Kondo Soetsu

Japanese: 近藤宗悦 - こんどう・そうえつ

Year of death: 7th February 1867 (12th March 1867)
Year of birth: 1821
He was the founder of the Kansai Soetsu school of shakuhachi in the late Edo period, and was also known as Doshin. Originally from Nagasaki, he was known as "Charumera Soetsu" because he was originally a skilled charumera player. He went to Kyoto and became a priest at Myoanji Temple, where he learned the Myoan Shinpo-ryu shakuhachi honkyoku from Ozaki Shinryu, who was also a priest at the temple. However, since Soetsu focused on outside music (ensemble pieces with koto and shamisen), his younger disciple Katsuura Shozan took over the honkyoku Shinpo-ryu music. After moving the center of his activities to Osaka, he gained many disciples, was known to the world as the "shakuhachi millionaire," and produced many excellent disciples. He also adopted the koto player Furukawa Takisai, and had deep ties with the jiuta koto music world, and made a great contribution to laying the foundation for shakuhachi sankyoku ensemble in the Kansai region.

(Tetsu Shimura)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：慶応3.2.7(1867.3.12)
生年：文政4(1821)
江戸後期の尺八,関西宗悦流の流祖で,道信とも号する。長崎出身で,もとはチャルメラが上手であったので「チャルメラ宗悦」と呼ばれていた。京都に出て明暗寺の役僧となり,同寺の役僧であった尾崎真竜から明暗真法流の尺八本曲を学んだ。しかし,宗悦は外曲(箏,三味線との合奏曲)に力を注いだため,真法流本曲は弟弟子の勝浦正山が継いだ。その後,活動の中心を大坂に移してからは多くの門人を得て,世に「尺八長者」とうたわれ,すぐれた弟子を輩出した。また,箏奏者の古川滝斎を養子とし,地歌箏曲界とのつながりも深く,関西において尺八による三曲合奏の土壌を築いた功績は大きい。

(志村哲)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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