Sounding the Journey: The Silk Road Journey by Genjō Sanzō (602–664 CE) in Daylight, Moonlight Kitarō Live In Yakushiji

Abstract

Since receiving international acclaim in the 1980s for the soundtrack of the popular NHK/CCTV documentary series The Silk Road, Kitarō has tapped into the cultural heritage of Asia. In 2001, Kitarō presented a live performance in the 1,300 year-old temple of Yakushiji in Nara, Japan, selecting works from his repertoire to pay homage to the Buddhist monk Genjō Sanzō, a significant figure in religious history who undertook an epic 16-year journey westwards along the Silk Road in the seventh century. This article investigates how Kitarō portrays that journey in the Yakushiji performance. It first examines how three cultural components used in the homage – namely, Genjō Sanzō, the Silk Road and the concept of journey – are deeply connected to Japanese cultural heritage. It then analyses the performance to reveal how these components are delivered through Kitarō’s music to portray the physical and spiritual journey of the monk. It argues that by selecting music that links to his own associations with the Silk Road, Kitarō has created a concept album that not only unifies New Age music with elements of Japanese cultural and spiritual practice, but also makes them more accessible for the increasingly secularised contemporary society.