Shakuhachi Beat

Shakuhachi Beat group/community page now on Facebook!

2011-07-13T00:17:00.003+01:00

After a shaky start as an "individual page" on Facebook, I created a new group/page and now you can post directly to Shakuhachi Beat as well as upload your own non-commercial shakuhachi-related photos and videos. So go to the link:http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shakuhachi-Beat/256160901063934and click "LIKE" and you will be a Shakuhachi Beat member, content provider, creator and

Public Domain/Creative Commons Shakuhachi Honkyoku Part II

2011-04-13T18:42:00.003+01:00

Links to topic threads on Flute Portal's shakuhachi site for some basic shakuhachi notation from the Taizan Ha tradition. We'll be posting some basic approaches and tips for Taizan Ha to help put the notation in to some context as a jumping off point for people who want to get their feet wet in shakuhachi honkokyu playing. This is not meant to supplant the need for a shakuhachi teacher. We

Public Domain/Creative Commons Shakuhachi Honkyoku

2011-04-07T07:17:00.009+01:00

There seems to be some question as to the rights of the scans I have linked to and I am exploring the validity of those claims based upon the fact that these identical scores were originally published in the middle 1930s and contained no copyright notice. The protest to my link to the scans are based on the presumption that the scans were scanned from a

Shakuhachi Forum un-plugged.

2011-03-04T09:07:00.003Z

It's all over but the crying.http://shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?pid=37127#p37127Thanks Ken and Brian for the past 6 years!"We'll always have the BBQ. We didn't have it, we'd lost it until ..."

STAN: Little Bastard

2011-01-24T05:07:00.003Z

My favorite modern band: STANShakuhachi content: You can see shakuhachi hanging on the wall behind the vocalist."STAN is unusually productive, not unlike a thick bronchial condition." — X. Moran

Bamboo grass & stars: A Shakuhachi Lesson with Walt Whitman

2011-01-19T18:59:00.005Z

When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer When I heard the learn'd astronomer;When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, andmeasure them;When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with muchapplause in the lecture-room,How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd

Another crashing bore on Shakuhachi Forum: Do materials affect sound?

2011-01-08T10:30:00.017Z

"Don't look at my finger, look at where I am pointing..."

Happy New Year 2011: "May all beings ... be kind-of-okay"

2010-12-22T07:49:00.020Z

After a year like 2010 you don't want to push your luck."May All Beings Be Happy" may be pushing it a bit.2010 was one of the lousiest years in recent Shakuhachidom history if you don't look at things philosophically.We lost friend, bamboo-pioneer and raconteur Tom Deaver at a young age. Yokoyama Katsuya-sensei's health had been flagging for some years, but that didn't lessen the loss to Japanese

The øbject of my affection: a shakuhachi lesson with Don Van Vleit

2010-12-21T04:12:00.007Z

DON'T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT  you need that stink on there. then you have to get that stink onto your music.— Captain Beefheart

A little Riley Lee music for his friends and family while he's recuperating

2010-10-30T19:40:00.004Z

Riley with Jeff Peterson, Hawaiian Slack Key guitar performing Maika`i ka Makani O Kohala in the Atherton Studio at Hawaii Public Radio.This was during the taping of Kanikapila Sunday with Derrick Malama.

Riley Lee injured in traffic accident; hospitalized in Brisbane

2010-10-30T03:22:00.004Z

Beloved shakuhachi player/teacher Riley Lee was hit and injured by a car Thursday Oct. 28 while walking near a major road in Brisbane Australia. He is currently hospitalized in Royal Brisbane Hospital with multiple broken bones and contusions according to his wife, Patricia. Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin of New York posted the news on Shakuhachi Forum (BBQ, whatever) on Friday Oct. 29: http://

Shakuhachi web radio station SHKO goes live

2010-10-08T01:23:00.007Z

Colorado musician/composer and now D.J. Michael Doherty has launched a shakuhachi radio channel on www.live365.com called SHaKuhachi Ogawa — or by it's call letters SHKO.from the radio station's new website:SHKO.org is the online shakuhachi radio station and sound archive of the shakuhachi community. It's mission is to serve the educational, archival, and listening needs of a growing population

Why is this art and that isn't?

2010-10-01T05:28:00.006Z

Part II of this question:Quick! You have only 5 minutes left to see anything in the world. If you only had these two images to look at: which of these would you like to spend the last of your moments looking at?

Shakuhermaphrodite

2010-09-28T09:11:00.003Z

Ji-nashi or ji-nuri?

International Shakuhachi Society (komuso.com) gets a kick in the hakama

2010-09-20T21:40:00.009Z

From madoherty on Shakuhachi Forum (The BBQ): Word on the street is that the International Shakuhachi Society (ISS) purchased a new scanner and pdf-maker with membership dues from last year and is in the process of placing all kinds of valuables online through the website that you know well:www.komuso.comIf you want to support this work further, maybe consider joining (I am not certain if the

For the birds Part 2: A shakuhachi lesson with Eric Dolphy

2010-09-18T04:30:00.010Z

image © 2007 chris moran"... I used to play, and the birds always used to whistle with me. I would stop what I was working on and play with the birds... Birds have notes in between our notes - you try to imitate something they do ..."— Eric Dolphy

For the birds: a shakuhachi lesson with Don Van Vleit

2010-09-16T08:00:00.004Z

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS.  That's where all the music comes from.   Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from.   And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.  — Captain Beefheart

Maybe an audio clip of Swanee River WON'T help you sell a shakuhachi

2010-08-25T01:21:00.011Z

This Ryozan 1.8 flute, which sounds quite capable with "so-so" looks has been on Mejiro's used website for a year or more; price reduced from about 130,000-Yen to below 90,000-Yen, etc. etc. They just can't seem to move it.The sound clip is Stephen Foster's black-face minstrel song Old Folks at Home (better known as 'Swanee River'). http://www.mejiro-japan.com/system/detail_e.php?a_id=1758Maybe

Phil Nyokai James Benefit/Celebration Aug. 28

2010-08-24T03:21:00.010Z

Portland, ME Benefit/Celebration concert :: Aug 28th :: 8pmOur Portland, Maine friends are pulling together an upcoming concert. Hope to see you there!Save the date! August 28th 8PMBenefit Concert/Celebrationfor the Phil James Family Emergency FundSaturday, August 28, 8pmTrinity Episcopal Church580 Forest Ave, PortlandAdmission by donationWith:Phil Nyokai James – shakuhachi and pianoCarl Dimow –

The Doubting of the Komuso

2010-08-24T02:00:00.002Z

A little known work of Caravaggio.

Shakuhachi Seance

2010-08-18T06:10:00.003Z

Are the shakuhachi of the past better than the shakuhachi of the present?

How to succeed ...

2010-08-07T03:52:00.000+01:00

Shiro playing "Poorman's Shiro"

2010-07-28T19:41:00.002+01:00

I made this composite in honor of a 1.9 shakuhachi made by Ken LaCosse of Mujitsu Shakuhachi in San Francisco. James Nyman had it at the time. I dubbed it the poorman's Shiro, after the master Kinko shakuhachi maker Yamaguchi Shiro (pictured). If it ever shows up for sale again, I'll be first in line.

Green shakuhachi, red dragonfly, pink shirt

2010-07-28T01:57:00.001+01:00

Does anyone have information on this photo? Who, what, when, where?

"Buddy can you spare a shakuhachi?"

2010-07-22T00:23:00.008+01:00

Part II in a continuing series of articles about shakuhachi and the enduring economic crisisA few weeks ago I wrote an article about forward looking shakuhachi makers and dealers who were offering time payments on shakuhachi: Shakuhachi Prices: "Do you take unemployment checks?"In the article I made special mention of the late Tom Deaver and his efforts to make Bei Shu shakuhachi available to

Shakuhachi Workshop with Peter Hill, July 25

2010-07-21T01:07:00.003+01:00

Shakuhachi Workshop with Peter Hill2:00 pm, Sunday, July 25Media Center/Communication Bldg., UCSDPeter Hill will be in San Diego the week of July 25 to 31 giving shakuhachi lessons and holding a workshop on the 25th.Lessons will also be available during the week following the workshop.Here's Peter's description of the workshop:Most workshops and lessons on shakuhachi focus on learning traditional

Rest In Peace, Tom Deaver

2010-07-12T19:55:00.007+01:00

"A major figure in the transmission of shakuhachi ... One of my favorite shakuhachi Tomism's, 'Do what you think is right.' He's done his work well. Thanks Tom." — Ken LaCosse, Mujitsu Shakuhachi, San FranciscoDressed layerupon layer,I wear a new bamboo hatand go home.— Jowa, 1785Messages on the passing of Tom Deaver on Shakuhachi Forum

Yamaguchi Goro & Aoki Reibo II - Shika no Tone -one reel- shorter version

2010-07-12T07:22:00.002+01:00

Waiting for Kiku, July 9

2010-07-10T04:02:00.002+01:00

It seems like only Yesterday ...

Waiting for Kiku Day, July 7

2010-07-07T07:03:00.006+01:00

http://shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?pid=32894

Shakuhachi Watch, June 30: Modern Komuso 2.0 Hocciku and a great 2.8 (UPDATED)

2010-07-01T00:43:00.005+01:00

No self-respecting komuso should be without one: A 2.0 (C) shakuhachi-in-the-raw: NICE 2.O HOCCHIKU SHAKUHACHI BAMBOO FLUTE PERRY YUNGIf you are interested in learning Nezasa Ha (Bamboo Grass sect) music with that penetrating, pulsing komi-buki breath, a 2.0 is a must and a well-tuned, raw jinashi (hocciku) like this one shouldn't be missed. Very hard to find, particularly one made by an

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum GRAND RE-OPENING!

2010-06-29T06:27:00.003+01:00

GO! shakuhachiforum.com

Shakuhachi Beat going to Pittsburgh; back on the 29th

2010-06-25T05:09:00.004+01:00

New Age Nazi

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 10

2010-06-24T23:11:00.002+01:00

BBQ Dancing

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 9

2010-06-24T01:26:00.002+01:00

World's Biggest Turban

Shakuhachi Watch, June 23: Buying a shakuhachi good for lessons

2010-06-23T02:24:00.010+01:00

1.8 Chikusen Tamai Shakuhachi from Perry Yung on Vimeo.AUTHENTIC TOZAN 1.8 JAPANESE SHAKUHACHI BAMBOO FLUTE! MASTER made CHIKUZEN TAMAI Powerful Dynamic GUARANTEEDA flute like this starting out at $800 is a very good bet. It's a circa 1970 shakuhachi, meaning modern tuning but not without character. Perry offers a 30 day trial guarantee. If your teacher thinks this flute will work for you, it's a

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 8

2010-06-22T22:28:00.003+01:00

Twiddling Thumbs

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 7

2010-06-21T23:03:00.003+01:00

Underwater brass band

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 6

2010-06-20T19:54:00.004+01:00

Watching grass grow

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 5

2010-06-19T18:36:00.004+01:00

Truck driving video

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 4

2010-06-18T19:47:00.002+01:00

Playing Solitaire

Mujitsu's & Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ a.k.a. Shakuhachi Forum on Hiatus: DAY 3

2010-06-17T23:14:00.009+01:00

Cute baby video

Shakuhachi Grand Master Kakizaki Kaoru in L.A. this weekend!

2010-06-16T23:47:00.005+01:00

Kaoru Kakizakai will be in LA this coming weekend (6/19 & 6/20). The original plan was for him to be at the Windward School, but they're turning off the electricity (something about maintenance) so we're gathering at Bill Schultz's place in Marina del Rey.Still some lesson slots available, and two good group classes are scheduled for late Sunday afternoon.Contact Bill at shozan@prodigy.net for

Shakuhachi BBQ: No modicum of decorum on Forum

2010-06-16T03:01:00.023+01:00

So maybe I was falling on my sword a bit when I was copping to being a contributing part of the recent disturbances at Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ aka "Shakuhachi Forum". If you haven't noticed yet, the Forum is on a brief hiatus. This may have been what has prevented you from posting on your favorite topic for the past two days. Better cancel that service call to AOL. ;0)I have been

Shakuhachi Forum shuttered for lack of decency

2010-06-15T01:53:00.004+01:00

But, really folks, it's been pretty indecent for a while with self-described "zen priests" writing in-depth about their personal brand of pornography(ies). Then there are those who were using the forum as their personal pimp, whether to show off their drying urushi or creating daily chatter to promote workshops. Perhaps it was the painfully long, self-obsessed soliloquies ...Then ... THEN, we had

Shakuhachi Watch, June 12 (UPDATED 6-24-10)

2010-06-13T03:46:00.004+01:00

Two notables on eBay:2.8 Shakuhachi by Perry Yung with ivory utaguchi inlay (pictured above): RELISTED 6-24-10)http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140420525904#ht_9182wt_802excellent+ 2.0 / B wooden japanese shakuhachi: http://cgi.ebay.com/excellent-2-0-B-wooden-japanese-shakuhachi-RARE-/270592214322 (Not currently listed; may have sold)

Shakuhachi Prices: "Do you take unemployment checks?"

2010-06-11T22:01:00.012+01:00

Years ago on Tom Deaver's older Bei Shu Shakuhachi website, he mentioned that the standard of pricing a shakuhachi was equated with the shakuhachi buyer's monthy salary times 2. It's an old Japanese traditional thing. "Old" meaning 19th century. Late Edo, early to mid Meiji.Naturally the buyers would have been fairly well-to-do (at worst upper-middle class*), maybe landed people with enough

Shakuhachi Watch, June 9: Another treasure (updated)

2010-06-09T09:34:00.011+01:00

A very nice Chikusing 2.1 with an urushi-coated root and Sogawa utaguchi inlay. Awesomely good price. Really nice "old" sound and with plenty of room for breath and punch. Inline tone holes. An excellent komuso flute. (If Perry didn't guarantee this flute, I would.)RENEWED LISTING: 2.1 Chikusing nobekan

Shakuhachi Watch, June 8: Another good deal

2010-06-08T19:46:00.006+01:00

Looks like a slightly older Monty Levenson Tai Hei with five nodes — maybe six nodes. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170495569023Hard to Beat at $399 ! SOLD. Also look at the Kaneyasu 1.8 below, if it's still there. That one SOLD too.

Shakuhachi Watch, June 7

2010-06-08T03:03:00.008+01:00

Kaneyasu Dodo 1.8 Jinashi Shakuhachi from Perry Yung on Vimeo.Best Buy of the Week (pictured above):AUTHENTIC-KINKO-1-8-JAPANESE-SHAKUHACHI-BAMBOO-FLUTE KANEYASU DODO MASTER MADE JINASHI 2 PIECE SOLD.And here are two 2.0 shakuhachi from Mejiro in Japan which look great: if you wind up purchasing one of them I would love to run a video review of one or both of them on the blog here:Previously

Which came first, the bamboo or the scientist?

2010-06-07T05:40:00.002+01:00

http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=4668

Shakuhachi Watch for June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T09:05:00.014+01:00

Pictured above: New affordable and excellent Chinese Madake shakuhachi at Mujitsu.com, 1.8 to 2.2and on eBay here are a couple of items and sellers you can trust:http://cgi.ebay.com/AUTHENTIC-EDO-PERIOD-JAPANESE-SHAKUHACHI-BAMBOO-FLUTE-/1404132846682.1 CHIKUSING SHAKUHACHI BAMBOO FLUTE by PERRY YUNG relistedEXCELLENT older 3.0 Jinashi shakuhachi1.8 SHAKUHACHI TAI HEI MONTY LEVENSONAbout "antique"

WSF 2008 Vids gets raving review before DVDs are even seen!

2010-05-19T01:38:00.008+01:00

No sooner than festival producer Riley Lee announced the release of the Sydney World Shakuhachi Festival 2008 DVDs, than a minor participant in the event publicly thrashed the producers for not including ALL listed festival performers in the final edits of the festival videos. After all, if Google can keep their eye on everyone, why can't Riley?To read the details see: http://

May 2010: Sydney World Shakuhachi Festival 2008 DVDs!

2010-05-17T00:16:00.004+01:00

The long awaited DVDs of the Sydney World Shakuhachi Festival 2008 are finally now on sale! This link takes you to the "WSF08 DVD order page", which has all the information you need to order these DVDs.These timeless DVDs present the highlights of WSF08. Lindsay Dugan has done a brilliant job filming, editing and producing these DVDs. Though not quite as good as having been there :-) they

May 2010: David Sawyer Hangs Out Dojo Shingle in Colorado

2010-05-17T00:12:00.004+01:00

Our favorite place to shop for Japanese made shakuhachi in the USA, japanshakuhachi.com is now also the online home for the newest teacher in Mujuan shakuhachi family. From his website, David informs us:Shakuhachi Grand Master Kurahashi Yodo II (Kurahashi Yoshio) asked David Yūdo Sawyer to form the second of only two Mujuan dojo branches outside of Japan, the other being the Texas branch under

May 16, 2010: The Beat is BACK!

2010-05-05T04:26:00.003+01:00

Shakuhachi Beat has returned. Hallelujah anyway ...

shakuhachi with peas & butter (the last post of 2009)

2009-03-31T18:03:00.004Z

Shakuhachi player/maker Perry Yung at right.

The Shaku-OUCHY Forum and other tails, February 2009

2009-02-23T03:08:00.007Z

For those of you coming here in search of answers as to why the Shakuhachi Forum is on hiatus, I have absolutely no inside news. :) They say it well enough themselves on their new homepage.Hopefully they will be back in full swing as of the first week of March.Using the Papal "We" ... _we_ have to remember as members of forums and mailing lists that these sites exist for recreational and

SHAKUHACHI WATCH DEC. 16 2008: Hard Times and New Deals

2008-12-16T20:00:00.008Z

Mujitsu Shakuhachi had a great sale going with 20% off for a couple of weeks. If you are looking for a fine handmade shakuhachi worthy of Watazumi, Okuda, Kiku Day, Chikuzen Gould, Tairaku Ritchie or, even Joe the Plummer -- give Ken a buzz. He may have even extended his sale. Throw in a fifth of Bombay Sapphire and you never know what may happen! http://www.mujitsu.com/instock.html

Chikuzen Shakuhachi Workshops

2008-11-13T21:49:00.004Z

Michael Chikuzen Gould http://www.chikuzenstudios.com/

Shakuhachi Forum Practices No-Zen

2008-08-27T19:46:00.011+01:00

"One shakuhachi, aged and roasted if you please, but hold theHBIUHG*IBUT&TUYBIUB*YUGYTFFV*^&^F VF TFVUHGVHGHGHVFIYUT IGY"The ji-gnashing, hair-pulling and egghead-butting on the "HBIUHG*IBUT&TUYBIUB*YUGYTFFV*^&^F VF TFVUHGVHGHGHVFIYUT IGY forums" (aka the ZEN forums) at Shakuhachi Forum appear to be over and out, at least for the foreseeable future. "Zen and Buddhism in Shakuhachi" and "Random

New Push-Button All-Ryu Shakuhachi!

2008-08-07T20:27:00.008+01:00

"The Shakuhachi Hero of the Shakuhachi World"shown here with the Deluxe Push-Button Shika-no-Toneand optional B-52 Ro toggle switch. (Pictured with Tozan-ryu button selected):Click for Larger ImageAlso available with the following exciting options:The Sub-Ryu Magic Mixer Mojo Pedal!For Jin Nyodo you'd press down Myoan, Real Myoan and Kinko simultaneously.For Brian Ritchie's Tairaku-ryu, you'd

Christopher Yohmei Blasdel's SHAKUHACHI-A MANUAL FOR LEARNING new edition available!

2008-07-31T23:11:00.004+01:00

HAPPY DAY! :)THE SHAKUHACHI--A MANUAL FOR LEARNING by Christopher Yohmei Blasdel was originally published twenty years ago by Ongaku no Tomo-sha, Japan's leading music publisher. It went through six printings and can still be found in many libraries, both public and private, around the world. This new version, published by Printed Matter Press, Tokyo, has been greatly updated, revised and made

Mujitsu Shakuhachi T-shirt, make mine XL

2008-06-16T18:13:00.004+01:00

The bitchenest T-shirt in all Shakuhachidom is now available (in Large and Extra-Large sizes) in slimming basic black.From Mujitsu Shakuhachi That's http://www.mujitsu.comAnd pick up an accessorizing 2.9 Taimu while your at it.

Write your own caption here ...

2008-04-26T05:41:00.001Z

Write your own caption here ...

"Welcome to the Shakuhachi World!" web site features classic shakuhachi 78's

2008-04-08T05:09:00.008Z

For anyone who has never been to this magnificent web site for historic recordings of shakuhachi recordings of the 1930s through the 1950s from Tozan, Kinko, Myoan and Ueda schools:http://www.sepia.dti.ne.jp/shakuhachi/index-e.htmlSays the site owner, who I only know by his ID on Shakuhachi Forum as 'eiryuu': "I established this site to offer the shakuhachi music. I digitized from 78rpm records (

The Watazumi of the Irish Low Whistle

2008-04-06T05:39:00.005Z

It all comes back around:http://www.youtube.com/v/ESr6jrVSSuk&hl=en"Hatao playing Overtone bass G whistle" (Overton whistle)

Just another fool for shakuhachi

2008-02-29T17:27:00.003Z

Shakuhachi Watch: Perry Yung rebirthing antique Myoan shakuhachi

2008-02-26T06:49:00.013Z

Remember that popular psychology movement of the 1970s called Rebirthing? Finally we found a good use for it and Perry Yung is the Official Rebirther of Lost Shakuhachi. In a moment of zen clarity he decided to take these great old Myoan and other shakuhachi and stamp them with the sacred Zen symbol of renewal and rebirth: the Mystical Three Arrow Recycling Hanko. Thus illustrating to us how the

Shakuhachi Watch: Yoshizawa Masakazu flutes

2008-02-13T20:33:00.015Z

Bruce Jones of the Shakuhachi Mailing List has the responsibilty of selling the remainder of the flutes that belonged to the late Yoshizawa Masakazu. See these flutes at: http://shikan.org/Shakuhachi4Sale/Yoshizawa/

A baseball haiku, 2007

2007-12-30T06:16:00.000Z

visiting teamsittingon different wood— Ken LaCosse, San FranciscoI corresponded with Ken (of Mujitsu Shakuhachi) a few times this fall about the genre of baseball haiku. Ken sent this haiku to me at the end of one of his emails. I didn't realize it was his. The poem haunted me for weeks. It is as the late poet R.G. "Dick" Barnes once described a fine work, a 'compleat poem'. I described it as '

On the Occasion of the Death of Inindo Sensei, Winter 1938

2007-12-30T06:04:00.000Z

One note of the shakuhachiresounds endlesslypiercing the winter cloudsFuyugumo no totoki kagiri kakure keri— Soen Nakagawa Roshi (1907-1984)from the book Endless Vow: the zen path of Soen Nakagawa. Introduction by Eido T. Shimano, compiled and translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi & Roko Sherry Chayat (Shambala, 1996)This is reprinted as a review of the book, which does not need any further review than

From the book Baseball Haiku

2007-12-29T07:50:00.000Z

game overall the empty seatsturn blue— Alan Pizzarelli (b. 1950)Originally self-published in 1988 as a folded broadside. Reprinted in Baseball Haiku: American and Japanese Haiku & Senryu on Baseball Edited with Translations by Cor van den Heuval & Nanae Tamura (W.W. Norton, 2007)This is reprinted as a review of the book, which does not need any further review than an example of the one of the

Haiku Death Poem from 1858

2007-12-28T06:27:00.000Z

By the poet Saibawritten on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, 1858I shift my pillow closer to the full moon. Meigetsu noho e korobasumakura kana— from Japanese Death Poems written by zen monks and haiku poets on the verge of deathcompiled with an introduction by Yoel Hoffmann (Tuttle, 1986)This is reprinted as a review of the book, which does not need any further review

Confessions of a Shakuhachi Ronin, Part II (an extended footnote)

2007-12-25T19:47:00.000Z

Before continuing wherever I was headed in Part I....My quixotic reference to being a "Shakuhachi Ronin" begs to be misread and misused. Remember, professional journalists themselves troll Internet forums and blogs for one-sided opinions and baseless assertions to use as 'facts'. They do it by the day — really by the hour. (I should know. I've been working in daily journalism for the past seven

Confessions of a Shakuhachi Ronin*, Part I (of many)

2007-12-13T00:15:00.000Z

So You Want to Be a Shakuhachi Student?You've made the decision, you really want to learn to play the shakuhachi. More important, you really want to be a shakuhachi student and take on the challenge of learning the traditional repertoire of a particular shakuhachi school (or ryu) such as Kinko, Tozan, Meian (Myoan), Dokyoku or any number of branches and sub-schools.If you are lucky, you find a

Lost literary shakuhachi references, Dec. 8 entry

2007-12-08T16:50:00.000Z

Asked to post a picture of Rimbaud and Verlaine with Taimu bass shakuhachi, I found this:I think it is generally accepted in academic circles that Rimbaud had a bigger shakuhachi than VerlaineExcerpt from The Drunken Shakuhachi (unpublished)But, truly, I have wept too much! The Dawns are heartbreaking.Every moon is atrocious and every sun bitter:Sharp love has swollen me up with heady langours.O

Ji-gnashing

2007-11-28T20:37:00.000Z

The hottest topics on Shakuhachi Forum for weeks have been the discussions about what constitutes a true ji-nashi flute (a shakuhachi with no filler in the bore) and how it is distinguished from a ji-ari flute (a shakuhachi which is tuned throughout its entire bore with filler)? See this topic among others in the Ji-nashi part of the forum: http://www.shakuhachiforum.com/viewtopic.php?id=1761&p=

What you say on a shakuhachi forum doesn't (necessarily) stay on a shakuhachi forum

2007-11-25T20:40:00.000Z

Who is taking your postings seriously on blogs like this and online forums like Shakuhachi Forum? Do real newspaper 'journalists' scan the Internet for stories and source material and publish that material without double-checking their sources? No, you say? How could professional journalists do something so irresponsible?... It happened very recently and it has implications for all of us who want

Some people responsible for the Great Western Shakuhachi Transmission

2007-11-21T00:33:00.001Z

Listed alphabetically by family name:Elizabeth Reian BennetChristopher Yohmei BlasdelMary Lu BrandweinDr. Kiku DayTom DeaverBrian FranklinJim FranklinPhilip GelbMichael Chikuzen GouldPeter HillPhil Nyokai JamesBruce Jones (Shakuhachi Mailing List)Kurahashi YodoKurahashi Yoshio (Yodo II)Ken Mujitsu LaCosseSteve Lacy (Jazz soprano saxophonist/student of Watazumi)Patricia LeeDr. Riley LeeMonty

'Start Here'

2007-11-20T03:05:00.000Z

Every blog starts with a first entry, no matter how mundane.So let me try to expand on the mission statement of this experiment in bamboo journal-ism.It exists as a place to point views and exchange ideas about shakuhachi in the context of a phenomenon I could call the Great Western Shakuhachi Transmission — the transcultural sharing of an enormous fund of knowledge about the music and technique