| The Jinashi Shakuhachi: The Instrument Today and the Creation of a Contemporary Repertoire Contributor(s): Day, Kiku (Author) |
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ISBN: 147241862X ISBN-13: 9781472418623 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $89.05 Product Type: Hardcover Published: January 2026 This item may be ordered no more than 25 days prior to its publication date of January 5, 2026 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Music |
| Series: Soas Musicology |
| Physical Information: 206 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: With the abrogation of the Zen Buddhist Fuke sect during Japan's modernisation process in the late nineteenth century, the raison d' atre for the shakuhachi (Japanese vertical bamboo flute) as a spiritual tool for mendicant monks suddenly vanished. Thereafter, playing the shakuhachi changed from spiritual practice to professional musicianship or musical hobby. The fact that the instrument had been modified and 'improved' has been a well-kept secret. The old style shakuhachi, now named jinashi shakuhachi, became a marginalised instrument for eccentrics. However, during the past decade it has gained popularity, especially outside Japan, where it is considered to be 'the real thing' as opposed to the modernised jinuri shakuhachi. Kiku Day examines how the jinashi shakuhachi, although constructed according to the principles current prior to the Meiji Restoration, itself has been modified to adapt to the needs of modern players. In order to place the instrument into the modern world in its own right, the author, a professional jinashi shakuhachi player, describes her recent collaboration with five international composers on a performance project with the aim of creating a new repertoire. This process of cross cultural creation is described against the background of action research, Theory U, and the theory of flow. |