今の録音
Living players record this music beautifully, but their albums aren't free to share, so we don't play them here. These are albums we recommend. The links go to the artists' or labels' own pages, where buying directly supports the musicians.
Japan
- Shingetsu — Bronwyn Kirkpatrick (2020)Shakuhachi
Five classical honkyoku alongside three contemporary pieces that grew out of them.
- Music on the Edge of Silence — Adrian Freedman (2007)Shakuhachi
Zen-tradition honkyoku with a few of the player's own pieces.
- Recordings (artist page) — Riley LeeShakuhachi
The first non-Japanese grand master (dai shihan) of the shakuhachi; his Bandcamp page collects his albums.
- Japanese Koto Music — Satomi Saeki (2009)Koto
Classic koto repertoire, including 'Chidori no kyoku'.
- Japanese Traditional Koto and Shakuhachi Music — Satomi Saeki & Alcvin Takegawa Ramos (2006)Koto, Shakuhachi
Duets from the sankyoku repertoire, opening with 'Rokudan'.
- Masterpieces of Koto — Michio MiyagiKoto
Historic recordings by the most influential koto composer of the 20th century, reissued by Canary Records.
- Ibuki — Yoshida Brothers (1999)Shamisen
The debut that brought Tsugaru shamisen to a new audience.
- Kokai (古界) — kishun (Ko Ishikawa & Kahoru Nakamura) (2025)Shō, Biwa
Shō and gakubiwa alone: gagaku's harmonic instruments heard without the melody.
- Yusura – playing the Gakubiwa — Kahoru Nakamura (2025)Biwa
Restored pieces and new work for the gagaku lute.
China
- Standards of the Guqin — Juni L. Yeung (2014)Gǔqín
About an hour of standard qin repertoire, recorded as a companion to a textbook.
- Masterpieces of Chinese Pipa and Qin Music — Cheng Yu (2017)Pípá, Gǔqín
Classical pieces for both instruments from a London-based player.
- Chinese Traditional Erhu Music Vol. 1 — Lei Qiang (1995)Èrhú
Erhu standards, including Abing's 'Moon Reflected in the Second Spring'.
- Songs of the Naxi of Southwest China — He Jinhua (2022)Voice
Naxi folk song from Yunnan, released by Smithsonian Folkways.