Koten Honkyoku: Kokū (Yokoyama Lineage)

Koku (Empty Sky) ‘Empty Sky is the usual translation of Koku. It fails, however, to convey the meaning of the original Chinese characters, which by definition, cannot be known by the rational mind of the ’relative’. The second character of the word, ’ku’ is easy; it means ’sky’ or ’air’. The first character ’ko’ is not so easy. It refers to a concept that is in the realm of the Absolute and therefore cannot be explained or understood with words. Words, and indeed our thoughts, are of the world of the relative. For example, the word ’empty’ has no meaning apart from the word ’full’. The work ’ko’, on the other hand, does not mean merely ’empty’, because it is not the opposite of ’full’; it is ’that’ which has nothing to do with ’fullness’. This piece, transmitted through the Watazumi/Yokoyama lineage of shakuhachi, is one of many versions of ’Empty Sky’, which is one of a trilogy of the oldest and venerated honkyoku, the other two being “Empty Bell“, and “Flute on the Misty Ocean“.~Riley Lee Played on a 2.2