Shakuhachi

Shakuhachi
A is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown flute that is made of bamboo. The bamboo end-blown flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the . A bamboo flute known as the or was derived from the Chinese xiao in the Nara period and died out in the 10th century. After a long blank period, the appeared in the 15th century, and then in the 16th century, the was developed in Japan. The flourished in the 18th century during the Edo period, and eventually the also died out. The developed in Japan is longer and thicker than the and has one finger hole less. It is longer and thicker than and is superior in volume, range, scale and tone quality. Today, since the shakuhachi generally refers only to , the theory that the is an instrument unique to Japan is widely accepted.
The is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in ABS and hardwoods. It was used by the monks of the Fuke Zen of Zen Buddhism in the practice of (blowing meditation).
The instrument is tuned to the minor pentatonic scale.
Etymology
The name means "1.8 ", referring to its size. It is a compound of two words:
is an archaic unit of length equal to and subdivided in ten subunits.
means "eight", here eight , or tenths, of a .
Thus, the compound word means "one eight ", the standard length of a . Other vary in length from about 1.3 up to 3.6 . Although the sizes differ, all are still referred to generically as .
Overview
are usually made from the root end of (Phyllostachys bambusoides) bamboo culm and are extremely versatile instruments. Professional players can produce virtually any pitch they wish from the instrument, and play a wide repertoire of original Zen music, ensemble music with and , folk music, jazz, and other modern pieces.
Much of the 's subtlety (and player's skill) lies in its rich tone colouring, and the ability for its variation. Different fingerings, embouchures and amounts of can produce notes of the same pitch, but with subtle or dramatic differences in the tone colouring. Holes can be covered partially and pitch varied subtly or substantially by changing the blowing angle. The pieces rely heavily on this aspect of the instrument to enhance their subtlety and depth.
Unlike a recorder, where the player blows into a duct—a narrow airway over a block which is called a "fipple"—and thus has limited pitch control, the player blows as one would blow across the top of an empty bottle (though the has a sharp edge to blow against called ) and therefore has substantial pitch control. The term literally translates as "to the mouth that sings", referring to the upper and main hole of the flute where the mouthpiece or blowing edge is created by a natural diagonal cut in the bamboo.
The history of the shows a variety of designs of inlaid mouthpieces that vary between certain traditional Japanese schools of . Thus, the Kinko Ryu, Myoan and Tozan Ryu, differ in different features in their line of mouthpiece design, coinciding in them the total non-use in their inlay of the semi-circumference formed by the natural cut of the mouthpiece in the bamboo. Beyond the fact that these inlaid forms were a hallmark of styles and schools, the fact of inlaying a mouthpiece historically could respond to a way of repairing the instrument due to wear or damage in particular in its blowing edge.
The five finger holes are tuned to a minor pentatonic scale with no half-tones, but using techniques called and , in which the blowing angle is adjusted to bend the pitch downward and upward, respectively, combined with embouchure adjustments and fingering techniques the player can bend each pitch as much as a whole tone or more. Pitches may also be lowered by or partially covering finger holes. Since most pitches can be achieved via several different fingering or blowing techniques on the , the timbre of each possibility is taken into account when composing or playing thus different names are used to write notes of the same pitch which differ in timbre. The has a range of two full octaves (the lower is called / , the upper, ) and a partial third octave though experienced players can produce notes up to E7 (2637.02Hz) on a 1.8 shakuhachi. The various octaves are produced using subtle variations of breath, finger positions and embouchure.
In traditional repertoire, instead of tonguing for articulation like many Western wind instruments, hitting holes with a very fast movement is used and each note has its corresponding repeat fingerings; e.g., for repeating C5 the 5th hole (D5's tone hole) is used.
A 1.8 produces D4 (D above Middle C, 293.66Hz) as its fundamental—the lowest note it produces with all five finger holes covered, and a normal blowing angle. In contrast, a 2.4 has a fundamental of A3 (A below Middle C, 220Hz). As the length increases, the spacing of the finger holes also increases, stretching both fingers and technique. Longer flutes often have offset finger holes, and very long flutes are almost always custom made to suit individual players. Some , in particular those of the Nezasaha (Kimpu-ryū) school, are intended to be played on these longer flutes.
Due to the skill required, the time involved, and the range of quality in materials to craft bamboo , one can expect to pay from US$1,000 to US$8,000 for a new or used flute. Because each piece of bamboo is unique, cannot be mass-produced, and craftsmen must spend much time finding the correct shape and length of bamboo, curing it for more or less of a decade in a controlled environment and then start shaping the bore for almost a year using paste—many layers of a mixture including and and finished with lacquer—for each individual flute to achieve correct pitch and tonality over all notes. Specimens of extremely high quality, with valuable inlays, or of historical significance can fetch US$20,000 or more. Plastic or PVC have some advantages over their traditional bamboo counterparts: they are lightweight, extremely durable, nearly impervious to heat and cold, and typically cost less than US$100. made of wood are also available, typically costing less than bamboo but more than synthetic materials. Nearly all players, however, prefer bamboo, citing tonal qualities, aesthetics, and tradition.
History
The is derived from the Chinese bamboo-flute. The bamboo-flute first came to Japan from China during the 7th or 8th century. This style of bamboo flute, also called or , was used for playing , but died out in the 10th century. Eight remain in the Shōsō-in Treasure Repository. There are no records of musical scores related to the , so details such as its playing method and scale are unknown. The average length was , the diameter of the finger holes was , and there were 6 finger holes – 5 at the front, 1 at the back.
In the 15th century, the appeared. It is characterized by a single bamboo joint in the middle of the tube. Although it flourished in the 17th century, it gradually fell into disuse due to the development and popularity of the superior , and was no longer used by the 19th century. The average length was , the outer diameter was , and there were 5 finger holes – 4 at the front, 1 at the back.
The flute now known as the was developed in Japan in the 16th century and is called the . This style of is longer and thicker than the older , and its volume, range, scale, and tone are superior to those of the older . It is made from the base of the bamboo, and the average length is , which corresponds to 1 8 ; the outside diameter is , and there are 5 finger holes – 4 at the front, 1 at the back.
During the medieval period, were most notable for their role in the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhist monks, known as ("priests of nothingness" or "emptiness monks"), who used the shakuhachi as a spiritual tool. Their songs (called ) were paced according to the players' breathing and were considered meditation as much as music.
Travel around Japan was restricted by the shogunate at this time, but the Fuke sect managed to wrangle an exemption from the , since their spiritual practice required them to move from place to place playing the and begging for alms (one famous song reflects this mendicant tradition: ; "One two three, pass the alms bowl"). They persuaded the to give them exclusive rights to play the instrument. In return, some were required to spy for the shogunate, and the sent several of his own spies out in the guise of Fuke monks as well. This was made easier by the that the Fuke wore over their heads, a symbol of their detachment from the world.
In response to these developments, several particularly difficult pieces, e.g. , became well known as "tests": if one could play them, they were a real Fuke monk. If they could not, they were probably a spy and might very well be killed if they were in unfriendly territory.
With the Meiji Restoration, beginning in 1868, the shogunate was abolished and so was the Fuke sect, in order to help identify and eliminate the 's holdouts. The very playing of the was officially forbidden for a few years. Non-Fuke folk traditions did not suffer greatly from this, since the tunes could be played just as easily on another pentatonic instrument. However, the repertoire was known exclusively to the Fuke sect and transmitted by repetition and practice, and much of it was lost, along with many important documents.
When the Meiji government did permit the playing of again, it was only as an accompanying instrument to the etc. It was not until later that were allowed to be played publicly again as solo pieces.
The has traditionally been played almost exclusively by men in Japan, although this situation is rapidly changing. Many teachers of traditional music indicate that a majority of their students are women. The 2004 Big Apple Festival in New York City hosted the first-ever concert of international women masters. This festival was organized and produced by Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin, who was the first full-time master to teach in the Western hemisphere. Nyogetsu also holds 2 Dai Shihan (Grand Master) licenses, and has run KiSuiAn, the largest and most active Dojo outside Japan, since 1975.
The has grown in international popularity in recent decades. The first non-Japanese person to become a master was American-Australian Riley Lee. Lee was responsible for the World Festival being held in Sydney, Australia over 5–8 July 2008, based at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Riley Lee played the in Dawn Mantras which was composed by Ross Edwards especially for the Dawn Performance, which took place on the sails of the Sydney Opera House at sunrise on 1 January 2000 and was televised internationally.
Acoustics
The creates a harmonic spectrum that contains the fundamental frequency together with even and odd harmonics and some blowing noise. Five tone holes enable musicians to play the notes D-F-G-A-C-D. Cross (or fork) fingerings, half-covering tone holes, and blowing cause pitch sharpening, referred to as intonation anomaly. Especially the second and third harmonic exhibit the well-known timbre. Even though the geometry of the is relatively simple, the sound radiation of the is rather complicated. Sound radiating from several holes and the natural asymmetry of bamboo create an individual spectrum in each direction. This spectrum depends on frequency and playing technique.
Notable players
The International Shakuhachi Society maintains a directory of notable professional, amateur, and teaching players.
Recordings
The primary genres of music are:
(traditional, solo)
(ensemble, with and )
(new music composed for and , commonly post-Meiji period compositions influenced by Western music)
Recordings in each of these categories are available; however, more albums are catalogued in categories outside the traditional realm. As of 2018, players continue releasing records in a variety of traditional and modern styles.
The first recording appeared in the United States in the late 1960s. Gorō Yamaguchi recorded A Bell Ringing in the Empty Sky for Nonesuch Explorer Records on LP, an album which received acclaim from Rolling Stone at the time of its release. One of the pieces featured on Yamaguchi's record was , also called (Crane's Nesting). NASA later chose to include this track as part of the Golden Record aboard the Voyager spacecraft.
In the film industry
are often used in modern film scores, for example those by James Horner. Films in which it is featured prominently include: The Karate Kid parts II and III by Bill Conti, Legends of the Fall and Braveheart by James Horner, Jurassic Park and its sequels by John Williams and Don Davis, and The Last Samurai by Hans Zimmer and Memoirs of a Geisha by John Williams.
Renowned Japanese classical and film-score composer Toru Takemitsu wrote many pieces for and orchestra, including his well-known Celeste, Autumn and November Steps.
Western contemporary music
The Australian master and composer Jim Franklyn has composed a number of works for solo , also including electronics.
British composer John Palmer included a wide range of extended techniques in (1999, for and ensemble)
In Carlo Forlivesi's composition for and guitar "", the performance techniques were remarked as "[presenting] notable difficulties in a few completely novel situations: an audacious movement of 'expansion' of the respective traditions of the two instruments pushed as they are at times to the limits of the possible, the aim being to have the and the guitar playing on the same level and with virtuosity (two instruments that are culturally and acoustically so dissimilar), thus increasing the expressive range, the texture of the dialogue, the harmonic dimension and the tone-colour."
American composer and performer Elizabeth Brown plays and has written many pieces for the instrument that build on Japanese traditions while diverging with more modern arrangement, orchestration, melodic twists or harmonic progressions.
New York-born musician James Nyoraku Schlefer plays, teaches, and composes for .
Composer Carson Kievman has employed the instrument in many works from "Ladies Voices" in 1976 to "Feudal Japan" in the parallel world opera Passion Love Gravity in 2020-21.
Brian Ritchie of the Violent Femmes formed a jazz quintet in 2002 called The N.Y.C. Club. They play avant-garde jazz versions of tradition American folk and blues songs with Ritchie's playing as the focal point. In 2004 they released their debut album on Weed Records.
Welsh composer Karl Jenkins features prominent solos in his 2005 Requiem, specifically in the movements where the texts are death haikus.
American multi-instrumentalist and composer Zac Zinger is a specialist, featuring it on his progressive-jazz album Fulfillment, as well as playing it on the score of Just Cause 4 and the promotional album for Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, from Magic: The Gathering.
Synthesized
The sound of the is also featured from time to time in electronica, pop and rock, especially after being commonly shipped as a "preset" instrument on various synthesizers and keyboards beginning in the 1980s.
See also
(a similar, end-blown bamboo flute)
List of shakuhachi players
Quena (a similar flute from South America)
Shakuhachi musical notation
References
Further reading
Henry Johnson, The shakuhachi: roots and routes, Amsterdam, Brill, 2014
Iwamoto Yoshikazu, The Potential of the Shakuhachi in Contemporary Music, “Contemporary Music Review”, 8/2, 1994, pp. 5–44
Tsukitani Tsuneko, The shakuhachi and its music, in Alison McQueen Tokita, David W. Huges (edited by), The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music 7, Aldershot, Ashgate, 2008, pp. 145–168
Riley Lee (1992). "Yearning For The Bell; a study of transmission in the shakuhachi honkyoku tradition", Thesis, University of Sydney
Seyama Tōru, The Re-contextualisation of the Shakuhachi (Syakuhati) and its Music from Traditional/Classical into Modern/Popular, “the world of music”, 40/2, 1998, pp. 69–84
Zapata, Ricardo (2021). "Blow your mind Ride your tone; The conquest of shakuhachi discovering your inner singing", Ebook, Colombia, 2021
External links
International Shakuhachi Society
Shakuhachi flute Fingering Chart
Shakuhachi Online Study Program and Flute Store
Fuke Shakuhachi Official Site
End-blown flutes
Japanese musical instruments
Zen
Bamboo flutes
Five tone hole wind instruments
Fuke Zen