The Fudaiji Temple Honkyoku of the Seien Ryu 普大寺 西園流

and its connection to Myoan Taizan Ha 明暗 対山派

The Seien Ryu preserves the original shakuhachi Honkyoku of Fudaiji temple. These pieces were passed down to Kanetomo Seien I 兼友西園 (b. 1818) by the final two Fudaiji Komuso, Gyokudo and Baizan. The home of Seien Ryu is Nagoya which isn’t far from the original Fudaiji temple which was in Hamamatsu. The Honkyoku repertoire consists of 11 pieces which have become well known through the versions created within the Myoan Taizan Ha 明暗 対山派 which was founded by a student of Seien I named Suzuki Kodo, later known as Higuchi Taizan (1856 – 11/22/1914) (as of recently the Myoan school is now known as Fuke Myoan).

The Fudaiji Seien Ryu way of playing is the most austere, unadorned style in Japan. It comes from what was once the rural countryside. It’s largely gone unappreciated in its original forms outside of its home because most masters opted to learn the more embellished versions from Myoan Taizan Ha, and/or offshoots thereof. However, because the Fudaiji Seien Ryu way of playing Honkyoku is the most minimalistic in all of Japan it holds tremendous value for those with humble aspirations or minimalist sensibilities.

For example, there are no flashy techniques which can often obscure ones inability to play shakuhachi simply and well, i.e., the simplicity of Seien Ryu leaves us with nothing to hide behind. This also has the effect of exposing the habits we may have developed from other styles or from playing Honkyoku without guidance.

These are the 11 Fudaiji Seien Ryu Honkyoku in the order I teach them in;

1. Honte Shirabe 本手調子 – Hon or “root”, Te(hodoki) 手解き/手ほどき “teach/learn the basics”/“get a hand for it”, Shirabe “tune/tone; vein; mood; way; manner; style“. Often called/pronounced ‘Choshi’ in Myoan Taizan Ha and other schools (Honshirabe in Dokyoku Chikushinkai).
2. Shizu 志津 – possibly referring to or from the Shizu district of Nishikawa Town, located at the foot of Mt. Gassan; an important pilgrimage of the Dewa Sanzan 出羽三山.
3. Taki Otoshi aka Takiochi 滝落 – “waterfall drop”.
4. Sanya 三谷 – “three valleys”.
5. Reibo 鈴慕 – “To long for/to miss the bell/teaching/guidence of a mentor/teacher who has passed away”. Renamed Renbo Nagashi 恋慕流 in Myoan Taizan Ha.
6. Koto Sugagaki 箏 菅垣 – Koto is the stringed instrument and sugagaki is the “instrumental music without lyrics, played on the koto or shamisen in the early Edo period”. Renamed at some point to Koro Sugagaki 転菅垣 in Myoan Taizan Ha. Also a piece called Koro Sugagaki in Kinko Ryu.
7. Akita 秋田 – a piece from Akita.
8. Mukaiji 霧海箎 – Mist ocean flute (篪 flute “雁飞篪”)
9. Koku 虚空 – the emptiness of empty sky.
10. Kyorei 虚鈴 – empty (sky) bell.
11. Tsuru no Sugomori 鶴の巣籠 – nesting cranes.

Fudaiji Temple 普大寺

Fudaiji temple 普大寺 was founded in 1613 in Hamamatsu, first in Hirata-machi and later moved to Shiken-cho. Along with so many other temples, under the anti-Buddhist movement of the Meiji period it was ordered to be closed in the 4th year of Meiji, 1871. It was sold into private hands and turned into the first Yamaha pipe organ factory. The last Fudaiji Komuso were Gyokudo and Baizan.

Nowadays, Gyokudo and Baizan are often thought to be one person, “Gyokudo Baizan”. However, this seems to be a modern interpretation because all remaining older sources refer to them as two separate people. Little memory of their lives remains save for the following two stories, as recounted by Yasufuku Gozan.

The Komuso Baizan apparently had difficulty opening and closing the back hole of his shakuhachi to his satisfaction. To remedy this, he cut off the tip of his thumb. The Komuso Gyokudo, although a master of Honkyoku, was of course not experienced with Gaikyoku, aka Sankyoku ensemble music which was forbidden for Komuso. However, late in his life he endeavored to learn how to play the Sankyoku Kurokami and apparently became quite excellent at it. We know of two of their students, Murase Chikuo and Kanetomo Seien and it’s thanks to them and their students that the Fudaiji Honkyoku were preserved.

Kanetomo Seien

Kanetomo Seien was born Kanetomo Yasuzaemon Morinobu (b. December 18th, 1818) and belonged to a wealthy family in the West side of Nagoya who’s business was honing or sharpening swords and knives. His shakuhachi name Seien is derived from his given name Morinobu which can also be pronounced Seien, though different Kanji were used with the same reading, 西園.

From childhood he liked shakuhachi and studied from the Fudaiji Komuso Gyokudo and Baizan. He eventually mastered the 11 Honkyoku of Fudaiji temple. At that time, Sankyoku was not played in Nagoya as it had been officially banned during the Edo period. It’s said that he played shakuhachi Honkyoku everyday, save for when he was ill. Concerning his playing, there’s also a story that it could ease horses to rest and even sleep.

As for Kanetomo’s character, he is said to have disliked greed and cared only for shakuhachi itself. He was often invited to fancy restaurants by high class people but usually declined. Although his music prospered, his disinterest in other matters had dire financial consequences. As a result, and despite also marrying into a very wealthy family, his business relationships deteriorated.

Over time, he became so extremely poor that he had trouble affording rice and tea. Despite this, it’s said that he calmly played shakuhachi as if carefree. Eventually, in Meiji 10, he had to move out of his home and rent it to make a living. He then moved to Sugawara-cho and spent his life playing and teaching shakuhachi. At that time, there were many soldiers returning home to Nagoya from the Seinan Senso (West and South war). Some of them would come to Seien’s gate asking him to teach them shakuhachi. He was very kind and taught them even if they were poor.

Seien also didn’t wish to found a Ryu or school and didn’t care for the power and politics of heading a Ryu-Ha. In Taisho 3~4 (1914~1915), after Seien’s death, Seien Ryu was officially established by his students. It was founded out of necessity because other schools such as Kinko Ryu and Tozan Ryu were beginning to enter Nagoya, thus creating a natural need to distinguish the native Fudaiji way of playing from these other schools. Of course, the students of Kanetomo Seien decided to name it Seien Ryu after their beloved teacher, posthumously making him the founder or Seien I.

Among his students were Yamagata Isaburo and Hayakawa Ryusuke, both famous and knowledgeable people of their time; Hayakawa being a member of parliament and Yamagata being the head officer of Nagoya’s army. There was also Sawa Ichirobe, Yamada Wado, Yashiro Rokushiro, Suzuki Kodo aka Higuchi Taizan and founder of Myoan Taizan Ha in Kyoto, and Uchida Shizan who would become Uchida Seien II.

Kanetomo Seien died on March 21st in Meiji 27 when he was 78 years old. Under the proposal of his students Higuchi Taizan and Uchida Shizan a memorial for Kanetomo Seien was built in March, Meiji 31, in Nagoya (later moved to Tokokakushisan).

Higuchi Taizan aka Suzuki Kodo 樋口 対山

The evolution of Fudaiji Seien Ryu Honkyoku into Myoan Taizan Ha 明暗 対山派

Born in Nagoya, Suzuki Kodo (1856 – 11/22/1914), later known as Higuchi Taizan 樋口 対山, first studied shakuhachi under Kanetomo Seien and became one of his top 3 students. His artist name was originally Kodo, however, later he took his wife’s family’s name Higuchi and changed his artist name to Taizan. He was a skilled Sankyoku and Honkyoku player in addition to Gagaku. He moved to Kyoto to make a name for himself as a teacher and performer.

However, perhaps due to the already established Sankyoku style of Kyoto known as Soetsu Ryu, he didn’t have much luck with Sankyoku music. Instead, he found success teaching the Fudaiji Honkyoku of the Seien Ryu. Higuchi Taizan founded a new revival Komuso shakuhachi temple which was named Myoanji 明暗寺 after the original Kyoto Myoanji temple that had since been destroyed. Higuchi Taizan assumed the lineage of the previously destroyed Myoanji, thus becoming the 35th Kanshu or head of Myoanji (the pre-Taizan Myoanji is often referred to as kyu or ‘old’ Myoanji).

Taizan founded what he called the Myoan Taizan Ryu which taught the 11 Fudaiji Honkyoku, however, he later wished to add more Honkyoku so he travelled to Tokyo to study Kinko Ryu from Araki Kodo II. Taizan also learned and eventually taught pieces from Oshu and Kyushu. The Myoan Taizan Ha way of playing all of these Honkyoku pieces evolved into its own unique, distinct style. Myoan Taizan Ha pieces were very popular and spread across Japan and in the Western world, particularly in the iterations from Takahashi Kuzan, Jin Nyodo, Nishimura Koku, and Watazumi, among others. They remain some of the most revered Honkyoku today.

Through the years, Higuchi Taizan maintained his connections with the rest of his Seien Ryu shakuhachi brothers back in Nagoya; writing them letters often and visiting from time to time. Myoan Taizan Ha has endured to this day as an active group and Myoanji temple in Kyoto is visited often by shakuhachi players from around the world. As of recently the style has been rebranded as Fuke Myoan.

Fudaiji Seien Ryu Lineage chart