Atsuya Okuda (奥田敦也 ''Okuda Atsuya'') is a Japanese-born master player and teacher jinashi shakuhachi, an unrefined

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

. Prior to dedicating his efforts to the

bamboo flute The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic flutes, Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest f ...

, he was a professional

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

player from approximately 1965 until 1985.

Biography

Since the death of

Watazumi Doso Roshi (November 20, 1911 - December 14, 1992) was a master of the end-blown Japanese bamboo flute. He studied Rinzai Zen, attaining the title of . Born as Tanaka Masaru, he was also known as Tanaka Fumon, Itcho Fumon, Watazumi Fumon, and Wataz ...

in 1992, some regard Atsuya Okuda as the greatest living jinashi shakuhachi player. His style is very quiet and subtle and his patience has been described as "geological in dimension".Clive Bell. Review of "The Sound of Zen". Wire Magazine. Okuda has taught shakuhachi since 1985 but until releasing ''

The Sound of Zen ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' in 2002, he refused to record his playing. He believed that only live sound leads to an understanding of jinashi shakuhachi. As of 2005, Atsuya Okuda lives and teaches in Kokubunji, a suburb of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Album

*''

'' (2002) *'' Bamboo Zen'' (2010) *'' Plays Jinashi nobe Shakuhachi'' (2011) *'' So-Zen'' (2013) *'' Southern Island" - Tales of Palawan Island'' (2014) *'' Tales of Bamboo'' (2014)

References

External links

''A Modern Bamboo Cutter's Tale''
(page 2), by Doug Jackson, a student of Atsuya Okuda

at the International Shakuhachi Society

Japanese male musicians Japanese musicians Living people Shakuhachi players Year of birth missing (living people) {{flautist-stub