Jim Franklin is an Australian composer/performer of shakuhachi. He encountered the shakuhachi during musical studies in Australia, Germany and Netherlands. After learning it with Dr Riley Lee, Furuya Teruo and Yokoyama Katsuya, he received the title shihan in 1996 from Yokoyama-sensei. In 1998, he was awarded the degree of PhD in composition from Sydney University.
He also studied ethnomusicology and No with Dr Allan Marett, author of the English-language No plays Eliza and Oppenheimer, and was a member of the ensemble which first performed Eliza in 1988.
As a performer, Franklin specialises in shakuhachi honkyoku and modern music. His concert activities have extended throughout Australia, Europe (where he resided for many years) and Japan (where he has lived since 2021), and he has performed and taught at most of the World Shakuhachi Festivals (WSFs) since 1998. His CDs include recordings of honkyoku, his own compositions, and collaborations with other musicians.
As a composer, Franklin merges shakuhachi with contemporary music, often combining the instrument with live-electronics, which he frequently plays simultaneously with the shakuhachi.
As an author, Franklin’s published writings include articles relating to shakuhachi honkyoku, the notion of spirituality in shakuhachi music, English-language No, composition, and the book Densokugaku: Shakuhachi, Composition, Electronics.
In 2006, he helped establish the European Shakuhachi Society, becoming its founding chairperson. Additionally, he was programme coordinator of the 2008 WSF (Sydney), and Programme and Finance Director of the 2018 WSF (London).