Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

Justin wrote:

Brian, you recently posted the Myoan 3.2 with offset holes. That shows us that it has been around for quite a while at least.

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

No that was a retrofit. It originally had inline holes.

I have seen Edo 2.7, 2.3, 2.2 and Meiji 2.4, 2.3 and they all had inline holes.

This Myoan 3.2 had inline holes but I moved 3 over because it was hurting my wrist and that particular hole was hideously out of tune anyway so I could kill two birds with one stone there. I showed it to Okuda Sensei. When I pointed out those problems he suggested that. Normally I wouldn't do that but I thought the flute was made by an amateur and had a few radical problems. Besides the too sharp sharp chi ro was also a half step flat. So we opened the end up a bit which corrected the pitch and the flute sounded much better. It was a difficult decision but the flute would have just been a curiosity otherwise. Okuda said, "Good bamboo, bad tuning, change it so you'll play it."

I think it might have been people like Yamaguchi Shugetsu, Miura Ryuho and John Neptune who popularized offset holes for long flutes. Ryuho made some 3.0's which had radical offsets. So the concept may not be older than 30 years or so. I haven't seen anything older than that which was offset.

edit: I just sent an email to John Singer and he said offsetting started in the 60's.

Right now I am looking at a pic of Watazumi which he has a 3.4 or 3.5 and the holes are inline. I have some long flutes by Gudo Ishibashi who makes Watazumi style flutes and the holes are always inline. Likewise my Tani Ha 2.6 has inline holes.

I think offset holes are for the people who approach it as a musical instrument (for greater speed and dexterity) and the people who approach it as a zen tool keep them inline because it is considered purer from an aesthetic point of view.