Kinpu Ryu | Shirabe-Sagariha

根笹派大音派錦風流尺八 Nezasa-ha Ōne-ha Kinpū-ryū Shakuhachi The Nezasa-ha Ōne-ha Kinpū-ryū is a traditional shakuhachi lineage from Hirosaki in northern Japan, with a history closely associated with the Tsugaru domain and the samurai class. In 1815, Lord Tsugaru Yasuchika of Hirosaki, a master of many arts and an accomplished shakuhachi player, lamented that there were no skilled shakuhachi players in Hirosaki. He therefore sent an official, Yoshizaki Hachiya, to Ichigatsu-ji to study the instrument. Yoshizaki departed promptly and, after completing his studies in July 1818, returned to Hirosaki and gave a demonstration of what he had learned. Lord Yasuchika was so impressed that he ordered his performers to study the shakuhachi as well. He acquired a 1.7-length shakuhachi, but particularly favored his 1.85 shakuhachi. Originally, the playing of Kinpū-ryū shakuhachi was restricted to members of the samurai class. Thankfully, that restriction no longer exists, allowing this remarkable musical tradition to be studied and shared more widely today. By the twentieth century, the tradition was in danger of disappearing. In 1981, with the efforts of Uchiyama Reigetsu, author of Nezasa-ha Ōne-ha Kinpū-ryū Shakuhachi Honkyoku-den, four individuals were designated as holders of the Hirosaki lineage in an effort to preserve this living tradition. Uchiyama Reigetsu himself was also to have been designated as a holder, but sadly passed away just two months before the ceremony. The first generation of designated holders consisted of: Goto Seizō — Kanpū Matsuoka Kōichirō — Kindō Matsuoka Shunjirō — Chikufū Matsuyama Sadanosuke The pieces performed in this video come from the Matsuoka family lineage of Hirosaki. It is a privilege to play this music today and to participate, in my own small way, in the continuation of a tradition that has survived through generations of players. Played on a 2.0 by Miura Ryuho