AJIKAN (阿字観)

FUKUDA Teruhisa, shakuhachi. Traditional shakuhachi honkyoku. Concert organised by the Hijiri Shakuhachi Foundation (www.hijiri.org) at the Japanese Cultural Centre Shofukan (www.shofukan.nl) in Rotterdam (The Netherlands), 26-08-2018. ⓒ Beauludget Production. The music is supposed to represent the Zen concept of "seeing with the heart" as opposed to normal seeing with one's eyes. The "a" of the title Ajikan refers to Zen priests in meditation: the "ji" represents the primary or original sound: and the word "kan" means "to see". Thus, this honkyoku is about "seeing the original sound", a special sort of vision that is associated with enlightenment.