Japanese Zen Flute Shakuhachi – History and Information

The shakuhachi Japanese wind-blown flute. It is the Japanese’s most well-known woodwind instruments. Zen Buddhists use the shakuhachi (or Zen flute) as a meditation tool, as well as to play traditional Japanese folk music, jazz, and classical. This flute is made out of the very bottom bamboo trees, but you can find versions in ABS and hardwoods.

Although the bamboo flint is simple in appearance, its magic is revealed through the purity of its sound. A master can create a wonderful, subtle and relaxing sound with the flute. It is widely used for meditation and relaxation. Its beautiful, soulful sound made the flute popular in English-speaking pop music 80’s.

Shakuhachi’s name is derived form the term “isshaku hassun”, a combination of one shaku (1.8 Japanese foot) and eight suns. Shakuhachi can be described as the standard size instrument (54.5 cm), but it can also refer a variety of sizes (ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 shaku (39.4 to 75.7cm) or longer. Shakuhachi is often made from the root of a thickwalled bamboo (known by madake in Japanese).

There are two ways to make these instruments. One is using a style that is similar in appearance to Zen Buddhist monks. This shakuhachi does not contain any filler. It is sometimes also called ji nushi or hocchiku. The bamboo can be seen protruding from the bore in a ji nushi. The filler for the second type is made up of a mix of ingredients. This gives the finished product a polished appearance.

Shakuhachi may be made either in one piece (known as nobekan), but it can also be made in two pieces with a joint in the middle (known as nakatsuki). There is no difference in the quality between them, but two of them are more convenient to transport and usually contain filler. The top section of shakuhachi (literally’song lips’) is known as utaguchi. It has an insert that can be made of various materials including buffalo horn or ivory, plastic or even plastic. Its shape is determined by the preference of different schools.

Shakuhachi flute is perhaps the most basic non-percussive instrument that has ever been created. It has no keys or pads as a Western flute, no strings, organ, piano or saxophone mechanism, and no mouthpiece or reed. Zen flute only has five fingers holes. This is far less than the penny whistle, or any other wind instrument. To play a single note, your lips and mouth must become part the instrument. This simple instrument can produce an amazing range of musical sounds, despite its simplicity.

In the 6th century, the Zen flint moved from China to Japan. A sect of Zen Buddhist monks adopted it in the 15th-century. The flutes became more powerful when they were made from the spiked section of the bamboo. This may explain the long association of the flute with the martial arts.