Honkyoku Up Close: Koden Sugomori

“Suzuru means "Cranes Nesting". There are many versions of the "Nesting Crane" pieces. This version is considered the oldest, certainly within the repertoire of the Yokoyama lineage. The crane is revered in Japan for its beauty and its mating and nesting habits. The Japanese cranes mate for life and are exceptionally attentive as parents. The piece alludes to the intense and mixed feelings (fear, joy, pride, exuberance, sadness, and above all excitement) felt by both parent cranes and the adolescent crane when the latter is just about to make its first attempt to fly! One of the most famous works in the shakuhachi honkyoku repertoire is called "Tsuru no Sugomori" and in different regions there are pieces of the same name but different tunes. This work uses many different techniques with names such as karakara, korokoro, torira, or tamane to depict the love between a mother crane and her chicks. This koden Sugomori is said to be the original version of these pieces of the same name. The form of the piece is highly regular, and because it is very clearly divided into five sections (godan) it is also sometimes called Godan Sugomori.” ~Internal Shakuhachi Society For about private lessons please check out my website! http://stevencasano.com/learn.html