| B I O G R A P H Y | Kaoru Kakizakai | 
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Currently
he is a research fellow at the Tokyo College of Music, full time
instructor for the International Shakuhachi Kenshukan and NHK Culture
Centre, and President of the International Shakuhachi Kenshu-kan
Chichibu School and Higashi Yamato School. |
Kaoru
Kakizakai was born in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture in 1959 and started
playing the kena while he was in his teens. At 21 he started playing
the shakuhachi in the Kinko style. His teacher recognized an unusual
ability to play so he recommended him to study with the master,Yokoyama
Katsuya. He graduated from the NHK Traditional Music Conservatory
and is the winner of the prestigious Kumamoto All Japan Hogaku competition.
He has recorded with Yokoyama sensei on his CDs and videos and is
a popular leader of shakuhachi workshops for the International Shakuhachi
Training Center (Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan) in Tokyo. He performed
Toru Takemitsu's November Steps with the NHK Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Charles Dutoit and Hiroyuki Iwaki and with the St.
Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia, conducted by Akira Naito. He
has performed extensively in America, Europe, Asia, and Australia
and is a faculty member of the Boulder Colorado summer intensive
camps as well as the Australian Shakuahchi Festivals.