flute Meditation'".

1930: Kobayashi Shizan & Tomimori Kyozan co-write a book on 'Myōan Shakuhachi',
in which the very first chapter is an introduction to that new term, 'Sui-shō-zen', 吹簫禅.

1938, November 27: The 36th Myōan 'Kansu', Kobayashi Kyozan, dies.
Tanikita Muchiku is appointed the 37th 'Kansu'.

1950: Yasuda Tenzan is appointed first head monk of the new Kyōto Myōan-ji.
Yasuda-san produces at least a few quite impressive 'Suizen' calligraphies.

1950s: Myōan-ji begins to issue so called 'Suizen gyōka-shō', 吹禅行化証,
"Ascetic Shakuhachi Travel Authorization Certificates" - see image and translation below.

During the early 1950s, it appears that at least these five Myōan-ji personalities would have been engaged in the creation, promotion and consolidation of the new Taizan-ha Shakuhachi term 'Suizen':
Yasuda Tenzan, Tanikita Muchiku, Tomimori Kyozan, Hirazumi Taizan & Yoshimura Sōshin.

1953: Hirazumi Taizan is appointed 2nd head monk of Myōan-ji; produces at least one impressive 'Suizen' calligraphy - see image below.

1955: Myōan-ji 'Kansu' Tanikita Muchiku publishes an article in the Myōan-ji bulletin named 'Suizen'.

1960: Parallelly, Uramoto Setchō introduces the explanatory term 'Gyō no ongaku', 行の音楽, "Ascetic Music" - however without referring to 'Suizen'.

1966, June: A now really famous 'Suizen' stone monument is erected to the left inside of the gate of Kyōto Myōan-ji.

1970s? - no later than Spring, 1978, I know:
Myōan-ji's 2nd head monk, Hirazumi Taizan, creates a unique 'Mu-ku-teki Suizen', 無穴笛吹禅, "No-holes-flute sui-zen' calligraphy - see below.

1974: The record company Columbia Japan releases a triple-LP record set titled 'Suizen', featuring Sakai Chikuhō II - who really was not a 'Taizan-ha' player, at all, was he?




1978, probably: The 40th Myōan-ji 'kansu, Yoshimura Fuan Sōshin, and Myōan-ji releases a 4-LP record set titled 'Suizen ichinyo', 吹禅一如, "The Oneness of 'Blowing a Flute' and 'Meditating'".
Or, I'd rather prefer a translation like this, for instance: "The Non-duality of Meditating while Blowing a Flute".
Yasuda Tenzan is the actual artist who created that very 'Suizen ichinyo' calligraphy for the LP front covers:




1983: Torsten Olafsson produces the LP/MC "Standing Waves. Zen Shakuhachi Meditations" featuring six Myōan Taizan-ha (Suizen) honkyoku.
Olafssongs LP/MC, 1983; Fønix Music CD, 2001:

 


1985, reissued 1998: Columbia Japan releases a 'Fuke-shū Tani-ha Kyotaku'
     'Komusō Chiku-in Suizen' Vinyl Record




1995: Yoshimura Fuan Sōshin's 'Suizen ichinyo' triple-CD set is issued by Myōan-ji, probably the same recordings as those previously published on 4 vinyl LP records in 1978.




2004: Ronnie Seldin and Barbara Lee Kroos publish the 5-LP & book set
"Sui Zen. Blowing Zen On the Shakuhachi":

 


2005: Steve Weiss designs a map of "26 Suizen Temples", allegedly approved by Kurahashi Yoshio:



Map of 26 "'Suizen' temples" - during the late Tokugawa Period ... really?
Compiled by Steve Weiss, 2005, approved by Kurahashi Yoshio.

There were, of course, no such "'Suizen' temples" mentioned anywhere, nor ever,
in Edo Period documents! Source: www.shakuhachi.com


2019: Seian Genshin & Kyōto Myōan-ji produce the CD
'Nichi-nichi no Suizen', "Everyday Shakuhachi Asceticism":




To be continued, more to come - to be further detailed and elaborated ...

---

---

Was YASUDA TENZAN the ACTUAL "INVENTOR" of the TERM 'SUIZEN'?

This quite new term, 'Suizen', was most probably invented and introduced into modern ascetic shakuhachi ideology by Yasuda Tenzan, 安田天山, 1909-1994, while he was serving as the first head monk of the new, present-day Kyōto Myōan Temple during the years 1950 to 1952.

On Saturday August 8, 2009, US citizen and longtime Myōan Taizan-ha shakuhachi player Dean Seicho Delbene posted this illustration on his "Myoan Shakuhachi Blogspot" Website:



Tomimori Kyozan's Statement regarding the origin of the terms suizen/suishouzen, no date

Do note, by the way, that it can not be true at all, what Kyozan is quoted for stating, namely that,

" - - - 吹簫禅 (SuiShouZen) is right, that word was in old China."

Looking up under 'sui' in the main index of the Dai Kanwa Jiten encyclopedia of classical Chinese and Japanese literature and history you will find neither 'Sui-shō-zen' nor 'Suizen' there.

The very same goes for the great multi-volume collection of Buddhist scrptures, the Tripitaka,
c/o the online searchable SAT Daizōkyō Text Database:
Neither there do you find even one single appearance of the terms 'Sui-shō-zen', 吹簫禅, and 'Suizen', 吹禅 - simple as that.

---

Certainly only beginning in the early 1950s, various Suizen gyōka shō, 吹禅行化証, or "Ascetic Shakuhachi Travel Authorization Certificates", were issued by the Myōan Temple, replacing the former Komusō gyōka shō, 虚無僧行化証, of the latter part of the Edo Period.



'Suizen gyōka seiganbun', 吹禅行化誓願文,
"Ascetic Shakuhachi Written Travel Pledge" No prior to 1950.


The 'Suizen' Certificate Reads and Translates as follows:

吹禅行化誓願文
'Suizen gyōka suigammon'
"'Suizen' Travel Authorization Pledge"


一吹
為断一切悪
いっすい
いだん いっさい あく

'Issui i-dan issai aku'
"First breath cuts away All Evil"


二吹
為修一切善
にすい
いしゅ いっさい ぜん

'Nisui isshū issai zen'
"Second breath leads towards All Goodness"


三吹
為度諸衆生
さんすい
いど しょ しゅう じょう

'Sansui ido sho shū jō'
"Third breath benefits Mankind and All Livings Things"


皆共成仏道
かいぐ じょうぶつ どう

'Kaigu jōbutsu dō'
"The Way for Everyone to Attain Buddhahood"


嘘霊山明暗寺

'Kyoreizan Myōanji
"Non-dual Spirit Mountain Myōanji"


The source of the above given text, it should be noted, is the website of the Kyōto Myōan Temple named Myōan dōshukai, 明暗導主会: Myōan dōshukai

---

     

'MU-KU-TEKI SUI-ZEN'
"No Hole Flute - Blowing a Flute Non-dualistic Contemplation Practice"

Calligraphy signed 'Myōan Taizan', the 2nd present times
Myōan Temple chief monk Hirazumi Taizan, 平住台山, (a.k.a. Myōan Taizan),
inaugurated in 1952, died in 1984 (Shōwa 59).

Signature and stamps deciphered by Kosuge Daisetsu (Komusō kenkyūkai/Hosshin-ji),
and Sato Nakazato, Japan. A present to Torsten Olafsson
given by his teacher Ozawa Seizan in Summer, 1978

---

1985



Opening pages of a honkyoku folding book (ori-hon)
written by Matsumoto Kyozan, dated 1985.

To the right: 'Suizen godō':
"Suizen Way of Buddhist Enlightenment".

To the left the Sanskrit seed syllable 'A' (Jap.: 'A')
of the Buddha Mahāvairocana, or
Dainichi Nyorai, residing in the center of the
Taizō-kai (Womb Realm) mandala (Skt.: Garbhadātu)
of Japanese Tantric Buddhism (Shingon)
Trsl. by Torsten Olafsson