Sydney visit by Koji Matsunobu

I first met Koji in Chichibu in 2007 when he and a group from British Columbia were visiting Japan on a 'Bamboo Roots' shakuhachi-playing and bamboo-gathering (in Nagano), jinashi flute-making expedition. This annual trip is usually led by Alcvin Ramos but on this occasion the group was touring without him.  The group from B.C., joined by the visiting Shakuhachi players from Tokyo and Chichibu, worked on Shingetsu and Yamagoe. At that time, Koji was studying his Ph.D at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in the USA in musicology looking at spirituality, bamboo and shakuhachi in Japanese music and music education. These days, Koji is Faculty at the University of Queensland Music Department.

For some time since, I was following his blog Shakuhachi Stuff Writing 3 Minutes a Day. Koji records very interesting and important information, through his position as an 'insider'  and abilities to search out Japanese documentation and interview players and makers, he is in the process of recording some of the hidden facts about the instrument in his blog before they get lost. This is crucial because some of the kinds of traditional lineages, information and 'secrets' passed on from generation to generation are known only in Japan and known by a very select group of people yet comparatively little is known by people outside that circle. Because this information is orally transmitted knowledge, much of it is not written down anywhere. I find this approach that combines the player's perspective and musicologist's interest in cultural heritage very interesting. What might be called 'nose to tail' dining in cuisine could be understood as the bamboo grove to instrument to player chain, whether pursuing shakuhachi from a komuso or a musical perspective, and Koji is one of those people who is looking into the whole journey.

On the day Koji and his wife, Khin Yee, visited Sydney, we went to the Botanic Gardens where he played a very special shakuhachi made for him from old Japanese bamboo by a respected friend (in the bamboo grove), and thence to Blue's Point North Sydney, Balmoral Beach and we finished up at Sushi Studio. I am thankful that Koji and Khin Yee, also a(n) (ethno)musicologist and pedagogue, rekindled my enthusiasm for the music that motivated me to pursue shakuhachi in the first place: honkyoku and komuso roots. He also brought with him the fascinating new recording of Watazumi (former LP re-released as CD) with  Honshirabe, Shingetsu (2 versions), Tamuke, Shishi (Azuma), Tsuru no sugomori, Kyorei and Koku.