All things shakuhachi and bamboo flutes
Welcome, my name’s Josen (Jon Kypros) and here you’ll find my handcrafted shakuhachi flutes for sale and other flutes (you may be familiar with me via my Bell line of flutes). I also make instructional videos and teach live shakuhachi lessons. It’s been my great joy to be a full-time craftsperson of bamboo flutes since the age fifteen or so, for over twenty years and counting. I uphold the title of shakuhachi Daishihan or ‘Grandmaster’ and I also practice Zen Buddhism, both of which I will cultivate for the rest of my life.
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What are shakuhachi? What sets them apart?
Fundamentally, we can define shakuhachi in English as oblique or vertically held flutes from Japan with five finger-holes tuned to the minor pentatonic scale. To make them, craftspeople most often use bamboo, however, they’ve utilized many other materials stretching all the way back to the ancestral instruments from China.
Additionally, shakuhachi are the only melodic musical instruments associated with Buddhism via their near exclusive use by the Samurai-turned-Komuso monks during the Edo period. Of course, there are other things which set them apart; their essence as flutes or musical instruments. Next, I’m going to share with you what makes a shakuhachi a shakuhachi.
Their essence
Undoubtedly, we can hear that shakuhachi are sonically flexible flutes in the right hands. Yet, they’re minimalistic by design but not simplistic, of course. Suffice to say, unlike a silver flute with its many keys or a xiao with its 8 finger holes, the shakuhachi didn’t evolve to allow us to play many notes with the greatest of ease. Similarly, they aren’t designed to make sounds for us as easily as possible either.
For example, shakuhachi don’t have a mouthpiece with a fipple air-way to direct our breath like recorder flutes, ocarinas, kaval, or Irish whistles. Conversely, the essence or design of the shakuhachi evolved so as to give us greater control over the sound. This is primarily facilitated by a deceptively simple looking angle cut at the top which forms the sharp blowing edge or utaguchi. Unlike a mouthpiece on a recorder which both aids and restricts us, the shakuhachi blowing edge allows us to explore the sound via the subtle shaping of our lips or embouchure in relation to our air-speed or breath. It also allows us to change the distance between our lips and the edge which affects the pitch. In this way, we can make the absolute most out of the shakuhachi.
Shaku, Sizes, Keys
Click the drop down arrows to get answers to these common questions.
What’s a “shaku”?
The shaku 尺 or ‘Japanese foot’ is an antiquated unit of length that’s 30.3 centimeters or 11.9 inches. However, the length often varies slightly from instrument to instrument. This is due to flute acoustics and bamboo.
So what does “shaku-hachi” mean?
The word shakuhachi 尺八 is an abbreviation of ichi-shaku hachi-sun, or ‘one-foot and eight-inches’ (about 54.5 cm). Since this is the standard length, the word shakuhachi is often used to refer all lenghts (umbrella term).
How does key or pitch come in?
The longer the flute, the deeper the pitch (2.4 is longer/deeper than 1.8). The “D” of 1.8 refers to the lowest key/note, all the finger-holes closed. Thus, the key is determined by the total length or size. Next, the finger-holes are tuned to match the pitch of this lowest note or key. If the pitch of the key doesn’t match up to a modern standard, such as 440hz, then the instrument is said to be “in tune with itself”. If one or more of the finger-holes are too far out of tune from the key then the instrument is officially out of tune, unless it’s an antique with antiquated tuning.
Origins of the shakuhachi
Like most things in early Japanese history the first shakuhachi were imported to Japan from China (Nara period, 710-794 ad). These flutes were a part of the court music ensemble called Gagaku 雅楽, as it’s translated from Chinese into Japanese.
These flutes were crafted from bamboo poles, jade, various stones, and ivory. Shakuhachi were also shorter at approximately 1.08 shaku in length or ichi-shaku-hachi-bu (32.7 cm or 12.8 in). They were 22 cm or 8.7 in shorter than the later and current standard of 1.8 key of ‘D’ or ichi-shaku-hachi-sun, which is around 54.5 cm or 21.5 in (hassun for short).
The shakuhachi would also see other variations and evolutions. For example, they were not initially crafted from root end bamboo. Rather, they were made from the upper above root portions of the bamboo stalk for nearly a thousand years in Japan before the root end was utilized (8th c. to 17th c.).
Madaké bamboo
For over a thousand years, craftspeople have primarily used Madaké 真竹 bamboo for shakuhachi musical instrument construction. Madaké bamboo is native to China. Japanese people imported the first live plants from Zhejiang province. Craftspeople primarily use Madaké bamboo because of its favorable characteristics and its abundance in Japan.
For instance, it typically grows very straight with good distances between the nodes for finger-hole placement (internodal spacing). The first meter of the stalk can also have a nice inner taper to the bore which is essential for the correct sound and feeling. In my experience, its most supreme gift is its variety; the myriad voices of nature. These voices are exemplified in Jinashi and Jimori type shakuhachi instruments which preserve the natural inner bamboo bores.
The Komuso monks and Honkyoku
The Komuso 虚無僧 are to thank for much of the progress made with both shakuhachi instrument construction and playing. Notably, scholars credit the Komuso with using the lower portion of the bamboo stalk which often included the root end. The Komuso also composed the largest body of solo flute music in the world known as Honkyoku 本曲. Of course, these are the most venerated pieces as they’re widely considered meditative or spiritual in nature and intent.
In our time
Thanks to manga, anime, and video games, we’re seeing an increase in the exposure for shakuhachi around the world. For example, in 2020 the American developed game Ghost of Tsushima became the first to feature the shakuhachi musical instrument as an actionable accessory, as well as having shakuhachi music in the soundtrack. Thus, Ghost of Tsushima introduced the shakuhachi instrument to thousands of people the globe over.
Perhaps this will also ‘come back home’ and result in a resurgence of interest within Japan. However, as it stands there continues to be an ever declining interest in the shakuhachi within Japan alongside all other traditional Japanese arts. That being said, the history of the Komuso is a testament to the enduring power of spiritual and artistic practices in the face of adversities. Despite persecution and other hardships many Komuso remained committed to their practice and inspired generations of players. Indeed, we each keep the flame alive every time we pick up our shakuhachi.
