Background information - 背景知識
About the instrument
The shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown flute traditionally made of bamboo. The standard length of a shakuhachi is about 54 cm, equivalent to the Japanese unit size of 一尺八寸 = 1-SHAKU-8-SUN. The fundamental sound of the standard shakuhachi is 'D' in Western notation. Other lengths are also used, the most popular being about 48 cm long, equivalent to the Japanese unit size of 一尺六寸= 1-SHAKU-6-SUN. The fundamental sound of this shakuhachi is 'E' in Western notation.
My 8-SUN shakuhachi was made by one of the famous contemporary Japanese makers, called SHINZAN (真山), and I nicknamed it "Ichiro"
My 6-SUN shakuhachi was made by the Japanese maker SUIKOU (翠光), and I nicknamed it "Jiro"
Shakuhachi works
Shakuhachi works in Tozan School are divided into three main categories:
- Old works (古曲 = KOKYOKU) that originate in the Edo period (1603-1868) and are played on the koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi, often with a vocal accompaniment
- Original works (本曲 = HONKYOKU) that were composed by the founder of the Tozan School, Tozan Nakao, roughly between 1900 and 1950
- Modern works (新曲 = SHINKYOKU) that were composed in the post-Meiji period (after 1912), generally under the influence of Western music