Koten Honkyoku: Yobitake/Uketake (The call and response of the Komusō)

呼竹受竹(吹禅)
Call and response used to identify Komuso.
It was customary for komuso priests, when they chanced to cross paths while out collecting alms, to greet one another with this piece. One priest would first play Yobitake ("calling bamboo"). In this way, if the first priest played Yobitake three times, and the other priest could not respond with Uketake, he was exposed as an imposter, a bogus priest (in Japanese: maisu).
The style of playing this Yobidake-Ukedake varied with the school that the komuso belonged to, so that it was possible to distinguish where a priest came from by the style of his playing.
This version is transmitted is the Chikuho Style of Chikuho Sakai II. In this Chinkuho tradition the Yobitake and Uketake are each played three times…each time with more intensity. The Autai no Kyoku Is played once with each player playing one octave apart…one In otsu and one In kan.
Played on a 1.8 Miura Ryuho shakuhachi.

[@alessandro2421]

Questa musica fa veramente vibrare ciò che è invisibile

[@johannesheinen]

Wonderful! Thank you!

[@jeanpierrecarpentier]

[@blablabla6-k2d]

Very cool, Steven. You should get a special shakuhachi award for all the informative posts you make.

[@KochikuShakuhachi]

Lol…thanks for your kind words!

[@thalisonreis500]

Great!

[@kjell159]

Interesting and well played

[@Whiskey0880]

The first time i came across yobitake/uketake was on a video with kifu mitsuhashi playing Futaikan reibo. Kinohachi plays yobitake while slowly leaving the stage as kifu slowly enters onto it playing uketake. Wonderful as always buddy 👏👏👏

[@KochikuShakuhachi]

Thanks! 🙏🏻 Yes, I’m familiar with that video…very nice!

[@traviswadezinn]

Beautiful, thank you