In the domain of Western classical music, a strange thing happened sometime around the early 19th century: music stopped being something that happened and started being something that was. The pieces—Beethoven’s Fifth, Mozart’s Requiem, Mahler’s Ninth—became an autonomous object, not simply a performance but a Platonic ideal, a capital-W Work. And with this transformation, the priorities of musicians and audiences shifted. The question was no longer “What is this sound doing here and now?” but “Is this a faithful realization of the score?”

A single breath through the shakuhachi can carry a world of intention—just as a single four-character idiom can distill centuries of wisdom. The Japanese tradition of yojijukugo (四字熟語, “four-character idioms”) offers more than an interesting conversation over tea; it represents a convergence of philosophy, aesthetics, and memory. These compact phrases, rooted in Chinese classical literature and refined through centuries of Japanese use, are a storehouse of moral principles, cultural heritage, and rhythm of thought.

Somewhere in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s, a young, mediocre guitarist named Robert Johnson disappeared for a time—only to return with a mastery so uncanny that whispers began: He must have made a deal with the Devil. The legend says he met Satan at a crossroads, handed over his soul, and walked away with otherworldly skill. Whether myth or metaphor, Johnson’s story became a cornerstone of American music folklore and a cautionary tale disguised as a blues song…

Don’t Rest on Your Laurels: The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

“Don’t rest on your laurels.” I hear this phrase all the time when watching Tinker Bell with my daughter. The charming grandmother-like “fairy Mary” uses this phrase in almost every movie. As a side note, I’m not just a shakuhachi master but I also have my Okuden in Tinker Lore.

“Finally, a Little Respect”: Time, Creativity, and the Long Game

There’s a grainy screenshot out there—just a moment, really—of Rodney Dangerfield, barely recognizable to most, captured in the deep shadows of Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 noir classic, The Killing. It’s not the Rodney we’d come to know with the bugged-out eyes, the swinging tie, and the classic line: “I don’t get no respect.” In this brief flash, he isn’t the headliner, the legend, or even a featured player. He’s a ghost in the frame, a whisper before the storm of laughter that would follow decades later.

In March of 2025, I had the incredible honor of giving a lecture and performance at Wauwatosa West High School. Normally, a high school event wouldn’t make it into my blog space, but this one was truly special. The invitation came from a person who played a pivotal role in my journey as a musician—Mr. Tyler Hull. Over two decades ago, I was a much smaller (and much more obnoxious) version of myself, sitting in his fourth-grade orchestra class. Back then, he had a full head of flowing locks; now, he's bald! But what hasn’t changed is his passion, his enthusiasm, and his unwavering dedication to his students. Oh, and his collection of old keys…

The journey to bring "Waterfall's Voice" to life was an unforgettable creative process. Composition professor Talia Amar and I met several times to dive deep into the world of the shakuhachi first with her class at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. Her class wrote pieces for me utilizing electronics. I got four incredible pieces of music that I recorded for each of the students. After the course, Talia came to me with a proposal that she would also like to compose a piece for me. I accepted without hesitation. After all of the classes and workshops that we previously held for shakuhachi, Talia approached our meeting with contagious excitement, eager to reinforce everything about the instrument. Her curiosity and passion made me even more energized to collaborate with her.

Hitoyogiri Beginnings: Oshiki, the Summer mode (July - September)

Everyone starts here. The Oshiki class covers all of the pieces in the Summer mode, as well as the basics of playing, including techniques specific to hitoyogiri - this gives you a solid foundation for the other modes as well. Most pieces also include some historical notes about who wrote them, where they came from, etc. You'll receive materials each week via email with the pieces we'll be learning as well as translations from playing manuals dating back to around 1600.

Sakaguchi Yuzan- Sensei Collaboration On Youtube

Tairyu Hokyoku Cd Collection

2024 Festival Reflections

I’ve been home from the 2024 Taibo Shakuhachi Festival for almost two weeks now. Some of my shakuhachi friends and students have asked me how it was, but it’s difficult to convey the immersive nature of these gatherings. Now that I’ve had time to reflect on it, I’ll give it a shot.

Encuentro Latinoamericano de Shakuhachi

¡Inimaginable, pero hasta donde yo sé, nunca ha habido un evento así! Luego estoy muy orgullosa de ser parte del equipo de los organizadores y que asumimos el reto de reunir a este grupo maravillosamente diverso de tocadores por primera vez en 2025. Ciertamente, los sopladores vienen de muchos linajes diferentes o no tienen linaje. Así que nuestro propósito es unir a lo más de escuelas y tocadores posibles para disfrutar el sonido de la Shakuhachi juntos y compartir las diferentes ideas y estilos.

Japan 1745 is a land under the iron grip of the Tokugawa shoguns. Roads are monitored,

dissent stifled, and order maintained through blackmail and an extensive network of informers.

Amid rumors of rebellion, Kurosawa Kinko – samurai and monk – is expelled in disgrace as the

head music instructor of his Zen temple in Nagasaki. He begins an odyssey across Japan, dogged

Nick Bellando here, I'm starting another section of the hitoyogiri shakuhachi online class, beginning in October. We'll meet on Zoom at 8pm Japan time every Monday for three months. This class covers everything you need to get started. We learn the repertoire of the standard Oshiki mode, along with all of the basic techniques. Each session lasts about an hour, including time for questions, advice, etc. Each session is recorded, so you are free to participate at your own timing if the lesson times don't work out for you, and you can still ask questions via email. Each session also includes scores and translations from ancient (Muromachi and early Edo-era) hitoyogiri manuals, which provide the bulk of material for us to learn from.

Robin Tamura recently had the unexpected pleasure of being invited to play shakuhachi at the Colorscape Music Festival in London. It was quite a surprise, since I’ve only recently started teaching and performing publicly. The invitation came from London-based Xiao player Dennis Lee, who found me on Instagram while searching for a Japanese-looking shakuhachi player in Europe.

Less Than a Month Away from Our Next Yozan Shakuhachi Giveaway!

Over the last several months, the Tairyu Shakuhachi YouTube channel has seen a surge of activity. Regular viewers of the channel may recall that Tairyu celebrated the 10,000th subscriber just a few months ago, with a top 10 “Forbidden Songs” playlist. Now, driven by new types of videos and livestreams, the channel is racing toward 20k.