Japanese Flute Shop - ZEN TOP

The Shakuhachi Japanese flute is a traditional Japanese musical instrument made of bamboo. It is about 54.5 cm long, and it has four holes on top, and one on the bottom. It is blown from the end (recorder style) and produces a sound that is soft, mellow, and pleasing to hear. Each Shakuhachi player produces a particular sound, or tone, that is unique to that musician. Skilled players can change the pitch by adjusting their blowing angles. Shakuhachi Japanese flute sounds can often be heard in movies about Japan that are produced in the West, and the Shakuhachi sound has come to symbolize Japan in western movies. In medieval Japan, Shakuhachi songs became popular in the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism. Shakuhachi music was considered to be a spiritual tool by the sect. During the Meiji Restoration, starting in 1868, the Fuke sect was abolished and playing the Shakuhachi was outlawed for awhile. It was a long time before the Shakuhachi could be played as a solo instrument again in public. Nakao Tozan established a new, unique style of Shakuhachi music, and as a result, Shakuhachi playing has become very popular throughout Japan. The Tozan School and the Kinko School styles are the main playing styles taught today. There are active Shakuhachi Japanese flute teaching schools around the world. Traditionally, all Shakuhachi players were males, but that is changing, as more and more women are learning how to play the instrument.

The Shinobue Japanese flute is a traditional Japanese instrument made of bamboo. It is a transverse style flute played horizontally, and it is made of thin Shino bamboo. The Shinobue flute originally came from China, and it is easy to make and play. It looks like a traditional flute, and comes in many different lengths. It has 6 or 7 holes on the top, and the varying lengths of the different Shinobue flutes produce varying sounds. The Shinobue has a range of two octaves and has a high-pitched sound or tone that is often thought of as being nostalgic and delicate. The Shinobue Japanese flute has often been used as a popular entertainment tool for common people during village festivals and street events and during lion dances and Kabuki dances. Lately, Kaoru Watanabe, a U.S. born Shinobue player, has popularized Shinobue music with his unique jazz and contemporary Shinobue sounds. The Shinobue flute is also being used to produce background sounds for orchestras.

The Hichiriki Japanese flute is a traditional Japanese musical intrument. It is a recorder style flute that is about 18 cm long, and it has seven holes on top and two holes on the bottom. The Hichiriki uses two 6 cm reeds in its mouthpieces and is a double reed instrument, like the oboe. The Hichiriki has a one octave range, and the tone can be changed by the strength or weakness of the blowing breath. The tone can be sexy, dynamic, or even delicate. Techniques like the “Enbai” are very difficult to learn to play, so even though the Hichiriki is a small flute, there is more to playing it than meets the eye. The Hichiriki Japanese flute originally came to Japan from China, and is a very difficult instrument to master. The Hichiriki has a very loud sound even though it is smaller than the other Japanese flutes. The Hichiriki has a featured role in producing traditional Japanese music like Gaguku, where it is used to produce the main theme sounds. Hichiriki sounds are often heard when Japanese flute music is being performed.

The Ryuteki Japanese flute is a traditional Japanese musical instrument. It is a transverse style flute, and is about 40 cm long. It has seven holes. The Ryugeki flute came from China during the Heian period, and the Ryuteki quickly became loved by the aristocracy. Ryuteki flutes have a wide register of two octaves, and produce a sound from low voice to high voice. The tone sounds like the bleat of horns as a dragon takes flight. It becomes high voice when it is blown with a strong force, and becomes low voice when it is blown softly. Ryuteki flutes are well known for their use in Shinto-style wedding ceremonies. The Ryuteki Japanese flute is often played solo in contemporary music, as well as used in ensembles in more traditional music like Gagaku.