The classical honkyoku are one of the very few areas in which individualism can find acceptable expression in the rigid society of Japan, while in the West this same music offers deep insight into zen Buddhism and all that it implies. The International Shakuhachi Society serves as a world forum for those interested in this unique instrument. It enables the various Japanese schools, leading players, composers and ethnomusicologists to disseminate their views to a wide and sympathetic audience. The Society is not partisan, but respects the unique relationship with the instrument which each player enjoys. The Society promotes and encourages the exchange and dissemination of information related to shakuhachi, its music and traditions.
Membership is open to all interested individuals.
The history of the shakuhachi and the komuso movement. The shakuhachi in its relation to the philosophy of zen. The notation and playing techniques of the various schools. The craft of shakuhachi making and a description of important historical and modern instruments. An international registry of traditional music teachers.