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{{short description|Japanese end-blown flute}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name                  = {{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}}
| image                 = Shakuhachi-2.png
| background            = woodwind
| names                 =
| classification        = Woodwind
| inventors             =
| related               =
| musicians             =
| builders              =
| developed             = {{ubl|7th or 8th century ({{transliteration|ja|kodai shakuhachi}} or ancient {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}})|16th century ({{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}}, the currently known {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}})}}
| range                 =
| articles              =
| image_capt            = A Tozan school {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} flute, blowing edge up. Left: top view, four holes. Right: bottom view, fifth hole.
| hornbostel_sachs      = 421.111.12
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Open single end-blown flute with fingerholes
}}
{{Fuke Zen}}
A {{nihongo||{{linktext|尺八}}|'''shakuhachi'''|extra={{IPA|ja|ɕakɯhat͡ɕi|pron}}|lead=yes}} is a Japanese longitudinal, [[end-blown flute]] that is made of [[bamboo]]. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the {{nihongo||普化尺八|fuke shakuhachi}}.<ref name = "kotofuke">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210323122654/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%99%AE%E5%8C%96%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB-372626 Kotobank, Fuke shakuhachi.] The Asahi Shimbun</ref><ref name = "kotoshaku">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210323130637/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB-75849 Kotobank, Shakuhachi.] The Asahi Shimbun</ref> A bamboo flute known as the {{nihongo3|ancient {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}|古代尺八|kodai shakuhachi}} or {{nihongo3||雅楽尺八|[[gagaku]] shakuhachi}} was derived from the Chinese [[Xiao (flute)|xiao]] in the [[Nara period]] and died out in the 10th century.<ref name = "kotokodai">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210323122325/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%9B%85%E6%A5%BD%E5%B0%BA%E5%85%AB-1287571 Kotobank, Kodai shakuhachi (Gagaku shakuhachi).] [[The Asahi Shimbun]]</ref> After a long blank period, the {{nihongo||一節切尺八|hitoyogiri shakuhachi}} appeared in the 15th century, and then in the 16th century, the {{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}} was developed in Japan. The {{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}} flourished in the 18th century during the [[Edo period]], and eventually the {{transliteration|ja|hitoyogiri shakuhachi}} also died out. The {{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}} developed in Japan is longer and thicker than the {{transliteration|ja|kodai shakuhachi}} and has one finger hole less. It is longer and thicker than {{transliteration|ja|hitoyogiri shakuhachi}} and is superior in volume, range, scale and tone quality.<ref name = "kotohito">[https://web.archive.org/web/20210323122411/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E4%B8%80%E7%AF%80%E5%88%87-120383 Kotobank, Hitoyogiri shakuhachi.] The Asahi Shimbun</ref> Today, since the ''shakuhachi'' generally refers only to {{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}}, the theory that the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is an instrument unique to Japan is widely accepted.<ref name = "kojima08">Tomiko Kojima. (2008) ''Japanese traditional performing arts course. Music.'' p.384. Tankosha. {{ISBN|978-4473034892}}</ref>

The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in [[Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene|ABS]], [[ebonite]], [[anodized aluminum]], and [[hardwood]]s. It was used by the monks of the [[Fuke Zen]] of [[Zen]] [[Buddhism]] in the practice of {{transliteration|ja|[[suizen]]}} (blowing meditation).

The instrument is tuned to the [[Pentatonic scale|minor pentatonic scale]].

==Etymology==
<!-- Please keep both "shakuhachi means" and "shaku-hachi means" for Google -->
The name {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} means "1.8 {{transliteration|ja|[[Shaku (unit of measurement)|shaku]]}}", referring to its size. It is a compound of two words:
#{{nihongo||[[wiktionary:尺|尺]]|[[Shaku (unit)|shaku]]}} is an archaic unit of length equal to {{convert|30.3|cm|ft}} and subdivided in ten subunits.
#{{nihongo||[[wiktionary:八|八]]|hachi}} means "eight", here eight {{transliteration|ja|[[cun (unit)|sun]]}}, or tenths, of a {{transliteration|ja|shaku}}.

Thus, the compound word {{transliteration|ja|shaku-hachi}} means "one {{transliteration|ja|shaku}} eight {{transliteration|ja|sun}}" ({{cvt|54.54|cm}}), the standard length of a {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}. Other {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} vary in length from about 1.1 {{transliteration|ja|shaku}} up to 3.6 {{transliteration|ja|shaku}}. Although the sizes differ, all are still referred to generically as {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}.

==Overview==
[[File:JapaneseShakuhachiSection.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} showing its Kinko school {{nihongo3|blowing edge|歌口|utaguchi}} and inlay]][[File:Myoan-fingering chart.jpg|thumb|left|[[Myōan-ji]] {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} fingering chart and notation]]

{{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} are usually made from the root end of {{transliteration|ja|madake}} (''[[Phyllostachys bambusoides]]'') [[bamboo]] [[culm (botany)|culm]] and are extremely versatile instruments. Professional players can produce virtually any pitch they wish from the instrument, and play a wide repertoire of original [[Zen]] music, ensemble music with {{transliteration|ja|[[koto (musical instrument)|koto]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|[[biwa]]}}, and {{transliteration|ja|[[shamisen]]}}, [[folk music]], [[jazz]], and other modern pieces.

Much of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}'s subtlety (and player's skill) lies in its rich tone colouring, and the ability for its variation. Different fingerings, [[embouchure]]s and amounts of {{transliteration|ja|meri/kari}} can produce notes of the same pitch, but with subtle or dramatic differences in the tone colouring. Holes can be covered partially and pitch varied subtly or substantially by changing the blowing angle. The {{transliteration|ja|[[Honkyoku]]}} pieces rely heavily on this aspect of the instrument to enhance their subtlety and depth.

Unlike a [[recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], where the player blows into a duct—a narrow airway over a block which is called a "[[fipple]]"—and thus has limited pitch control, the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} player blows as one would blow across the top of an empty bottle (though the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} has a sharp edge to blow against called {{transliteration|ja|utaguchi}}) and therefore has substantial pitch control. The term {{nihongo||歌口|utaguchi}} literally translates as "to the mouth that sings", referring to the upper and main hole of the flute where the mouthpiece or blowing edge is created by a natural diagonal cut in the bamboo.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The history of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} shows a variety of designs of inlaid mouthpieces that vary between certain traditional Japanese schools of {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}. Thus, the Kinko Ryu, Myoan and Tozan Ryu, differ in different features in their line of mouthpiece design, coinciding in them the total non-use in their inlay of the semi-circumference formed by the natural cut of the mouthpiece in the bamboo. Beyond the fact that these inlaid forms were a hallmark of styles and schools, the fact of inlaying a mouthpiece historically could respond to a way of repairing the instrument due to wear or damage in particular in its blowing edge.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The five finger holes are tuned to a [[pentatonic scale|minor pentatonic scale]] with no half-tones, but using techniques called {{nihongo||メリ|meri}}  and {{nihongo||カリ|[[kari (music)|kari]]}}, in which the blowing angle is adjusted to bend the pitch downward and upward, respectively, combined with [[embouchure]] adjustments and fingering techniques the player can bend each pitch as much as a whole tone or more. Pitches may also be lowered by {{nihongo|shading|カザシ|kazashi}} or partially covering finger holes. Since most pitches can be achieved via several different fingering or blowing techniques on the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}, the [[timbre]] of each possibility is taken into account when composing or playing thus different names are used to write notes of the same pitch which differ in timbre. The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} has a range of two full octaves (the lower is called {{lang|ja|乙}}/{{lang|ja|呂}} {{transliteration|ja|otsu}}, the upper, {{lang|ja|甲}} {{transliteration|ja|kan}}) and a partial third octave ({{lang|ja|大甲}} {{transliteration|ja|dai-kan}}) though experienced players can produce notes up to E7 (2637.02{{nbsp}}Hz) on a 1.8 ''shakuhachi''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shakuhachisociety.eu/resources/getting-started/|title=Getting started {{!}} The European Shakuhachi Society|website=shakuhachisociety.eu|language=en-US|access-date=2017-06-21}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Shakuhachi: Fundamental Technique Guidance|last=Koga|first=Masayuki|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition|date=July 24, 2016|isbn=978-1535460705|location=USA|pages=101, 28}}</ref> The various octaves are produced using subtle variations of breath, finger positions and [[embouchure]].
[[File:Honkyoku notation example.jpg|thumb|upright|{{transliteration|ja|Honkyoku}} notation example; first two lines of {{nihongo||雲井獅子|Kumoijishi}}.]]
In traditional {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} repertoire, instead of [[tonguing]] for [[Articulation (music)|articulation]] like many Western wind instruments, hitting holes ({{nihongo||押し|oshi}}, {{nihongo||オス|osu}}) with a very fast movement is used and each note has its corresponding repeat fingerings; e.g., for repeating C5 the 5th hole (D5's tone hole) is used.<ref name=":0" />

A 1.8 {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} produces D4 (D above Middle C, 293.66{{nbsp}}Hz) as its fundamental—the lowest note it produces with all five finger holes covered, and a normal blowing angle. In contrast, a 2.4 {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} has a fundamental of A3 (A below Middle C, 220{{nbsp}}Hz). As the length increases, the spacing of the finger holes also increases, stretching both fingers and technique. Longer flutes often have offset finger holes, and very long flutes are almost always custom made to suit individual players. Some {{transliteration|ja|honkyoku}}, in particular those of the Nezasaha (Kimpu-ryū) school, are intended to be played on these longer flutes.

Due to the skill required, the time involved, and the range of quality in materials to craft bamboo {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}, one can expect to pay from [[United States dollar|US$]]1,000 to US$8,000 for a new or used flute. Because each piece of bamboo is unique, {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} cannot be mass-produced, and craftsmen must spend much time finding the correct shape and length of bamboo, curing it for more or less of a decade in a controlled environment and then start shaping the bore for almost a year using {{nihongo||地|Ji}} paste—many layers of a mixture including {{nihongo|{{transliteration|ja|tonoko}} powder|砥の粉}} and {{transliteration|ja|seshime}} and finished with {{transliteration|ja|[[urushi]]}} lacquer—for each individual flute to achieve correct pitch and tonality over all notes. Specimens of extremely high quality, with valuable inlays, or of historical significance can fetch US$20,000 or more. Plastic or [[Polyvinyl chloride|PVC]] {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} have some advantages over their traditional bamboo counterparts: they are lightweight, extremely durable, nearly impervious to heat and cold, and typically cost less than US$100. {{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} made of wood are also available, typically costing less than bamboo but more than synthetic materials. Nearly all players, however, prefer bamboo, citing tonal qualities, aesthetics, and tradition.

==History==
[[File:A begging criminal-J. M. W. Silver.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Sketch of a {{transliteration|ja|[[komusō]]}} (right) playing the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}]]
The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is derived from the Chinese bamboo-flute. The bamboo-flute first came to Japan from China during the 7th<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shakuhachi.com/Q-Origins&History.html|title=Origins & History of the Shakuhachi|last=Levenson|first=Monty H.|website=www.shakuhachi.com|access-date=2018-09-26}}</ref> or 8th century.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Shakuhachi: A Manual for Learning (Includes Practice CD)|last1=Yohmei Blasdel|first1=Christopher|last2=Kamisango|first2=Yuko|publisher=Printed Matter Press|date=June 1, 2008|isbn=978-1933606156}}</ref><ref name = "kotokodai"/> This style of bamboo flute, also called {{nihongo3|ancient {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}|古代尺八|kodai shakuhachi}} or {{nihongo3||雅楽尺八|gagaku shakuhachi}}, was used for playing {{transliteration|ja|[[gagaku]]}}, but died out in the 10th century. Eight {{transliteration|ja|kodai shakuhachi}} remain in the [[Shōsō-in]] Treasure Repository. There are no records of musical scores related to the {{transliteration|ja|kodai shakuhachi}}, so details such as its playing method and scale are unknown. The average length was {{cvt|40|cm}}, the diameter of the finger holes was {{cvt|2|cm}}, and there were 6 finger holes – 5 at the front, 1 at the back.<ref name = "kotokodai"/><ref name = "kotoshaku"/>

In the 15th century, the {{nihongo||一節切尺八|hitoyogiri shakuhachi}} appeared. It is characterized by a single bamboo joint in the middle of the tube. Although it flourished in the 17th century, it gradually fell into disuse due to the development and popularity of the superior {{transliteration|ja|fuke shakuhachi}}, and was no longer used by the 19th century. The average length was {{cvt|33.6|cm}}, the outer diameter was {{cvt|3|cm}}, and there were 5 finger holes – 4 at the front, 1 at the back.<ref name = "kotoshaku"/><ref name = "kotohito"/>

The flute now known as the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the {{nihongo||普化尺八|fuke shakuhachi}}. This style of {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is longer and thicker than the older {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}, and its volume, range, scale, and tone are superior to those of the older {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}. It is made from the base of the bamboo, and the average length is {{cvt|54.5|cm}}, which corresponds to 1 {{transliteration|ja|shaku}} 8 {{transliteration|ja|sun}}; the outside diameter is {{cvt|4|cm}}, and there are 5 finger holes – 4 at the front, 1 at the back.<ref name = "kotohito"/><ref name = "kotofuke"/><ref name = "kotoshaku"/>

During the medieval period, {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} were most notable for their role in the [[Fuke Zen|Fuke sect]] of Zen Buddhist monks, known as {{transliteration|ja|[[komusō]]}} ("priests of nothingness" or "emptiness monks"), who used the ''shakuhachi'' as a spiritual tool. Their songs (called {{transliteration|ja|[[honkyoku]]}}) were paced according to the players' breathing and were considered meditation ({{transliteration|ja|suizen}}) as much as music.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Keister|first1=Jay|title=The Shakuhachi as a Spiritual Tool: A Japanese Buddhist Instrument in the West|journal=Asian Music|date=2004|volume=35|issue=2|pages=104–105}}</ref>

Travel around Japan was restricted by the [[shogunate]] at this time, but the Fuke sect managed to wrangle an exemption from the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}, since their spiritual practice required them to move from place to place playing the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and begging for alms (one famous song reflects this mendicant tradition: {{nihongo||一二三鉢返の調|Hi fu mi, hachi gaeshi}}; "One two three, pass the alms bowl"). They persuaded the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}} to give them exclusive rights to play the instrument. In return, some were required to spy for the shogunate, and the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}} sent several of his own spies out in the guise of Fuke monks as well. This was made easier by the {{nihongo|[[wicker basket]]s|天蓋|tengai}} that the Fuke wore over their heads, a symbol of their detachment from the world.

In response to these developments, several particularly difficult {{transliteration|ja|honkyoku}} pieces, e.g. {{nihongo|"Distant Call of the Deer"|鹿の遠音|Shika no tōne}}, became well known as "tests": if one could play them, they were a real Fuke monk. If they could not, they were probably a spy and might very well be killed if they were in unfriendly territory.

[[File:Himeji Oshiro Matsuri August09 126.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Performer playing {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} at the 60th [[Himeji]] oshiro festival, 2009]]

With the [[Meiji Restoration]], beginning in 1868, the shogunate was abolished and so was the [[Fuke Zen|Fuke]] sect,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Keister|first=Jay|date=2004|title=The Shakuhachi as Spiritual Tool: A Japanese Buddhist Instrument in the West|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/4098447|journal=Asian Music|volume=35|issue=2|pages=99–131|jstor=4098447|issn=0044-9202}}</ref> in order to help identify and eliminate the {{transliteration|ja|shōgun}}'s holdouts. The very playing of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} was officially forbidden for a few years. Non-Fuke folk traditions did not suffer greatly from this, since the tunes could be played just as easily on another pentatonic instrument. However, the {{transliteration|ja|honkyoku}} repertoire was known exclusively to the Fuke sect and transmitted by repetition and practice, and much of it was lost, along with many important documents.

When the [[Meiji government]] did permit the playing of {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} again, it was only as an accompanying instrument to the {{transliteration|ja|[[koto (musical instrument)|koto]]}}, {{transliteration|ja|[[shamisen]]}}, etc. It was not until later that {{transliteration|ja|honkyoku}} were allowed to be played publicly again as solo pieces.

The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} has traditionally been played almost exclusively by men in Japan, although this situation is rapidly changing. Many teachers of traditional {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} music indicate that a majority of their students are women. The 2004 Big Apple {{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} Festival in New York City hosted the first-ever concert of international women {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} masters. This festival was organized and produced by Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin, who was the first full-time {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} master to teach in the Western hemisphere. Nyogetsu also holds 2 Dai Shihan (Grand Master) licenses, and has run KiSuiAn, the largest and most active {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} Dojo outside Japan, since 1975.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}{{promotion inline|reason=If this isn't notable or referencable, then the end of this paragraph is purely promotional.|date=August 2022}}

[[File:Shawnee Schroeder Playing a Japanese Shakuhachi Flute.jpg|thumb|American {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} enthusiast]]
The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} has grown in international popularity in recent decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.komuso.com/people/index.pl |title=People - The International Shakuhachi Society |publisher=The International Shakuhachi Society |access-date=2022-02-19}}</ref> The first non-Japanese person to become a {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} master was American-Australian [[Riley Lee]]. Lee was responsible for the World {{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} Festival being held in [[Sydney]], [[Australia]] over 5–8 July 2008, based at the [[Sydney Conservatorium of Music]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shakuhachi.com/V-WSF08.html|title=World Shakuhachi Festival - 2008 Sydney, Australia}}</ref><ref name="ITM">[http://www.abc.net.au/rn/intothemusic/stories/2008/2358068.htm The Empty Bell – Blowing Zen], ''Into The Music'', [[ABC Radio National]], accessed 24 October 2008</ref> Riley Lee played the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} in Dawn Mantras which was composed by Ross Edwards especially for the Dawn Performance, which took place on the sails of the Sydney Opera House at sunrise on 1 January 2000 and was televised internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rossedwards.com/?page_id=27 |title=Dawn Mantras (1999) |publisher=Ross Edwards |access-date=2014-07-30}}</ref>

==Acoustics==
The {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} creates a harmonic spectrum that contains the [[fundamental frequency]] together with even and odd harmonics and some blowing noise.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yoshikawa|first1=Shigeru|editor1-last=Schneider|editor1-first=Albrecht|title=Studies in Musical Acoustics and Psychoacoustics|date=2017|publisher=Springer|location=Cham|isbn=978-3-319-47292-8|pages=1–47|ref=yoshi|chapter=Japanese Flutes and Their Musical Acoustic Peculiarities|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-47292-8_1|series=R. Bader, M. Leman and R.I. Godoy (Series Eds.): Current Research in Systematic Musicology|volume=4}}</ref> Five tone holes enable musicians to play the notes D-F-G-A-C-D. Cross (or fork) fingerings, half-covering tone holes, and {{transliteration|ja|meri/kari}} blowing cause pitch sharpening, referred to as intonation anomaly.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Ando|first1=Yoshinori|title=Input admittance of shakuhachis and their resonance characteristics in the playing state|journal= Journal of the Acoustical Society of Japan E|date=1986|volume=7|issue=2|pages=99–111|doi=10.1250/ast.7.99|ref=ando|doi-access=free}}</ref> Especially the second and third harmonic exhibit the well-known {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} timbre. Even though the geometry of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is relatively simple, the sound radiation of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is rather complicated.<ref>{{cite conference|last=Ziemer|first=Tim|title=Sound Radiation Characteristic of a Shakuhachi with different Playing Techniques|date=2014|conference=International Symposium on Musical Acoustics (ISMA)|conference-url=http://www.conforg.fr/isma2014/cdrom/data/author_index/index.html|pages=549–555|access-date=24 May 2018|url=http://www.conforg.fr/isma2014/cdrom/data/articles/000121.pdf}}</ref> Sound radiating from several holes and the natural asymmetry of bamboo create an individual spectrum in each direction. This spectrum depends on frequency and playing technique.

==Notable players==
{{Category see also|Shakuhachi players}}
{{anchor|International Shakuhachi Society}}The International Shakuhachi Society maintains a directory of notable professional, amateur, and teaching {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} players.<ref name="issplayers">{{cite web | url=http://www.komuso.com/people/index.pl | title=People whose speciality is shakuhachi | publisher=The International Shakuhachi Society | access-date=March 10, 2012}}</ref>

==Recordings==
{{listen|filename=Shikanotoone new.ogg|title=''Shika no Tōne''|description=''Honkyoku'' recording|format=[[Ogg]]}}
The primary genres of {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} music are:

* {{transliteration|ja|[[Honkyoku]]}} (traditional, solo)
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Sankyoku]]}} (ensemble, with {{transliteration|ja|koto}} and {{transliteration|ja|shamisen}})
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Shinkyoku]]}} (new music composed for {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and {{transliteration|ja|koto}}, commonly post-[[Meiji period]] compositions influenced by Western music)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wsf2018.com/about/shakuhachi-terms|title=Shakuhachi Terms – WSF2018|website=wsf2018.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>

Recordings in each of these categories are available; however, more albums are catalogued in categories outside the traditional realm. As of 2018, {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} players continue releasing records in a variety of traditional and modern styles.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.komuso.com/albums/index.pl?genre=9|title=The International Shakuhachi Society|last=Nelson|first=Ronald|website=www.komuso.com|language=EN|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>

The first {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} recording appeared in the United States in the late 1960s. [[Gorō Yamaguchi]] recorded ''A Bell Ringing in the Empty Sky'' for Nonesuch Explorer Records on LP, an album which received acclaim from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' at the time of its release.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-albums-rolling-stone-loved-in-the-sixties-that-youve-never-heard-27652/goro-yamaguchi-a-bell-ringing-in-the-empty-sky-176552/|title=20 Sixties Albums You've Never Heard|date=2014-05-22|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=2018-09-25|language=en-US}}</ref> One of the pieces featured on Yamaguchi's record was {{transliteration|ja|"Sokaku Reibo"}}, also called {{transliteration|ja|"Tsuru No Sugomori"}} (Crane's Nesting).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.komuso.com/pieces/pieces.pl?piece=2180|title=The International Shakuhachi Society|last=Nelson|first=Ronald|website=www.komuso.com|language=EN|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref> [[NASA]] later chose to include this track as part of the [[Voyager Golden Record|Golden Record]] aboard the [[Voyager program|Voyager]] spacecraft.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/whats-on-the-record/music/|title=Voyager – Music on the Golden Record|website=voyager.jpl.nasa.gov|language=en|access-date=2018-09-25}}</ref>

==In the film industry==
{{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} are often used in modern film scores, for example those by [[James Horner]]. Films in which it is featured prominently include: ''The Karate Kid'' parts [[The Karate Kid Part II|II]] and [[The Karate Kid Part III|III]] by [[Bill Conti]], ''[[Legends of the Fall]]'' and ''[[Braveheart]]'' by [[James Horner]], ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' and its sequels by [[John Williams]] and [[Don Davis (composer)|Don Davis]], and ''[[The Last Samurai]]'' by [[Hans Zimmer]] and ''[[Memoirs of a Geisha (film)|Memoirs of a Geisha]]'' by [[John Williams]].

Renowned Japanese classical and film-score composer [[Toru Takemitsu]] wrote many pieces for {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and orchestra, including his well-known ''Celeste'', ''Autumn'' and ''November Steps''.

==Western contemporary music==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2022}}
* The Australian {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} master and composer Jim Franklyn has composed a number of works for solo {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}, also including electronics.
* British composer [[John Palmer (composer)|John Palmer]] included a wide range of extended techniques in {{transliteration|ja|Koan}} (1999, for {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and ensemble)
* In [[Carlo Forlivesi]]'s composition for {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and guitar "{{transliteration|ja|Ugetsu}}" ({{lang|ja|雨月}}), the performance techniques were remarked as "[presenting] notable difficulties in a few completely novel situations: an audacious movement of 'expansion' of the respective traditions of the two instruments pushed as they are at times to the limits of the possible, the aim being to have the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and the guitar playing on the same level and with virtuosity (two instruments that are culturally and acoustically so dissimilar), thus increasing the expressive range, the texture of the dialogue, the harmonic dimension and the tone-colour."<ref>ALM Records ALCD-76</ref>
* American composer and performer Elizabeth Brown plays {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} and has written many pieces for the instrument that build on Japanese traditions while diverging with more modern arrangement, orchestration, melodic twists or harmonic progressions.<ref name="Sullivan14">Sullivan, Jack. "Elizabeth Brown, ''Mirage''," ''American Record Guide'', January/February 2014, p. 83.</ref><ref name="Carl13">Carl, Robert. [https://www.dramonline.org/albums/elizabeth-brown-mirage/notes ''Elizabeth Brown – Mirage'', liner notes], Brooklyn, NY: New World Records, 2013. Retrieved November 3, 2020.</ref><ref name="EBShak">Elizabeth Brown website. [http://elizabethbrowncomposer.com/music/pieces-with-shakuhachi-or-traditional-japanese-instruments/ Pieces with Shakuhachi or Traditional Japanese Instruments]. Retrieved November 9, 2020.</ref>
* New York-born musician [[James Nyoraku Schlefer]] plays, teaches, and composes for {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}. 
* Composer Carson Kievman has employed the instrument in many works from "Ladies Voices" in 1976 to "Feudal Japan" in the parallel world opera ''Passion Love Gravity'' in 2020–21.
* Progressive rock songwriter Roger Waters played the instrument on the song ‘''Me or Him''’ on his 1987 concept album ''[[Radio K.A.O.S.|Radio KAOS]]'' 
* [[Brian Ritchie]] of the [[Violent Femmes]] formed a [[jazz]] quintet in 2002 called ''The N.Y.C.'' {{transliteration|ja|Shakuhachi}} ''Club''. They play [[avant-garde jazz]] versions of tradition American [[Folk music|folk]] and [[blues]] songs with Ritchie's {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} playing as the focal point. In 2004 they released their debut album on [[Weed Records]].
* Welsh composer [[Karl Jenkins]] features prominent {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} solos in his 2005 ''[[Requiem (Jenkins)|Requiem]]'', specifically in the movements where the texts are death [[haiku]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karl Jenkins - Requiem |url=https://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Karl-Jenkins-Requiem/47412 |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=www.boosey.com}}</ref>
* American multi-instrumentalist and composer [[Zac Zinger]] is a {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} specialist, featuring it on his [[Progressive jazz|progressive-jazz]] album ''Fulfillment'', as well as playing it on the score of ''[[Just Cause 4]]'' and the promotional album for ''Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty'', from [[Magic: The Gathering]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Profile |url=http://zaczinger.com/profile |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=Zac Zinger ザック・ジンガー |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Official Soundtrack |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/news/announcements/kamigawa-neon-dynasty-official-soundtrack-2022-02-18 |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=magic.wizards.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
* "Nobody's Listening", a 2003 rap rock song from the album ''[[Meteora (album)|Meteora]]'' by [[Linkin Park]], features the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} flute.<ref>{{cite book |last= Costantino|first= Rosanna |author-link= |date= January 13, 2022|title=In the End - A Tribute to Chester Bennington |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zO9YEAAAQBAJ |location= |publisher=PubMe |page= |isbn=9791254580837}}</ref>
* British jazz musician [[Shabaka Hutchings]] performed shakuhachi on the [[André 3000]] album [[New Blue Sun]]

==Synthesized/sampled {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}}==
The sound of the {{transliteration|ja|shakuhachi}} is also featured from time to time in electronica, pop and rock, especially after being commonly shipped as a "preset" instrument on various synthesizers and keyboards beginning in the 1980s.<ref>The "[[E-mu Emulator II]] shakuhachi" is number nine in [http://www.synthmania.com/Famous%20Sounds.htm "20 Sounds That Must Die"] by David Battino, ''[[Keyboard Magazine]]'', October 1995</ref>
The [[General MIDI]] standard assigns the shakuhachi to program number 78.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GM 1 sound set |url=https://www.midi.org/specifications-old/item/gm-level-1-sound-se |access-date=2023-11-12 |website=www.midi.org}}</ref> One of the best known pop songs of the 1980s that uses this sound is "[[Sledgehammer (Peter Gabriel song)|Sledgehammer]]" by [[Peter Gabriel]]. This was also used in the ident of the short-lived [[Coca-Cola Telecommunications]].

==See also==
*{{transliteration|ja|[[Hotchiku]]}} (a similar, end-blown bamboo flute)
*[[List of shakuhachi players]]
*[[Quena]] (a similar flute from South America)
*{{transliteration|ja|[[Sankyoku]]}}
*[[Shakuhachi musical notation]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Henry Johnson, ''The shakuhachi: roots and routes'', Amsterdam, Brill, 2014 ({{ISBN|978-90-04-24339-2}})
* Iwamoto Yoshikazu, The Potential of the Shakuhachi in Contemporary Music, “Contemporary Music Review”, 8/2, 1994, pp.&nbsp;5–44
* Tsukitani Tsuneko, The shakuhachi and its music, in Alison McQueen Tokita, David W. Huges (edited by), The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music 7, Aldershot, Ashgate, 2008, pp.&nbsp;145–168
* Riley Lee (1992). "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080323013049/http://www.rileylee.net/thesis.html Yearning For The Bell; a study of transmission in the shakuhachi honkyoku tradition]", Thesis, University of Sydney
* Seyama Tōru, The Re-contextualisation of the Shakuhachi (Syakuhati) and its Music from Traditional/Classical into Modern/Popular, “the world of music”, 40/2, 1998, pp.&nbsp;69–84
* Zapata, Ricardo (2021). "[https://www.ricardozapata.org/books Blow your mind Ride your tone; The conquest of shakuhachi discovering your inner singing]", Ebook, Colombia, 2021

==External links==
{{wiktionary|shakuhachi|尺八}}
{{Commons category|Shakuhachi}}
<!-- do not add additional links without discussion and consensus on talk page -->
*[http://komuso.com International Shakuhachi Society]
*[http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/shaku/ Shakuhachi flute Fingering Chart]
*[https://www.ricardozapata.org/shakuhachi Shakuhachi Online Study Program and Flute Store]
*[http://fuke-shakuhachi.com/ Fuke Shakuhachi Official Site]

<!-- do not add additional links without discussion and consensus on talk page -->
{{Flutes}}
{{Traditional Japanese musical instruments}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:End-blown flutes]]
[[Category:Japanese musical instruments]]
[[Category:Shakuhachi players| ]]
[[Category:Zen]]
[[Category:Bamboo flutes]]
[[Category:Five tone hole wind instruments]]
[[Category:Fuke Zen]]