Kyotaku
Since mid 2020 Remco studies kyotaku with Agar Kyosui Noiri, a disciple of Koku Nishimura (1915 - 2002). The kyotaku is a member of the Japanese shakuhachi flute family and is associated with Koku Nishimura as a tool for meditative playing and harkens back to older flutes.
The kyotaku is a long wide bore jinashi flute, which means the bore of the flute is the raw bamboo, making it harder to play than modern shakuhachi, but it’s deep and resonant sound makes it an ideal instrument for an introspective and meditative approach.
The instrument requires a more relaxed blowing style than the modern shakuhachi.
Agar Kyosui Noiri
Agar Kyosui Noiri is a master kyotaku player & craftsman, and direct disciple of Koku Nishimura, the founder of kyotaku flute playing in Japan. In 1975 he became Koku Nishimura’ s student and entered the life of a komuso himself. He studied and traveled with his teacher until Koku Nishimura’ s death in 2002.
Koku Nishimura
Koku Nishimura was born in 1915 and started studying shakuhachi with komuso-monk Tani Kyochiku at age 28. Like his teacher he became a wandering mendicant monk for 10 years and later founded the Tani-sect of fluteplayers. Aside from being a master flute-player and builder he was also an accomplished woodcarver and painter.
He had a black belt with six dan in Okinawa karate and a black belt with three dan in Kendo. His son Koryu Nishimura succeeded him as the sensei for the Tani-sect.
