rssAbout me
My name is Philip Seikishi (聖騎士) 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 (都山流) 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 (本曲) and sankyoku (三曲) 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.
Recent performances
- First European Shakuhachi Society Summer School in London, July 2006: I gave a performace/workshop on Irish music for shakuhachi.
- Maynooth University lunchtime solo recital, October 2006
- Second European Shakuhachi Society Summer School in Munster, July 2007: Repeat performance/workshop on Irish music for shakuhachi.
- Prague Shakuhachi Summer School, August 2007: I performed honkyoku and contemporary pieces during the summer school concerts.
- Concert organised by the Japanese Embassy in Dublin Castle with Bill Dowdell (flute), John Feeley (guitar) and Junshi Murakami (Irish harp), December 2007.
- Sydney International Shakuhachi Festival, July 2008: I performed in the Shakuhachi Grand Prix and participant concerts.
- 'Watch this Space' festival at the National Theatre in London, August 2008: I performed with the Japanese group 'Haru Ichiban'.
- Festival of World Cultures 2009 in Dun Laoghaire with Junshi Murakami.
- National Concert Hall, Dublin on September 8, 2009: I performed a version of "Rokudan" with "Raga Pianist", Ustav Lal, Koushik Chandrashekar on mridangam and Rohan Kapadia on tabla.
- Experience Japan Day, Dublin, April 11, 2010.
- Celebrating 100 years of the Japanese Gardens, The Irish National Stud, May 16, 2010.
- Visit the shakuhachizen blog.
- Check out the shakuhachizen myspace page.
- Listen to the sound of shakuhachi.
- View current shakuhachi under construction.
