Shakuhachi

A Shakuhachi is a Japanese flute made from bamboo.

Recently, I have been looking for Shakuhachi music online and I am very impressed by it. I am not a very musical person, but learning Shakuhachi is something I might want to do at some point, given enough time and money – a good Shakuhachi can cost 300 EUR and more (oops, missed a zero: it’s 3000 EUR) . I will do some more research and write a proper weekend article at some other time.

Listen to the music below, it is a modern piece written in 1995, after the disastrous Hanshin earthquake in Kobe. Enjoy!

4 thoughts on “Shakuhachi”

  1. 300 EUR for an instrument is comparatively cheap. 😉 Both my digital piano and my violin (both on the cheap end of the spectrum) cost about 3 times as much… and I am currently eyeing a new digital piano in the ~2000 EUR range (and that is still on the fairly inexpensive side) – so Shakuhachi might be a good choice for a tight budget.

    I am very fond of the Koto e.g.: https://youtu.be/uqmjVHBj-vQ and I think when Koto and Shakuhachi come together it’s perfection.

    Speaking of modern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMLScLUrol4 & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92iaeUeeJqY :DDD

    1. Oops, my bad, I missed a zero: It’s 3000 EUR for a new Shakuhachi…

      Cool videos, thank you!

      1. I agree with JN, it comes as no surprise that a good musical instrument of the kind of your Shakuhachi costs in the 4-digit range (EUR). For example, a good clarinet is also found in approximately that price range. Of course, there are cheaper ones for beginners, but you were talking about a good one.
        Anyway, I like the sound of your Shakuhachi…

        1. Obviously, I don’t know anything about music. I had no idea instruments are that expensive. The one and only experience with instruments I have is the one with a recorder (Blockflöte) in my earliest school years… Let’s not go into this one, shall we…?

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