Hanzaburo Araki was born December 7, 1970 in Middletown, Connecticut
where his father, Kodo Araki V, was "Artist in Residence" at Wesleyan
University. Much to his later consternation he lumbered with the
difficult-to-pronounce and antiquated name of his great-great-grandfather
Hanzaburo Araki (Kodo Araki II), the most famous name in shakuhachi
history. It was he who brought this simple, bamboo flute out of the
Zen temples, where it was used for meditation, into the popular world
of chamber music.
For Hanz, as he is popularly called, the name turned out to be
prophetic as his natural gift for playing this difficult and esoteric
instrument revealed itself at an early age. His father, not wishing
to force upon him a career that had been passed down through five
generations of family, did not begin his instruction until he was in
his seventeenth year. Just four months later he made his debut in
Japan, a feat practically unheard of and the word genius was on
everyone's lips. He has continued to perform in various concerts in
Japan and the United States and also taught at Japan's prestigious
Keio University for the shakuhachi society.
