Daiku ...#9. . . #9. . . #9 . . .

In a message dated 2004:02:20 01:06:23 PM, Gene Ward Smith"
<gwsmith@... writes:

>It is also a fact that the Ninth is an icon of Japanese culture. No
>Christmas-New Years holidays would be complete without festive
>performances of "Daiku", meaning "Great Nine". I've heard a story
>that this goes back to a New Years radio broadcast of Daiku in
>December, 1945, which millions listened to and which became sort of
>anthem for renewed hope. In any case, here in the US we use it to
>sell diamonds and nostrums, but in Japan Daiku is special.

Incidentally, 9 is a powerful, near-talismanic/quasi-occultic number in
both the Sino-Tibetan Chinese culture and the Altaic-Isolate Japanese culture
(Contrary to popular myth and stereotype, the Chinese and Japanese are not of
the same cultural/linguistic type. Chinese culture did _influence_ Japanese
culture, but at the "root" they are as different as French and German cultures
and languages --- and are just as disdainful and distrusting of each other as
the French and Germans are [or mayhaps much more so than the French and
Germans]).

In Chinese numerology, 9 symbolizes:

the Metal Element and the West,

longevity - cuz it's the last of the _yang_ #'s,

it's the auspicious & significant # of Man...

combine it with 20 & becomes the well-balanced yin&yang # 29...

The Altar of Heaven in Beijing was built in 1530 CE with 3 tiers of white
marble, each with a balustrade of 9 so that everything - the steps, the
balustrades & marble blocks - the Eternity of Heaven & its yangness...
Near by is the famous 9 Dragons Wall with 9 dragons carved on it.

AND most applicable to this list: _Jiu Tian Xuan Nu_ (Super Lady,
"Fairy", of the 9th Heaven) came to Earth and taught the Chinese HigherPrimate-kind
how to make intriguing musics and melodies - not just organized noises &
pitched sounds - and to fuse & mix things together.
Jiu Tian Xuan Nu brought microtonality and "transculturalism" to the
Chinese culture :)

---
in the Kali Yuga Yera of 2004 CE,
year 4702 of the Huangdi era,
Year of the Wooden Monkey, _Jia-Shen_...
Hanuman Zhang, _Gomi no seito/sensei_ [Student/Master of junk]

At its peak, the Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE) of China a mixture of cultural
influences were reflected in the music of the times.People traveled from
other countries, including Japan, Mongolia, India, Korea & Turkey, to learn about
the Tang culture.But the multi-racial, multi-cultural era waned at the end of
the Tang.China,one of the greatest cultural & military powers in history,
began to close in on itself, the rulers closed the country's borders - fearing the
destruction of their civilization.The rich, diverse music of the Tang, along
with that of the surrounding cultures, was lost or destroyed. Bits have been
found & the rest is theory & re-construction...
"The whole world of musics and instruments lives around us....I am
interested in a 'transethnic,' a planetary music." - Lou Harrison ("...Europe is a
region he called Northwest Asia...")
The power of education & culture to transcend social and political
differences is still largely untapped...
Proud to be a Race Trader! Race & Culture Mixin' is the Future!