Ikkyu's heritage most certainly contributed to his having a discreet upbringing. Ikkyu was alleged to be the illegitimate son of an emperor, and his mother is said to have been of an anti-Imperial family. One of Japan's most celebrated Zen priests, Ikkyu, was sent to Daitokuji as a child for his education. This piece takes its name from a district in northern Kyoto, in which the temple of Daitokuji is located. Due to the simplicity of the melody and structure, this piece allows the player freedom to respond to his own mood: he can play in any way he feels whether it be light and happy or sad and lonely. The wandering mood of the piece cannot help but suggest the personality of Ikkyu Wako. Perhaps it is one of the folk melody patterns that the Japanese people have possessed since ancient times. In the melody of this piece we can feel the kind of nostalgic yearning round in komori-uta (lullabies). The rhythm is never sluggish but maintains a distinctive beat so that the mood of the, piece is not at all heavy or somber. At the opening of the piece, the melody is in the middle tonal range, and throughout the piece the tone shifts from the mid-range to the upper tonal range as its focal point. It is formed of three dan, the middle of which is a takane using the tone pattern kara-kara. That is to say, its straight-forward melodic structure without embellishment, its simple and lucid composition as well as other features give an overall placid feeling not found in more recent times. Leaving aside the issue of Ikkyu's authorship, we can wonder whether in fact this piece dates back well before recent times to an older style of music. However since theĬollection of Chinese-style poems Kyoun-shu by Zen priests, as well as other materials, make it clear that Ikkyu enjoyed playing the shakuhachi and the hitoyogiri, it would not be impossible to suppose that he did indeed write this piece. That it was composed by Ikkyu is an oral tradition: there are no supporting written records. This is one of the rare examples among classical shakuhachi honkyoku where the name of the composer has been handed down. For more information consult the section (in Reibo in "Commonly Used Titles." Reibo is one of the various Chinese character representations of that common title for shakuhachi pieces. Probably the element Murasaki ("purple") in the title comes from Murasakino ("purple field"). It is said that this is a piece by the Zen priest Ikkyu, the forty-seventh chief priest of Daitoku-ji in Murasakino, Kyoto. It is not clear which shakuhachi Ikkyu played on, perhaps an instrument with only one bamboo node (hitoyogiri). In a number of his poems, Ikkyu mentions the shakuhachi as something that gives him comfort in his solitude, however, he does not relate the instrument to Zen meditation or to the legendary founder Fuke. His eccentric and non-conformist persona - he called himself -crazy cloud- has been the subject of numerous stories and anecdotes in Japan up to today. This is a Reibo-version (see above), which the komuso tradition attributes to the famous Zen monk and poet Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481), who lived in the Daitoku-ji temple in the Murasakino area in Kyoto. Yearning for the Bell (Muraskino version) Murasaki Reibo appears on the following albums It is played with the intention of creating an overall feeling of peacefulness. "Shrinpo" (also known as "Murasaki-Reibo") is a Meian honkyoku from Daitokuji temple in Kyoto. So too, should people imitate the clouds and know when it is time to move and when it is time to be still. It is said that the alternating movement and stillness of clouds are truly in the spirit of nature. This piece compares the nature of people and clouds. He was known for his great intelligence, and especially for his ability to see the simple, natural way of things. This piece has been attributed to the great Zen Buddhist monk, Ikkyu Zenji (also popularly known as Ikkyu-san) who lived about 400 years ago. History ( Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin):
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