The Art of the Shakuhachi

Katsuya Yokoyama, one of the last great masters of Japanese traditional music, brings us an exemplary recording of 17th-century shakuhachi (end-blown flute) pieces, along with his apprentice Yoshikazu Iwamoto. This collection of traditional pieces contains two popular genres, honkyoku (solo shakuhachi) and gekyoku (secular pieces), in the style of the kinko and fuko schools of shakuhachi playing.

Though this instrument is capable of exciting and fast-paced performances, the tradition is rooted in Zen Buddhism and pieces such as ‘San An’, ‘Reibo’ and ‘Kokû’ showcase that tradition wonderfully through peaceful, slow melodies. We can hear the freer form of the secular genre through duets in ‘Sanya Sugagaki’ and ‘Azuma-Jishi’, with the latter having moments of playful canonic melodies. ‘Tsuru No Sugomori’ depicts bird-life (cranes) through these techniques. We hear Yokoyama's rigorous control over his instrument with breathtakingly long, sustained flutter-tonguing.

The beauty of the shakuhachi is that each piece tells a different story via the music and the virtuosity of the performer. It is impossible to listen to this album and not be transported away to another land, seeing a piece of Japanese culture come to life through the music.