In 1967 a performance occurred in New York City which changed hogaku forever. Under the direction of Seiji Ozawa, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra commemorated its 125th anniversary by commissioning pieces from composers around the world.
From Japan, they asked Toru Takemitsu. Takemitsu (who already at a relatively young age had garnered several prestigious composition awards, and was considered one of the foremost composers of his generation when he died in 1996 at age 65) gave them "November Steps," which combined the Western orchestra with the Japanese shakuhachi and biwa.
"November Steps" was the first composition which placed Japanese instruments on an equal footing with Western ones. For this reason it was revolutionary for both the American and Japanese audiences. It gave Westerners their first serious glimpse of hogaku instruments and provided a powerful stimulus to the stagnant postwar hogaku world in Japan.