In a special event for world peace, Kitaro performed three shows in the holy temple of Yakushiji in Nara, Japan. It is also the resting place of the ashes of Genjo Sanzo, the 7th Century Monk who walked the Silk Road from Japan to India and back. It was Genjo who brought from India the sacred texts that introduced Buddhism into China and Japan.
It was Genjo's journey that inspired the Silk Road music recalls Kitaro, "I was hoping to capture in the music his experience along the way. And the passion we expressed in the Yakushiji concert reflected, I believe, the passion of Genjo's journey."
On three late-summer evening in 2001, beneath a brilliant full moon, Kitaro and his ensemble, four extraordinary young Japanese musicians, gathered in Yakushiji to perform the first concert ever presented in the venerable temple.
Daylight, Moonlight - Kitaro Live in Yakushiji. This documentary special was recorded live at the famous Yakushiji Buddhist Temple, located in Nara, Japan established by Emperor Temmu in 680 A.D. The 132 minute DVD features interactive menus and the history of the Yakushiji Temple.
Both the two CD set and the DVD (run time 132 min.) are works originally from the 44th Grammy nominated album 'Ancient', 'Kojiki', 'India', 'Tamayura', 'Silk Road', the 43rd Grammy Award winning album 'Thinking of You', 'Tunhuang', plus the Golden Globe Award 'Heaven and Earth'. Also are included are the Yakushiji Monks with 'Monk's Introduction' and a new track 'Wa'.
In July 2003, Yakushiji was re-mastered as a "Super Audio CD Hybrid" disc providing the ultimate sound when played on an ASCD player and offers normal playability on any CD player. Released in October 2002
CD & DVD Record Tracks:
Disc 1:
01. Monk's Introduction
02. Hajimari/Sozo (In the beginning)
03. Caravansary
04. Silk Road
05. Magma
06. Mercury
Disc 2:
01. Water of Mystery
02. Estrella
03. Koi
04. Wa
05. Free Flight
06. Heaven and Earth (Missing track. Error from record company)
Yakushiji Temple:
The original Yakushi-ji was built in Fujiwara-kyō, Japan's capital in the Asuka period, commissioned by Emperor Temmu in 680 to pray for recovery from illness for his consort, who succeeded him as Empress Jitō. This act of building temples in devotion to Buddhist figures was a common practice among Japanese nobility when Buddhism was first imported from China and Korea. Emperor Temmu had died by the time Empress Jitō completed the complex around 698; and it was disassembled and moved to Nara eight years after the Imperial Court settled in what was then the new capital.
It has been long believed that the temple was moved to its present location in 718, following the move of the capital to Heijō-kyō known today as Nara. However, excavations of the Fujiwara-kyō Yakushi-ji site in the 1990s suggest that there may have been two Yakushi-ji at one time. The Fujiwara-kyō Yakushi-ji is also referred to as Moto Yakushi-ji (元 moto, original).
Fires destroyed most buildings of the complex in 973, and the main hall in 1528. Much hard work has been put in to restoration: the main hall was rebuilt in the 1970s, and the entire temple is now completely restored.
