Shakuhachi: A Traditional Japanese Musical Instrument with a Spiritual Side
The Fall in the Garden (Photo by David Rosen 2017)
by Yukari Yamano
The shakuhachi is a vertical, end-blown, Japanese bamboo flute with a storied past. Since last year, the Seattle Japanese Garden has been actively inviting shakuhachi players to perform at its events and ceremonies. For example, Kodo Araki VI and Patrick Johnson played the shakuhachi at the 2023 Moon Viewing, while Kodo also performed at our First Viewing events both this year and last.
In this blog post, I provide a brief history of the instrument—including its debut on the Western symphony stage—and spotlight Kaoru Kakizakai, a master shakuhachi player from Japan. Kaoru will perform in the Garden on Friday, March 29, 2024, and I hope to inspire you to come and enjoy the music.
Shakuhachi History
Let’s begin with the name shakuhachi, which derives from the dimensions of the instrument. Shaku is a Japanese unit of length, about a foot long, and hachi means “eight sun,” referring to subdivisions of a hachi. Shakuhachi simply means 1 shaku and 8 hachi, the length of the flute—just under two feet long. The modern shakuhachi has four finger holes on the front and one on the back, however, the number of holes—and the corresponding scales—of the instrument have varied over time.
Several types of shakuhachi have existed historically in Japan. The first, known as the Gagaku Shakuhachi, was derived from the Chinese bamboo flute, or xiao, during the Nara period (710–94 CE). It was famously played as part of a Gagaku (Japanese Imperial Court music and dance) performance during the unveiling ceremony of the Great Buddha, the world's largest gilt bronze statue at Todaiji Temple, in Nara, Japan. However, the use of this shakuchachi died out in the 10th century. Eight of the flutes were stored in the Shoso-in repository at the temple and can still be seen there today.
Various other types of shakuhachi emerged over the centuries, including the Hitoyogiri (一節切), in use from the Muromachi period (1392–1573) through the early Edo period (1603-1867), and the porous Shakuhachi, used from the Meiji period (1868–1912) onwards. The Hitoyogiri was popular with samurai and was said to have been played by Ikkyu Sojun, an eccentric, iconoclastic Zen Buddhist monk, and Sesshu Toyo, a Zen monk and great master of Japanese ink painting.
Spiritual Underpinnings
Daikokuji-Sasayama Komusō Shakuhachi via Wikimedia Commons
In general, the modern-day shakuhachi is the Fuke Shakuhachi (普化尺八), which was developed by Zen monks during the Edo period. The flute was used for spiritual purposes by the monks of the Fuke Zen sect, a branch of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. These monks—many of them ronin (masterless samurai)—were wandering, non-monastic, lay Buddhists. Known as komusō (虚無僧) or “monks of emptiness,” they used the shakuhachi to perform a type of musical meditation called suizen (吹禅), or “blowing Zen,” and they played the flute for begging and alms as part of their practice.
The solo pieces played during this practice were called honkyoku (本曲), or “original pieces,” and these have been passed down and are still performed to this day. During the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate officially recognized the Fuke Zen sect, and the shakuhachi was treated as a ritual instrument. It was prohibited to play the flute in ensemble with other instruments. Moreover, ordinary people were not allowed to learn how to play it. However, this control was largely symbolic, and both activities were widely practiced. During the mid-Edo period (1603–1867), crossover occurred between honkyoku and secular music such as sangen (三絃) and koto (箏), and the resulting fusion was referred to as gaikyoku (外曲), or “outside pieces.”
After the Fuke sect was abolished during the early Meiji period (1868–1912)—due to the separation of Buddhism and Shinto—the shakuhachi became an instrument that could be freely accessed and enjoyed by the general public. It became appreciated not only for religious reasons but also for artistic ones.
Shakuhachi in Western Music
The score of November Steps. (© 1967 by C. F. Peters Corporation. Used by permission by C. F. Peters Corporation. All rights reserved.) from nippon.com
The Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu (1930–1996) was reknowned for his innovative and avant-garde style. One of his notable achievements was bringing Japanese music onto the international stage and blending it with Western musical traditions. Among his acclaimed works was “November Steps,” which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in New York City in 1967. It was a groundbreaking piece that had a significant impact on the orchestral music scene.
Takemitsu juxtaposed traditional Japanese instruments—the biwa and shakuhachi—with a Western-style orchestra. The result not only took westerners by surprise, but also Japanese audiences, for whom it was unprecedented to hear the biwa and shakuhachi performed together. Rather than blending Western and Japanese instruments within separate contexts, Takemitsu put them in opposition, showcasing cultural difference within a single stage. With this piece, Takemitsu gained global recognition.
Kaoru Kakizakai Performing at the Garden
Kaoru Kakizakai plays the shakuhachi at Takemitsu November Steps Dutoit com NHK Salzburgo 2013
Kaoru Kakizakai has performed “November Steps” on several occasions, including with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in 2020, the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra in 2015, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 2013 and 2012. (More information can be found at Kaoru Kakizakai's website.)
We are fortunate to be hosting Kaoru Kakizakai in the Seattle Japanese Garden on March 29, 2024. He will be playing the shakuhachi at various locations in the Garden from 3 to 4 p.m. The performance is free with admission. I hope many people will join us for this rare opportunity.
Read more information at the event page, “3/29 Shakuhachi By Kaoru Kakizakai.”
Yukari Yamano is the Events Coordinator at the Seattle Japanese Garden.
Sources
• Ben Macke, “Shakuhachi: The History and Practice of Suizen”, Japan House, College of Fine & Applied Arts at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, https://japanhouse.illinois.edu/education/insights/shakuhachi, Accessed March 20, 2024.
• 文化デジタルライブラリー, 楽器図鑑尺八(しゃくはち), Japan Arts Council, https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/dglib/contents/learn/edc6/edc_new/html/501_shakuhachi.html, Accessed March 20, 2024.
• The Tozanryu Shakuhachi Foundation, 尺八について（歴史）, The Tozanryu Shakuhachi Foundation, https://www.tozanryu.com/introduction/shakuhachi/shakuhachi01/, Accessed March 20, 2024.
• Takahisa Kawasaki, 尺八の歴史, Takahisa Kawasaki, https://www.takahisa-kawasaki.com/post/%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%B4%E5%8F%B2, July 4, 2020, Accessed March 20, 2024.
• Lalala Classic, 「武満徹のノヴェンバーステップス」, NHK https://www.nhk.or.jp/lalala/archive170512.html, Accessed March 20, 2024.
• Wagic, 「尺八ってどんな楽器？記念日にちなんで尺八の魅力を再確認」, Wagic, https://wagic.net/shakuhachi108/, Accessed March 20, 2024.