Komusō

The komusō (虚無僧, komusō, hiragana: こむそう; also romanized komusou or komuso) were a group of Japanese mendicant monks of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism who flourished during the Edo period of 1600-1868. Komusō were characterized by a straw bascinet (a sedge or reed hood named a tengai or tengui) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego. They were also known for playing solo pieces on the shakuhachi (a type of Japanese bamboo flute). These pieces, called honkyoku ("original pieces"), were played during a meditative practice called suizen, for alms, as a method of attaining enlightenment, and as a healing modality . The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the Fuke sect. Records of the musical repertoire survived, and are being revived in the 21st century .

History

Fuke Zen came to Japan in the 13th century. Komusō belonged to the Fuke sect of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Fuke Zen comes from the teachings of Linji Yixuan, a Zen teacher from China in the 9th century. Fuke, however, is the Japanese name for Puhua, one of Linji's peers and co-founders of his sect. Puhua would walk around ringing a bell to summon others to enlightenment. In Japan, it was thought the shakuhachi could serve this purpose.

Comus

In Greek mythology, Comus (Ancient Greek: Κῶμος) is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Bacchus. Comus represents anarchy and chaos. His mythology occurs in the later times of antiquity. During his festivals in Ancient Greece, men and women exchanged clothes. He was depicted as a young man on the point of unconsciousness from drink. He had a wreath of flowers on his head and carried a torch that was in the process of being dropped. Unlike the purely carnal Pan or purely intoxicated Dionysos, Comus was a god of excess.

Comus in art

Description of Comus as he appeared in painting is found in Imagines (Greek Εἰκόνες, translit. Eikones) by Philostratus the Elder, a Greek writer and sophist of the 3rd century AD.

Lorenzo Costa depicted Comus in his painting The Reign of Comus.

Comus appears at the start of the masque Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue by Ben Jonson and in Les fêtes de Paphos (The Festivals of Paphos), an opéra-ballet by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville.

Komus (company)

Komus (Russian: Ко́мус) is a Russian chain store and manufacturing company. It supplies goods for office and school, office furniture and equipment, paper and paperboard, plastic package, medical consumables and provides printing services. Its headquarters are in Moscow.

History

Komus was established in 1990 as a students' cooperative. The company's name represents an abbreviation from Russian коммерческие услуги (translit. kommercheskie uslugi) meaning commercial services.

Ownership

The main owner of the company is its General Director Sergey Bobrikov (96%).

Slogan

The company's slogan is Komus Only! Confidence Since Childhood!

Business activity

The company has the widest network of stores in Russia supplying products for office and school use - over 70 stores in 17 regions of Russia. In 2007, the number of corporate sales centers was 47.

Komus holds the first place in the Russian market in manufacturing and selling plastic package. The company operates 7 factories producing food package, office and paper products.