My name is Philip Seikishi (???) Horan. The middle name is my shakuhachi name, meaning 'holy samurai'! I am Irish and currently live in Dublin. Before taking up the shakuhachi, I was a flute teacher. I also play other flutes such as the bansuri (Indian flute) and Irish flute. I spent two years in Japan, studying the Tozan-ryu (???) or Tozan school of shakuhachi in Hiroshima. My shakuhachi teachers have included Sunny Yeung (Hong Kong), Hanaoka Seizan (Hiroshima) and Kiku Day (London).
I completed a Masters in Ethnomusicology at the Irish World Music Centre in Limerick, focusing on shakuhachi acoustics and Japanese aesthetics. I have explored playing Irish and Celtic musics on shakuhachi. I play in a variety of styles from the traditional honkyoku (??) and sankyoku (??) to modern pieces and jazz. I give regular performaces in Ireland and abroad and teach shakuhachi to a small but growing community of shakuhachi players in Ireland.
I began making shakuhachi when I lived in Japan from 1999-2001. My shakuhachi are ideal for zen meditation or ‘blowing zen’. All are made from root-end bamboo. I make both ji-nashi and ji-ari shakuhachi in all sizes. My shakuhachi are charactised by their responsiveness and naturalness.
