Prior to 2005 if an individual had an interest in an instrument that was not a part of his or her culture, opportunities to see and hear master players performing on the instrument were few and far between. Thanks to the popularity of video sharing web sites it is now easy to view videos of performances. Below are videos that I have found to be exceptional examples of fine shakuhachi playing.

 

 

 

 

A common question that is asked about shakuhachi is if it can be used for non-traditional, non-Japanese music. The answer is “Yes” and the following video is a very good example of shakuhachi in popular Western music:

 

 

 

 

Watazumido (1910 - 1992) was a master shakuhachi player and Zen roshi who was very influential to modern shakuhachi players. The following video is an excerpt from the documentary Sukiyaki and Chips - The Japanese Sounds of Music. His playing does not start until about 4 minutes into the video, however the information leading up to that point is well worth viewing to gain a deeper understanding of the instrument and music:

 

 

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