A Collection of Moving Shakuhachi Masterpieces | Beautiful Japanese Melodies That Stir the Heart

offering (to a deity or the deceased); tributeShakuhachi koten honkyoku

Shakuhachi Honkyoku 'Tamuke' Shakuhachi: Masataka Sakurai

A classical honkyoku piece for shakuhachi that evokes a purifying sensation with a single breath rising from silence.

It is said that compassion for the departed and prayers to the divine are embedded in the very timbre of the instrument.

This piece is included on Katsuya Yokoyama’s acclaimed album “Chiku-in: The World of Katsuya Yokoyama, Shakuhachi,” which became available for streaming in March 2021.

It’s an ideal track for stepping away from the hustle of daily life to calm the mind and look deeply within.

Why not listen quietly to the beauty of ma—the space between sounds?

Koto and Shakuhachi Duet “Ichikotsu”Yamamoto Hōzan

ICHIKOTSU [Koto and Shakuhachi Duet “Ichikotsu”] (Composer: Yamamoto Hōzan)

Kokusen (Living National Treasure) shakuhachi player Hozan Yamamoto composed this duet for koto and shakuhachi, built on the traditional Japanese scale “Ichikotsu-chō” and structured in three movements of fast–slow–fast.

The koto gently supports the poised, ringing melodies spun by the shakuhachi, sometimes engaging in a tense dialogue—like ripples spreading across a still water’s surface.

If you’d like to immerse yourself in a sound world where traditional Japanese beauty and contemporary sensibilities are interwoven, lend an ear to this beautiful piece.

Tozan-ryu Honkyoku ‘Kogarashi’Shodai Nakao Tozan

Kogarashi (a honkyoku piece of the Tozan-ryu shakuhachi) by Tozan Nakao

This is one of the Tozan-ryu honkyoku pieces.

Composed by the first Nakao Tozan in November 1923, it is said to liken the desolation and harshness of Tokyo turned to ashes after the Great Kanto Earthquake to a wintry wind.

By employing techniques such as momite and mawashi-yuri, it conveys the roughness of a gust sweeping through, along with a tense, high-register sonority and a sense of nihilism—an effect that can only be called masterful.

It is a masterpiece that combines Western musical expression with the honkyoku elements of the East.

Tozan-ryu Original Piece “Yachiyo”Shodai Nakao Tozan

Shakuhachi Tozan-ryu Honkyoku “Yachiyo (Eternity)”

A celebratory melody in which two shakuhachi weave a dialogue-like interplay of lines, creating a majestic and resplendent sound world.

Composed by Tozan Nakao I, founder of the Tozan school, to commemorate its 10th anniversary since its establishment in 1896.

Its structure blends the traditional “wa” timbre with Western-style contrapuntal exchanges, captivating the listener.

Written around 1916, the piece showcases Tozan Nakao I’s innovative spirit in bringing ensemble performance into shakuhachi music.

Perfect for festive occasions—and for those special days when you want to turn over a new leaf.

Song of the PloversYoshizawa Kengyō

Chidori no Kyoku (Chidori’s Song) Kozue Daiko, Sho Yamaguchi

This piece, composed in the late Edo period for koto and kokyū, is themed around the cries of plovers echoing along a winter shore and the scene of waves breaking on the beach.

Its lyrics are based on poems from the Kokin Wakashū, and the image of plovers calling to their companions overlaps with the text, stirring deep feelings of travel and nostalgia in the listener.

The work is one of the pieces in the Kokin-gumi, a group of compositions derived from classical waka.

Originally written as an ensemble for kokyū and koto, it is now widely performed in an arrangement that also includes shakuhachi.

There is even an anecdote that, on the eve of the Russo-Japanese War, an admiral played it on the shakuhachi aboard ship as they headed into a naval battle.

Perhaps you might let your heart drift with its beautiful strains while reflecting on these scenes from history.

Shakuhachi Duet: BambooYamamoto Hōzan

Shakuhachi Duet “Take” (Bamboo)

Hōzan Yamamoto, a shakuhachi player also known as a Living National Treasure.

The work that he composed in his youth and that made his talent as a composer widely known is this three-movement piece for two shakuhachi.

In each movement—titled “Mōsō-chiku” (Moso Bamboo), “Wakatake” (Young Bamboo), and “Hotei-chiku” (Hotei Bamboo)—two timbres overlap in dialogue, vividly depicting scenes of bamboo groves swaying in the wind and the vigorous life force reaching toward the heavens.

This piece won first prize at a traditional Japanese music competition in July 1962, and was later included on the album Hōzan Yamamoto Works Collection (VIII) as well as the acclaimed recording San: A Tribute—Hōzan Yamamoto Works by his beloved disciple.

Poem No. 2Matsumura Teizō

Poem No. 2 by Teizo Matsumura: “Poème II for Solo Shakuhachi”

Teizo Matsumura, a Japanese composer who has been familiar with traditional Japanese instruments since childhood.

This piece he composed for solo shakuhachi exudes profound spirituality.

Breath-taking stillness intertwines with surging inner energy, stirring the listener’s heart.

Premiered in November 1972, it was also included on the acclaimed 1996 album “Shikyoku / Teizo Matsumura Selected Works II.” It’s the perfect track for a night when you want to forget the clamor of daily life and quietly face yourself.

Why not listen closely to this one-of-a-kind melody, where the traditions of Japanese music and a modern sensibility are seamlessly fused?