Kyozan Remembrance

Kyozan Whimsical Ink Drawing

From a remembrance for his eulogy; calligraphy with a humorous intent.

Kyozan Calligraphy Taki Ochi

Tomimori Kyozan calligraphy of Taki Ochi

Calligraphy with giftwrap artwork

Morimasa Horiuchi Flute Audition

Outdoor test of Senryu shakuhachi; made in the style of Araki Chikuo. This flute was desired by the maker Justin Senryu as his personal 1.8 jinashi sound instrument.

Asahi Waterfall

The Asahi Waterfall is the physical inspiration for sound within Taki Ochi; one of the most revealing honkyoku of the Taizan-ha repetoire. To be like water...

The Asahi waterfall, located about 2 kilometers from the village of Kuzureno, is 5 meters wide and drops about 100 meters down. Falling in three levels, it freezes over in the bitter cold of winter.

Measuring frozen sound...bigger means a better harvest for the next season.

More Komuso Photographs

Komuso Carving

The Usual Suspects

Glove Puppet Komuso

Playing with the Shakuhachi.

Watazumi Images

Watazumi plays a 3.25 jinashi shakuhachi. The Japanese text expresses playing with the heart, and in spite of distractions, playing with a focus that does not divert from the true path.


Boiling water for tea. This may be a Watazumi look-alike. Or the photo may be flopped...Watazumi plays with his right hand on top. Thanks, Prem for pointing this out...possible player could also be Kenji Endo. A good photo.


Extreme widebore dynamic sound.

Taizan Scroll

Scroll portraying Higuchi “Kodo” Taizan (1856-1914) at Myoan Temple.

Toshiro Mifune Komuso

Toshiro Mifune portrayed a komuso in 1964's "Whirlwind", dispatching several swordsmen with his kezerine root-end shakuhachi.

Chinese Scroll

During the late 60's in New York, Mori-san purchased the above scroll in the Chinatown distrtict; the painting reminded him of Kyozan Sensei waiting for him as he walked up to the door of the old Taizan-Ha practice house carrying his bag of shakuhachi. Kyozan-san would say, "Ah, Horiuchi, you are here."

Prarie Yuu

Mori-san plays a lacquered Yuu, a plastic-molded shakuhachi. When a student introduced this flute for evaluation on a nature walk, Mori-san sat on a tall bench and played Choshi over the wind in an Illinois prarie. After finishing, he reflected, smiled and said, "It sounds like bamboo."

Sensei Morimasa Horiuchi

Guardian and the ancient Myoan Temple Bell treasure; this ornate bell was hung from its two holes by a rope. For over one hundred years, a deep sound for ceremonies and meals was made by striking a wooden mallet upon the lotus design between the two mythic birds.

Komuso Woodblock

Illustrations Of Myoanji

Tsunoda Rogetsu, abbot of his own temple in Kyushu. His daughter and Tomimori Kyozan became longtime husband and wife.