海童道祖老師 Watazumi Dōsō Rōshi・"The World of Watazumi-dō" (1974) * New transfer and translation

Obi strip:
"An avant-garde philosophy that continues to profoundly influence the world’s thinkers and musicians!!"
Watazumi-dō no Sekai | "The World of Watazumi-dō"
"Child’s flute" / "Sea of Trees"
Watazumi-dō Compositions: "Distant Cry of the Deer", "Blue Earth"
"Modern Japanese Imayō Style"
Watazumi Dōsō Rōshi

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[00:00] 1A. Dōteki “Jukai” – Children’s Flute: “Sea of Trees”;
[11:04] 2A. Dōkyoku “Shika no Tōne” – Watazumi-dō Composition: “Distant Cry of Deer”;
[24:03] 1B. Nihon Imayō – Modern Japanese Style: Horagai / Dōshion – Conch Shell & Branch Sound of the Way; Uta: Ten no Bu I – Chant: Heaven Section I; Uta: Ten no Bu II – Chant: Heaven Section II; Ten no Kaeshi Uta – Heaven’s Returning Chant; Hito no Bu – Human Section; Chi no Bu – Earth Section;
[42:22] 2B. Dōkyoku “Aoi Tsuchi” – Watazumi-dō Composition: “Blue Earth”.
[52:07] Insert
[52:12] Photo caption 1
[52:17] 2
[52:22] 3
[52:27] 4
[52:32] 5
[52:37] 6
[52:42] 7
[52:52] 8
[52:57] 9

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Cover:
"The World of Watazumi-dō"
Watazumi Dōsō Rōshi

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Back cover:
Center photograph:

Dōteki – Children’s flute
Jukai – Sea of Trees

Dōkyoku – Watazumi-dō composition
Shika no Tōne – Distant Cry of Deer

Yoryū – Variant tradition
Nihon Imayō – Modern Japanese Style
Conch shell, Dōshion (sound of the path’s branch) / Vocal chant (uta) / Heaven Section I / Heaven Section II / Heaven’s Echo Chant / Human Section / Earth Section

Dōkyoku – Watazumi-dō composition
Aoi Tsuchi – Blue Earth

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Album insert/notes, page 1:

Watazumi-dō
“Avant-garde Philosophy”
“Watazumi-dō” is not merely a system of musical expression. Rather, it is the embodiment of a life-path through breath, body, spirit, and nature. Its root is not in entertainment, but in training, self-awareness, and the primordial essence of sound. Master Watazumi’s performances transcend the formality of concert ritual. His instruments are extensions of his being — made from raw, living materials. The breath flows not for applause, but as a spiritual practice, cultivated through decades of solitary discipline. His “music” may strike the uninitiated as wild, raw, or even chaotic — but at its heart lies a profound, natural order. “Music” in this context is the function of life energy itself. The foundation of Watazumi-dō is to restore the full human being in a disembodied world.

Dōkyoku and Yoryū
Children’s Flute / Sea of Trees
Watazumi’s pieces often defy categorization. “Dōkyoku” are compositions unique to the Watazumi-dō path — not classical honkyoku nor secular folk songs. They are forged through training, prayer, and improvisation within a deep listening to nature. “Yoryū,” or variant streams, reflect the lineage of traditional forms he has absorbed and transformed. They are not “leftovers” — but living streams of cultural DNA revoiced in the now. Within them are echoes of imayō (ancient lyrical forms), chants, regional melodies, and spiritual calls. Each piece arises not from sheet music, but from the performer’s whole body and breath in the present. As such, no two performances are the same — nor are they meant to be. “To play is to live; to breathe is to remember the source.”

Beyond Natural Law
Nature is not something to be copied — it is something to return to. The concept of “Shizen Hōgai” (beyond natural law) means: To play as the wind moves through the trees, without self-consciousness. This is not an abandonment of structure, but a liberation into deeper form. The flutes used are unrefined bamboo, some with cracks or irregularities — but this is no defect. They mirror the body: unpredictable, weathered, and true. The sound is never “just sound” — it is prayer, it is movement, it is silence reborn.

Fuitei – Breath Setting / Tuning by Breath
“Fuitei” refers to Watazumi’s approach of tuning not the instrument, but the self. Rather than adjusting the flute, one adjusts the breath, the posture, the focus. There are no scales to master, no standard pitches to follow. The training is internal — a lifelong cultivation of breath strength, awareness, and endurance. In Watazumi-dō, breath is the root of all technique. Without breath, there is no tone; without tone, no form. Breath is the link between earth and heaven, body and spirit.

The Tools of Watazumi-dō
The bamboo flutes used by Watazumi are not “instruments” in the conventional sense. They are raw stalks — some over 2 meters in length — known as hotchiku. They are not lacquered, not tuned, and often difficult to play. But therein lies their power. Just as a monk may walk barefoot to feel the earth, Watazumi used rough bamboo to feel the sound. The conch shell, staff, and body itself were also part of his expressive arsenal. “The tool is not separate from the path,” he often said. Everything is used, and nothing is decorative.

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→ Due to space limitations, for a complete translation of the liner notes, please see a 26-page pdf (117MB) here: http://bengerstein.com/Watazumi%20Dos...