Norfolk Library hosts traditional Japanese flautists

The Norfolk Library hosted a unique shakuhachi performance on Sunday, Oct. 27 from expert players Kodō Araki VI and Ralph Samuelson.

The shakuhachi is a bamboo Japanese flute which originated in Buddhist temples as a meditation tool in the 17th century. Araki is one in a long line of shakuhachi masters — his given name is Hanzaburō after his great-great-grandfather who is a legendary figure in the instrument’s history, and who made the instrument Araki played on Sunday.

The name he performs under — Kodō — is a professional title that designates the head of the family’s shakuhachi guild, which is the oldest in Japan. Araki inherited the name at his father’s retirement in 2009.

Eileen Fitzgibbons, events coordinator at the Norfolk Library, emphasized to the crowd that this would be an unusual and rare performance while introducing the performers. “I feel so honored that this music will grace our walls,” she said.

The instrument itself is deceptively dynamic, at times bold and commanding while other times fluttering and delicate. The music was distinctly somber and contemplative, consisting of long, drawn out tones and lilting melodies, accented by occasional flutters and trills.

The duo played five pieces, consisting of traditional pieces composed by monks known as honkyoku and several of Araki’s own compositions. The titles of the works were uniformly naturalistic, evoking deer bleating in the forest and leaves fluttering down on a cold evening.

“All the best Japanese music seems to be composed about the autumn,” Araki said.

Araki noted that the shakuhachi tradition is unique in that “it’s not musical in origin,” but rather is rooted in Buddhist meditation practices. The instrument became musically popular in the mid-18th century in large part due to Araki’s great-great grandfather Kodō II, he said, who fought to preserve the tradition when the instrument was outlawed during the Meiji Restoration.

Araki is based near Seattle, but has performed at the Norfolk Library several times before, and expressed his gratitude to the Library for hosting the performance. He said he’ll be back with Samuelson “whenever they’ll have us.”