尺八 related goodies !!

                                                                   With this post I don't want to focus on the playing nor the practicing side of things but rather the collectors angle. Not collecting shakuhachi flutes though as that is a rather expensive hobby and one that most players cannot afford. Well, at least the players that I know. :-)  What I'm referring to are the goodies that represent our beloved flute. The T-shirts, figurines, collectibles and assorted gems that we see and want the second it hits our brain that...HEY, it is a shakuhachi related item and those are rare and hard to find. OK, well perhaps in Japan they are not so tough to locate. My Japanese friends can respond to this and tell me if that is truly so but around the rest of the globe, I don't see too many shakuhachi related items for sale on ebay, Amazon, online stores and such. So... like many, I jump at the chance to snatch them up when available, if within my budget.  What do any of you have in this field? here are a few I have acquired since my journey began.


                             




                                     First off, here is this great little fella! He is a komuso from Kidrobot out of Japan and a tough one to locate! I was very fortunate to have been given him to me for my birthday last year and he sits on my shelf, overlooking my blogging and occasionally my playing. It is not common to find komuso related toys or figurines much less when they have a shakuhachi in their hand!





                                         
                               

Next up is this wonderful figurine I just bought off of ebay only last week. Never before have I come across such a treasure. Sure, I have looked at and admired the shakuhachi playing figurine from Lladro. That is an expensive piece at $400 and never going to be in my budget. but this Hakata shakuhachi player came up and I was really surprised no other bidders appeared. Not exactly sure of the date it was made but by the others I have researched, thinking the late 1950's , perhaps 1957. When Googled or searched online, nothing comes up at all except the sale on ebay.
He is 7" tall and in superb condition!



  And finally I have two T-shirts which I proudly wear when out and about sometimes. One from the 2014 Seattle Matsuri , which I attended and really enjoyed, and the other from the company of Ken Lacosse. There are a few other shirts I have located out there and I hope to secure those eventually or find something on ebay, which I check daily for shakuhachi related fun stuff!!!

      Those are the little treasures I own!! Besides books and CD's ,of course. Someday I'd love one of the komuso figurines that you see in museums in Japan. But my oh my are they expensive. Although..... I DO have something komuso and shakuhachi related that I take with me everywhere I go..... in fact a few.

 This komuso tattoo is on my left back calf and can be seen when I run or am in shorts. That and all of my tattoos were done by Doug Auld in Portland, Oregon.
The shakuhachi related tattoo at the right here is inked on my right rib cage. Yes, that was a tender spot and was the least happy place for me to get inked. But well worth the resulting artwork and design. In addition to these two, I also have the 尺八 at right
on the top of my left forearm, visible for all to see.

Yes, there are some shakuhachi goodies out there and sure, I suppose one can say I'm a wee bit obsessed. Ok. Go for it. Say it. I admit to another addiction!!!

Hideo and Shinji: practice time!

                                                                      As spring gets closer and closer, my desire to practice and learn grows. Winter is a tough season for me and even though stuck inside normally, this year has been different. Our "winter" has been so spring like that I SHOULD have been out and about a lot more. Alas, illnesses and other obligations have kept me inside and with severe cabin fever, which still seems to be affecting. As I get get better and stronger, the need to get back to practice is hitting home for me. I've been getting in at least ten minutes a day in practice, which is better than nothing,sure. But, it is nowhere near enough to progress. It simply keeps the edge there and is not doing much. What to do?

Ok, this seems like a good plan. Can one get better at practice than this? Yes! Thanks Bruce!

He seemed to have been rather proficient at his art form and in keeping fit. So as a role model, I think this is a delightful addition to the blog post. And perhaps this one, minus the clarinets and add the shakuhachi!! It is essential that I get back into a regular routine of practice and spending more time doing so. With the help of Hideo and Shinji, I shall try even harder to do this over this month of March.

Here they are, ready to go!! Time to practice!!