Me and Jem play fighting over the “wishbone” Madaké root end bamboo that I harvested for shakuhachi, NC, 2013
The day I finally met Jem Klein felt touched by kismet. For years, I’d known of him as the quiet force behind many of Monty Levenson’s acclaimed shakuhachi, having crafted them since age fifteen as Monty’s top apprentice at shakuhachi.com. Indeed, if you owned a shakuhachi from Monty between 1995 and 2012, chances are, Jem’s hands had shaped it. We met on an exceptionally auspicious day for me: I was just then removing the very first complete Bell Shakuhachi casting from its mold – a moment that, unbeknownst to me, planted seeds of inspiration for Jem’s own future cast-bore innovations.
Our conversation flowed, and I was genuinely surprised to learn that despite his years of mastery, Jem had never once stamped a root end shakuhachi with his own signature. It is common practice for the head craftsperson, in this case Monty, to check, refine if necessary, and sign the flutes made by apprentices. Without a second thought, I led Jem to my barn, a treasure trove of cured root ends, and pressed a few into his hands. We even paused for a moment of playful rivalry, posing for a photo as we ‘fought’ over a whimsical “wishbone” root end – two pieces naturally joined by a rhizome, just as they’d been harvested. (A year or so later, Jem would also reach out, asking me to author a book on playing the shakuhachi, which eventually became “Your Shakuhachi Journey” in 2015.)
Jem himself later shared his reflections on our meeting and his own remarkable journey:
“I’d heard Jon [Josen] was living near Asheville, and it’s truly rare to cross paths with another shakuhachi maker, so I was thrilled to finally connect. We clicked instantly. When Jon led me into his barn, filled with those stunning, cured Madake root ends, my jaw must have hit the floor. He seemed genuinely shocked to learn that, for all my years, I’d never actually had access to root end bamboo for my own crafting, only those for Monty, which he signed. Jon’s kindness resonated deeply when he handed me a few pieces, simply saying, ‘You deserve these.’”
And after crafting flutes from those precious gifts, Jem’s words solidified the impact: “I will never forget your generosity. That first root end shakuhachi I was able to stamp with my signature, made from the bamboo you gave me, felt like such a monumental accomplishment. I’d crafted hundreds for Monty, but to see my own mark on one… it was truly wonderful.”
Jem’s Shakuhachi Path
Jem’s own story began back in the spring of 1995, shortly after he turned fifteen, when he started apprenticing with Monty Levenson, a renowned, self-taught master of epoxy resin cast-bore shakuhachi. Every penny Jem earned in those early years went straight into acquiring his own flute-making and woodworking tools.
A dear friend recently asked Jem a question he’d never truly pondered: how many shakuhachi had he made throughout his life, both with Monty and independently? It was a curiosity that sparked a reflection on a craft that had become simply a part of his nature, something he felt compelled to do.
Counting the hundreds, if not thousands, of shakuhachi he worked on in Monty’s shop from 1995 to 2012 proved impossible. Yet, his records from 2006 onwards revealed a staggering number: 562 shakuhachi (excluding ‘shakalutes’) crafted for Monty, all bearing Monty’s signature. “It’s wild to think,” Jem mused, “that many shakuhachi have been crafted by my hands.” Beyond those, countless others saw his touch – their inlays, their bindings, their repairs, their tuning. He dreams of being in a single room with all those flutes, a testament to his prolific hands.
Eventually, in March 2013, Jem and his family embarked on a new chapter, heading to the scenic Black Mountains of Western North Carolina. They found their home in a charming log cabin, an hour’s drive northeast of Asheville, now nestled near the beautiful South Toe River, within a vibrant community rich with fellow artists. (Today, Jem and his wife Meredith primarily focus their creative energies on their successful business, Reverence Botanicals.)
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