The instrument
The shakuhachi, the traditional Japanese bamboo flute,
appears deceptively simple. It consists only of a bamboo
tube with five finger holes and an angled blowing edge.
The music of the shakuhachi, however, is anything
but simple. It embodies a sense of vitality coupled
with deep stillness. This corresponds to the meditative
culture of Zen Buddhism, within the framework of
which the traditional pieces for shakuhachi
(the so-called honkyoku) arose.
Jim Franklin specialises in the honkyoku of the school of YOKOYAMA Katsuya (Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan)
and modern music.