What do I mean by tradition?

The late Bizen potter Kaneshige Michiaki (1934-1995) said of tradition: "Tradition is sometimes confused with transmission. Copying Momoyama pieces is transmission. Producing contemporary pieces incorporating Momoyama period techniques is tradition. Tradition consists of retaining transmitted forms and techniques in one's mind when producing a contemporary piece. Tradition is always changing. A mere copy of an old piece has not changed; it is nearly the same as its prototype of four hundred years ago. Tradition consists of creating something new with what one has inherited."
ref: http://www.navaching.com/shaku/utility.html

Traditional instruments/techniques used as the basis for some of this performance:

• The harmonica (mississippi saxophone/blues harp), a modern derivative of the ancient chinese free reed instrument called the Sheng (sublime voice). Ref:
• The shakuhachi, first introduced into Japan from China in the eighth century. It has been used in a spiritual context since the 15th century or earlier. In the Edo period (1600-1868), playing the shakuhachi was the primary meditative practice of a sect of Zen Buddhist monks, who called themselves komuso ('priests of nothingness'). Ref:
• Slide guitar, which resonates through many cultures in various forms and whose origins, in part, can be traced back to traditional West African tribal instruments consisting of a gourd resonator and one stringed bow over which musicians would drag a bone or metal object to produce music. Ref:
• Shodo, the art of calligraphy, which originated in China and moved to Japan in the sixth or seventh century, along with methods for making brushes, ink, and paper. Ref:
• Petroglyphs, or "Rock Art"

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