SIAVASH MOAZZAMI

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FROM 25. APRIL 2017

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The Shakuhachi as spiritual tool,
by Jay Keister
Gakki is a Japanese term for music instruments. Shakuhachi has a dual
identity in the sense that it is both gakki and also a meditation tool, called hoki. This
double identity helped shakuhachi to become famous and popular in the west
duaring the 20th century. In this time, philosophers like Alan watts talked about
beat Zen and the books called zen and the art of became popular. The
western appropriation of zen buddhism was very instrumental in this matter. One
can say that it is only because of its zen and introvert nature that it became popular
in the west. This article examines some of the ways in which the shakuhachi is
recontextualized in the west as a tool of buddhist philosophy and demonstrates the
importance of an individualistic kind of zen for the appropriation of the instrument
outside of Japan. This study is informed on the one hand by the scholarly literature shakuhachi, which is
largely directed at solving many of the mysteries of instrument's curious history, and on the other hand by
the popular discourse on shakuhachi in the West, as it is currently found on various shakuhachi- related
websites, lively e-mail discussion lists and in the marketing strategies of merchants of shakuhachi-related
products, all of which seems directed enhancing the colorful myths and legends surrounding the
instrument. The author notes the distinction between the historically correct scholary papers and
the mystic world of hobbysits and talks about his experience on both sides.

He begins by the problem of individual learning in the west, meaning no acess to

traditional Japanese classroom setting, which is essential in learning shakuhachi. In japan, the
value of exact reproduction of earlier material is very high, since there is a very big emphasis on
oral transmission (LOL). Kata: literally form, it can be musical or stage manners or bodily form. In
music, it is a set of steryotipical patterns, in manner it is the bowing and the honoring. It is
learned from teachers and are performed exactly as they are thought, no freedom. Even when
students struggle with producing tones and melodies, they are told to focus on the form. The
form and mannerism are not extra, but are integral parts of the music. The author says that this
emphasis on bodily form comes from the monastic traditions of zen buddhism. There also people
are told not to look at form with cognitive perspective, but just pure bodily function. He notes the
importance of doing and not neccerarily understanding the concetps, as an example he gives the
noh actors, who sometimes dont even understand the words that they are saying.

In classes where multiple students learn together, the teacher is called iemoto which
translates to the head of the household. He is the embodiment of the musical style. It is the
iemoto who sets the artistic standards of the school and who has the power to give out licenses.
After talking about iemotos place, he moves on to introduce the ryu system and different
epertoires, and moves the focus to honkyoku, which is very much related to zen ideas.

The concept of outside/inside: the author talksabout this. How kimosus were insiders in
their society and outsiders in he Japanese society asa whoele. Or how the hosnkyo pieces mean
riginala pieces and hogoky are outsider pieces.these are not really liked by shakuhachi player and
instead of being a one of a kind player, they have to be number 3 in an ensemble, a step down
the social ladder. The ideal shakuhachi player is an outsider to the society. On of the great
examples of outsider shakuhachi player is the radical Watazumi who rejected all shakuhachi
organizations, the basic terminology including the word honkyoku and even the word shakuhachi
itself. Watazumis creation od dokyoku and the new emphasis on zen and nothingness, helped the
instrument to become famous in the west.
In the next section, the author talks about making ones own honkyoku in the west.