Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

indigo · 2007-09-22 13:57:06

I was looking for a short flute and to make a long story short I found half of a Chikuho 1.4 or 1.5 on Ebay for reasonable cost. Half way there. Asked several makers if they would be interested in making the other half and to my surprise was told that the project is extremely difficult. Perry Yung agreed to take on the project early this summer. So off went the bottom half in search of its mate.

If you look on Perry's blog on his website there are two posts with photographs and commentary. The interior has black urushi on top and red urushi on the bottom.

Yesterday the flute arrived in the mail.

In studying with my esteemed and wonderful teacher Ronnie Nyogetsu Seldin the Jin Nyodo rep. for the last 4 or so years facing unknown challenges on a regular basis I wondered if playing a shorter flute would illuminate some of the finer points of physicality (breath and embasure etc.) especially in kan moving towards the 3rd octave.

Played Kurokami, Rokudan, Iso Chidori, and the honkyoku Mukaiji, Choshi and Diawagaku etc. on both my 1.8 and the new hybrid 1.5. A new world with a new teacher in my hands, Perry's wonderful instrument. My 1.8 made by Ebinuba Chikuyo some 50 years ago in Japan and Perry's flute are relatives, amazing!!!

We had several conversations about my intentions and hopes and the result is a true collaboration.

Practice continues.

Many many thanks to Perry for creating such a wonderful potential in such a beautiful instrument.

Yungflutes · 2007-09-23 17:40:37

Hi indigo,
Thanks for your kind feedback. For those who are interested, here's the finished flute:

Working on this flute was definitely a collaboration. Not only with you and Ronnie, but with the original maker for Chikuho. After three months of fine tuning, it was both a relief and pleasure to put my hanko along side with Chikuho's

The biggest challenge was making the flute feel like one. Often times the individual tone holes of a flute can feel like different "rooms" (I think of a flute like a home). That's not necessarily a bad thing, it just depends upon what the maker wanted. With this flute, I took on the challenge of trying to make each tone hole feel like it belonged to the same house. And when one meandered down to Ro, it should feel like arriving at the warm kitchen of an old Japanese house, which was the main family room in the old days.

What was really interesting and exciting for me was the fact that I had to work with an existing half. This means I had to work with 50% of the flute to make something that should work 100%. I was struggling with the Ou San- Hi Go transition for a while. It wasn't playing together as well as I'd like. Then I decided to dip into Chikuho's half and found two resonance spots that helped. So, I dab a bit of urushi there and the whole thing came together better. The Ha notes and all. It really was like finding the yin to match a yang.

In the end, it's still a little difficult up at the very top, like many short flutes. But, I think it works as one. Mainly, I'm happy that half a shakuhachi is not laying around alone, unplayed.

Thanks for giving me this opportunity Indigo.
Namaste, Perry

caffeind · 2007-09-23 19:26:25

Hey Ive got the other half of that flute... can you make the bottom for it??

Nice work, Im sure its no easy feat to make just half a flute.

Tairaku 太楽 · 2007-09-23 20:14:48

Is this flute by Chikuho or Chikuyo? I remember seeing it on Ebay and pondering buying it but I didn't have the vision to do what you guys have done. Congrats!

indigo · 2007-09-24 10:14:13

I believe that the maker of the bottom half is Chikuho, a flute maker working in our time in Japan.

A maker by the same name is represented by some shorter flutes on the Meijero website.

I am curious, perhaps you know some of the history of Chikuho.

So it goes at this time of autumnal equinox.

Yungflutes · 2007-09-24 16:45:18

caffeind wrote:
Hey Ive got the other half of that flute... can you make the bottom for it??

Nice work, Im sure its no easy feat to make just half a flute.

Thanks caffeid.

If you have the other half, send it this way! Seeing it would answer a lot of questions that arose in the process of shaping the bore.

Tairaku wrote:
Is this flute by Chikuho or Chikuyo? I remember seeing it on Ebay and pondering buying it but I didn't have the vision to do what you guys have done. Congrats!

I believe it is Chikuho or Chikuhuo. A modern maker. The name is a pseudonym. I see the kanji for bamboo (chiku) and mountain (yama) in there but don't know the other. Combined, they read Chikuho or Chikuhuo. If someone out there knows for sure, please enlighten us. Thanks!

Peace, Perry

caffeind · 2007-09-24 18:46:41

I was just being being cheeky, I dont really have the other half Come to think of it though I do have a flute that could use work... will email you.

Ken2t · 2007-09-25 05:17:11

Hi All

I was told that this maker is called by the name chikuhou. He was a student of chikusen tamai.
a few years ago this shakuhachi maker had a website, but now its out of the air. Maybe they are still making flutes?

ken

Moran from Planet X · 2007-09-25 11:54:21

Is this the maker and site? http://www.chikuyu.com

Yungflutes · 2007-09-25 23:41:35

ken2t wrote:
Hi All

I was told that this maker is called by the name chikuhou. He was a student of chikusen tamai.
a few years ago this shakuhachi maker had a website, but now its out of the air. Maybe they are still making flutes?

Hi Ken, Wow! That's some solid info is it's true. Most of Tami's students have gone on to become great makers. Thanks for the info.

Chris Moran wrote:
Is this the maker and site? http://www.chikuyu.com

Hi Chris, This is a different maker. But perhaps he was once an apprentice with Chikusen Tamai thus the Chiku. Hmmm.
Best, Perry

Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

#1 2007-09-22 13:57:06

hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#2 2007-09-23 17:40:37

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#3 2007-09-23 19:26:25

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#4 2007-09-23 20:14:48

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#5 2007-09-24 10:14:13

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#6 2007-09-24 16:45:18

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

caffeind wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

#7 2007-09-24 18:46:41

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#8 2007-09-25 05:17:11

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#9 2007-09-25 11:54:21

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

#10 2007-09-25 23:41:35

Re: hybrid flute 1.5 tuned to F

ken2t wrote:

Chris Moran wrote:

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