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My shakuhachi making methodology

There are many ways to make shakuhachi in order for them to suit certain types of music or players. For example, some shakuhachi makers craft shakuhachi with large tone holes and deep blowing edges which make for a louder sound, however, many traditional techniques on such shakuhachi become faint or impossible to play. On the other end of the spectrum are shakuhachi that are made with small tone holes and shallow blowing edges which can squeal or sound stuffy. Below I will go into detail of how I go about making well balanced root end shakuhachi for the playing of honkyoku music of The Edo period.

Why I do not use lacquer/oils or inlays

In my work my goal is to celebrate bamboo and embrace its infinite variety. I seek to make my shakuhachi in the most natural way possible. I incorporate bamboo into every single step. I do not use any lacquer or oils in the bore as I prefer to leave the natural bamboo bare so that it can have its full effect on the sound. I do not inlay the blowing edge or do any inlaid bindings because they compromise the bamboo and provide no benefit beyond esthetics. I only use my own mixture of bamboo powder and 100% safe glue to make any additions to the bore for the purpose of adjusting or improving the sound. I also use a bamboo powder and glue mixture to repair damages to the blowing edge and move holes. I offer lifetime free repairs on all of my root end shakuhachi as well as economically priced repairs for all of my non-root end shakuhachi. To read more about these subjects visit my Dojo page.

The tone holes - going back to the old way of opening them slowly by hand

Back in the Edo period competent makers were also players who would naturally make shakuhachi that were well suited to the music they played which was mainly honkyoku. They also had to open the holes slowly by hand which gives the maker a more intimate connection and understanding of the holes. Today, however, most all makers use drill bits followed by some undercutting. In my work I went back to the old method of opening the holes slowly by hand without the use of drill bits. This has given me insight into the placement of the holes and their effects on the timbre and playability or capabilities of a shakuhachi especially for the playing of honkyoku music. I meticulously shape each hole while checking techniques to insure that they not only work but perform well.

The blowing edge or "utaguchi"

The depth of the utaguchi or blowing edge should not be too deep or too shallow for ideal playing of Edo period honkyoku and for the execution of deep meri techniques such as ro no dai meri which is a whole step below the fundamental (1.8 "D" should play "C" for ro no dai meri). Too deep of a blowing edge can make deep meri notes hard to play. Conversely, a very shallow blowing edge can make notes stuffy or sputter. For my shakuhachi I make medium sized blowing edges for good volume tone and execution of meri notes.

The chin rest

The amount to which the chin rest is carved down is of the utmost importance in order to have good posture and tone. With the majority of shakuhachi chin rests the player has to either tilt their heads down and/or raise their arms up higher in order to get a good tone. I carefully carve my chin rests to insure that a solid full tone can be achieved with proper comfortable posture.

The bore

The bore has the largest effect on the sound of a shakuhachi, specifically, the volume or size of the bore in relation to the length of the shakuhachi. Selecting bamboo with the right length to volume ratio for the desired outcome is paramount. This is one of the reason I harvest all of my own bamboo. Next is the shaping or adjusting of the bore such as how much the nodes are removed, if any additions or subtractions are made, and if lacquers are used. Each piece of bamboo has a unique precious voice and to me lacquer often causes too drastic of a change. I prefer the warm natural sound of the bamboo.

The highest goal for me is to make the least amount of changes to the bore as possible. I try to do most bore adjustments using subtraction or careful sanding and shaping. Sometimes additions are needed in which case I use pure bamboo powder and 100% safe glue. These adjustments are made to augment the "air flow" our acoustical impedance in the bore in order to increase the envelope of weak notes so that they can crescendo with a nice full tone. This is especially important on key notes on the shakuhachi which are the most expansive.

In the end it is all about balance for me. Making jinashi shakuhachi is a great puzzle all about balancing things just right for each particular shakuhachi.