The shakuhachi has a varied history as a solo meditation instrument, a member of the gagaku orchestra, a crucial part of sankyoku, and a participant in jazz and other Western genres. Listen to the guided listening example of Tori Kadotsuke Hachigaeshi (located on the preceding content page titled “Shakuhachi and Taiko”) and answer the following questions:
- How does its tone, or timbre, differ from the sound of a Western flute?
- What qualities of the shakuhachi sound do you think to make it desirable and flexible enough to participate in so many different genres?
- What qualities of Japanese aesthetics, as outlined in the chapter, do you hear in the piece?
