New 2.1 Hocchiku made from Japanese Madake bamboo available at my Shop!
What a busy time right now. I read a thread recently posted by Brian Tairaku Ritchie at the new Shakuhachi Forum ( http://www.shakuhachiforum.eu/index.php ) about the Hocchiku maker, Kodama Hiroyuki, specifically about how he appears to be living a shakuhachi life. Then I wondered what that meant.

I was privileged to have encountered Kodama’s Hocchiku flutes several times. The first was in 2002, in the hills of Nagano, Japan during a visit with the great shakuhachi maker, Tom Deaver (may he rest in peace).  As we sat discussing Jinashi flutes, Tom pulled out a huge 3.1 made by Kodama and handed it to me. I only played for a minute so as not to impinge on Tom’s attention.  He said, “You play that thing better than me!”. That was because Tom had trouble with the reach. His shakuhachi knowledge and playing, of course, was far superior.  The last two times I played Kodama flutes were when they came to my shop for some work. I learned much from having them.

I noticed that the bottom opening on his flutes were left natural, asymmetrical. I didn’t get it the first time, but over the years as I developed as a shakuhachi maker in the Japanese tradition, my awareness for the zen Wabi Sabi aesthetic also developed. I learned how to compromise my artistic eye with natural material to highlight the beauty of nature. Of course, function follows form, or is it the other way around? Is the sound that comes from a shakuhachi a result of the bamboo, the craftsman, or the player? Does the human being control the bamboo, or, is it a collaboration? How does one learn to collaborate?

Each flute requires a different approach in all aspects of crafting when working in this manner. The root above asked to be shaped in this particular way.

So, how does one live a shakuhachi life? Or, does the shakuhachi live in your life? The later is how it feels for me. The shakuhachi transformed my life for the better (and I wasn’t complaining before!).  I became more mindful, aware of how every little thing you do affects your life in some way. When the recent Earth quake and Tsunami hit, I was in the middle of a lot of work, shakuhachi rehearsals, theater rehearsals, lessons, repairs, custom commissions…not to mention family stuff. But, suddenly none of that was as pressing as trying to raise money and awareness for our friends in Japan.  So I was a little late in responding to emails or my MP3 lessons. No one is complaining.

This is my theater group SLANT previewing a new song at the Asian American Art’s Alliance’s Town Hall Benefit for Japan (Richard Ebihara on the right). The song is about healing though art and is inspired by the art of the Japanese Americans who were held in American internment camps during WWII. In the story, an interned man crafts a box for his future grandson. In this particular piece, playing music helps SLANT share these life moments.

On a different note, I took the kids to see a some live rock music at the recent Kidrockers event in the Lower Eastside last weekend.

If you look closely, you can see Sasa and Jet in the mosh pit. That brought me back to my early punk rock days at the Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco where I moshed to the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag. Back then, slam dancing help relieve a lot of pent up teenage angst. These days, with the shakuhachi as a daily practice I no longer need to be in the mosh pit. But, while watching the kids mosh, I happily noticed the void filled

Namaste, Perry