Yamamoto Hozan

Hozan Yamamoto II (山本 邦山, Yamamoto Hozan) (born 1937) learned shakuhachi from his father and was later taught by Chozan Nakanishi. After absorbing classical style of the shakuhachi, he explored ways of extending the shakuhachi to other genre. In 1966 he formed the "Shakuhachi Sanbon Kai" trio with Reibo Aoki and Katsuya Yokoyama, together creating a variety of crossover collaborations beginning with the jazz idiom in 1967. In 2002 Yamamoto Hozan was designated as one of the Living National Treasures of Japan for Shakuhachi.