Ku-Kai is something a bit different from the Kitaro that I am familiar with. And I really like it. There are passages of this that are ambiently trance inducing, subtle, but yet with passion and force. I appreciate the theme of this, although I don't have much background in the foundations of Japanese buddhism.

I still have a love-hate relationship with Kitaro. Even with this more thought-provoking music, there are still moments when it may strike you as something you might hear over the muzak at your favorite little strip-mall asian restaurant.

For those of you who appreciate Eno, Tangerine Dream, Mike Oldfield etc., I recommend this highly. For those of you who like Yanni and Vangelis, look to some of Kitaro's lighter fare e.g. Silk Road.

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.

I was disapointed with this album. I bought it based on some reviews saying it was somewhat mellow, relxing etc.
While there were a few nice cuts on the album, most of it was rather incoherent. Parts reminded me of Astral Trip. It certainly wasn't melodic or flowing.I don't think Kitaro has put out a really SUPERB studio album since Ki. Pity.

Kitaro's latest albums like "ancient" or "ancient journey" were not bad albums, but very superficiel ones which made me think that kitaro was repeating himself and that he has lost his creative talent. Then ý listened to "the sacred journey of kukai" And ý thought that the great kitaro was reborn!

In this album, there are no fast pieces as in "thinking of you" or "mandala", but all the pieces are giving rest and serenity to your soul, and make you feel good with their enchanting melodies, positive energy and with those electrfying bells from different temples.

Kitaro has proved once again that he is the master of New Age. And ý can hardly wait for the volume two of "the sacred journey of kukai"

I think this album is very very good. He must win for the Grammy Awards.