Biography
Dr. Jim Franklin is a master performer of the shakuhachi.
He studied composition and musicology in Sydney, Stuttgart and Amsterdam. In the course of his studies he encountered the shakuhachi, and has been fascinated by it ever since.
After learning the instrument in Australia with Dr. Riley Lee and in Japan with FURUYA Teruo and YOKOYAMA Katsuya, he was awarded the title Shihan ("Master", a licence to teach and perform) by YOKOYAMA-sensei in 1996.
As a composer, Jim Franklin also works with instrumental and electronic music.
In 2018, he was Programme Coordinator of the World Shakuhachi Festival in London.
From 2004 to 2021 he lived in Germany. In April 2021 he emigrated to Japan; he now lives near Kyoto and Lake Biwa with his wife, Hiroko Sugino.
