Search - Kitaro :: Sacred Journey of Kukai

88 Steps

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 01/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Kitaro is something of a problematic player/composer. He is capable of extraordinarily creative work, but tends to be repetitive in between his brilliant moments. For this reason, I tend to approach each new album with a good deal of caution. For some reason, the closer he gets to his roots (Silk Road, Kojiki, etc.) the stronger his work becomes. For this reason I decided to give The Sacred Journey of Kukai a chance.



KuKai (774-835) was the founder of Shingon Buddhism in Japan, and offshoot of Vajrayana Buddhism and extremely influential in both Japan's history and spiritual life. The sacred journey consists of a pilgrimage to the Shikoku temples which were the mainstay of Shingon power. This CD offers the first 12 stages of the journey (there is a second volume already out as of this writing). The work displays Kitaro at his most original, and sometimes at his most difficult.



Kitaro makes extensive use of sampled bells in this work, often as stress points in the compositions, with some of the most important melodic components provided by the flutes of Nawang Khechog, a noted Tibetan master. The first cut, Michi is a perfect example of this kind of work - the large bells, electronic sounds, drums, and Nawang Kechog floating serenely above this. In Kageroh more electronic instruments appear (a nicely sampled koto and sitar among others) and the basic interplay of rhythm and melody with an ever present background drone that is a characteristic of the whole album establishes itself.



The cuts I like least are the one's most likely to be popular, as in Shizuku, which is a return to Kitaro's hallmark theremin style, and Flow which uses a plucked synth guitar sound. I will admit that, in this particular case the effect is a bit different, do to a more effective sonic background. But I would still like to hear Kitaro do something else with the theremin besides the 'softly falling ribbon' of sound which is his hallmark.



Nen is one of the most interesting pieces, using a chanting choirs of monks against a variety of sampled bells. The chanting builds in pressure and there is little melody to provide rest for the listener - this is both interesting, and subtly irritating. This it is with great relief that the ritual breaks and The Wind introduces its contrasting melodic forms.



I'm not going to go through the rest of the cutes, since this introduction should give you enough information to decide for yourself. I can honestly say that this is the most 'different' album that has come from Kitaro since Kojiki and worth listening. Whether the remaining 76 cuts to come continue to maintain this standard remains to be seen."