In recent years a number of studies have been published of early European and Asian notation for traditions which were primarily or partially oral. This paper examines the relationship between notation and performance in a primarily oral tradition that continues to the present, namely that of the shakuhachi honkyoku tradition. In this tradition, the relationship between score and sound has been determined largely within the context of oral transmission, which remains dominant within the honkyoku tradition despite the existence of notation for at least a century. The ways in which orality influences the relationship between notation and performance will be illustrated by examining in detail the honkyoku Kokū, a piece considered representative of the tradition. Certain observations made in the course of this study have clear implications for the study of early records of primarily orally transmitted music.

The shakuhachi, Japan's end-blown bamboo flute, is believed to have been first introduced into Japan from China in the eighth century as part of the ensemble of the Chinese court music, gagaku. By the eleventh century it was no longer used in gagaku performances.