Honkyoku Up Close: Sokkan

This is a piece of koten honkyoku from the Dokyoku / Chikushinkai School of Yokoyama Katsuya. ‘The characters used in the title of this piece are "so" which is denotes "iki" or "breath" and "kan" which means "to see" or "observe". This name may come from the zen concept of seikan which is "serene contemplation." Sokkan expresses the dynamic feelings which result from contemplation of one's breath as the player gets absorbed in each note in the lower register trying to "see the truth in the mind's eye". One should naturally incorporate various qualities of breath discovered during this contemplation.” ~International Shakuhachi Society