Kame-no-Shirabe 亀 の 調

I’m thrilled to announce that my new composition for beginners, Kame-no-Shirabe (Tortoise’s Melody), commissioned by the European Shakuhachi Society, has been published in their Bamboo Newsletter of June 2025.

I am the fourth composer of their “Ignition Commission” program, and the first European one!

Celebration of slowness

Slowness is the motto of the piece!

“With calm and tranquility you’ll reach your goals”.

“If you sometimes feel like you are progressing slowly on your shakuhachi journey, this piece is a celebration of the slow pace of the tortoise. Slowness gives time to look at the details, to feel what is happening when you play, inside and out. It gives space to deepen your practice.
In some cultures, the tortoise is a symbol of wisdom, longevity and protection.“

Listen

You can listen to my composition here:

My Works for Shakuhachi Beginners

Compositions

Beginners are very important for the future of shakuhachi, regardless of the student’s age. Their first steps with the flute are precious. As a teacher, I’m involved in helping them by providing personal instruction, but also in supporting their motivation with compositions and booklets especially written for their level.

These compositions are accessible to any beginner student regardless of his/her school, and they are available on this website here, as well as in my virtual dojo. Here is the list:

• 10 Easy Pentatonic Melodies
• 6 Elemental Melodies
• Honkyoku for Beginners
• Warm-up Routines

Practice Tips and Tutorial Videos

On this website, I’ve been sharing a lot of information, including practice tips.

However, the shakuhachi cannot be learned only with practice tips. For students who don’t have or cannot afford a teacher, I’ve created a virtual dojo, where I share tutorial videos, music notations, and more.

You can join for free, choose a monthly subscription or purchase scores and collections of posts in the shop.

Valuable content has value

Invitation to my Virtual Dojo

In my virtual shakuhachi dojo, you will find the sheet music of my latest composition, Kame-no-Shirabe, for free. All you need to do is register at the dojo (free of charge). The score is included in the post “Kame-no-Shirabe“.

To help practice the piece, I just published a short tutorial, which is my 50th tutorial video in my dojo! Just check it out!

What’s in my virtual dojo?

I have been working hard on the content of this dojo for over four years. The platform itself has developed many tools, allowing creators to share their works in a variety of ways.

This intimate space not only offers unique content but also allows you to connect personally with me. You’ll have access to the various aspects of shakuhachi that I work on, whether you’re a beginner wanting to learn the basics, a meditator looking to deepen your practice, or a more experienced player wishing to expand your repertoire with pieces from the Hijiri-Kai.

Check-it out here!