Atsuya Okuda (奥田敦也 ''Okuda Atsuya'') is a

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese-born master player and teacher jinashi shakuhachi, an unrefined

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

. 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 bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently kno ...

, 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

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 school, Rinzai Zen, attaining the title of rōshi. Born as Tanaka Masaru, he was also known as Tanaka Fumon, Itcho Fumon, 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'' 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 (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Album

* '' The Sound of Zen'' (2002) * ''

Bamboo Zen Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

'' (2010) * ''

Plays Jinashi nobe Shakuhachi Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

'' (2011) * '' So-Zen'' (2013) * ''

Southern Island" - Tales of Palawan Island Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

'' (2014) * ''

Tales of Bamboo Tales may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Tales'' (album), a 1995 album by Marcus Miller * ''Tales'' (film), a 2014 Iranian film * ''Tales'' (TV series), an American television series * ''Tales'' (video game), a 2016 point-and-click adventure ...

'' (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