In 1979, five students of the shakuhachi master Hozan Yamamoto got together and created a performance group. All had extensive training in the classics, but, as students of one of the most innovative shakuhachi players of the 20th century, all wanted to expand the shakuhachi repertoire and create new music.
The result, a shakuhachi quintet, was named, appropriately, Shakuhachi 1979. The members include Taizan Kawamura, Seizan Ishigaki, Suizan Sakai, Hozan Nomura and Chikuzan Nanba.
Beginning with youthful energy, they originally performed several concerts each year, both in and outside of Tokyo. After going through the existing repertoire of contemporary music for multiple shakuhachi, they began commissioning pieces and composing their own original pieces.