My teacher during most of my twelve year shakuhachi life has been David Wheeler, with whom I study Chikuyusha (Junsuke Kawase school) Kinko sankyoku and honkyoku as well as modern Japanese music. He is attempting to give me the rigor and discipline necessary to make good shakuhachi 'bones'.

Earlier, I studied the complete Jin Nyodo honkyoku repertoire as well as numerous sankyoku pieces with Yoshio Kurahashi, and most of the Dõkyoku pieces with Michael Gould.

I also enjoy a wide range of Chikuho honkyoku pieces, received from Riley Lee, on his occasional visits.

My passion is Japanese music of all kinds, from Chikuzen biwa, to Enka, from Hauta to Nagauta, and all the classical hogaku ensemble pieces. But I'm particularly interested in the very old honkyoku of Myoan Shinpo-ryu and Taizan-ha. This is an ongoing project, finding resources and performers of this genre.

I live near Boulder, Colorado and we have a very active Japanese music community here. Myself, David Wheeler and Yoko Hiraoka run regular Sankyoku Intensives, where players fly in to participate over a three day period. David and I, together with Cory Sperry, run the annual Shakuhachi Summer Camp of the Rockies. We also have a long history of inviting teachers from Japan to come and run workshops here. The number of koto, shamisen and shakuhachi students here is such that at a recent Doll's Festival concert, there were ten shakuhachi players all playing Chidori no Kyoku together with four koto-ists.

A part of my time is engaged as an impresario for Japanese traditional music. I research performance opportunities and bring Japanese musicians and USA venues together.

My intention with starting Japanshakuhachi was to make it easier for American buyers to hear and play good instruments from Japan. It’s a bit like a dating service. I try to match up players with flutes that will fit them and excite them.

It's a lot of fun, and over the years I’ve learned a few things about this process. Everyones' embouchure and ‘way’ with the flute is different, and I’m always delighted when the symbiotic match is made.

I sell instruments to players all over the world, including countries as diverse as Columbia, Italy and Denmark, and places in between. From beginners to professionals, from diehard Japanese music enthusiasts to uniquely Western players, and to those who want to simply blow meditatively.

David Sawyer

These are two favorites of mine. They are played on big bore jinashi shakuhachi: an old meian 1.9 and an Hõzan 2.7, in natural acoustics

_{Please contact David Sawyer at:david@japanshakuhachi.com}