The Shakuhachi is an end blown flute made from a thick root end piece of Madake or Timber bamboo. deceptively simple in its design, it is capable of a wide range of tone colour and expression. The shakuhachi was first introduced into Japan from China in the seventh century and was used in imperial court music. Originally resembling the Xiao, It changed form several times before settling on the simple 5 holed root end version seen today. During the Edo period (1600-1868), Shakuhachi training was the primary meditative practice of the komusô (‘priests of nothingness’) a sect of Zen Buddhist monks. For the Komuso, the shakuhachi was primarily a spiritual tool, not a musical instrument. Honkyoku are the songs these monks created.
