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October 10, 2006
Ivory Utaguchi Replacement
Hi All, I had some fun repairs lately. Chris Moran sent me two old flutes - a seven-hole 2.0 once owned By Masayuki Koga and this old laquered 1.7.
It was cracked along the top and was missing an utaguchi.
I suspected it needed an overhaul on the bindings since they didn't do inlays underneath the rattan in the olden days.
I was right!
After I did the inlays, I had to file away the front facet to get a look at the condition of the bamboo and the shape of the original utaguchi inlay. Chis wanted it to be a refurbished as closely as possibble to what it was before. We assumed it was bone.
Here is a piece of Ivory that was given to me as a going away gift by Saori San of Mejiro Shakuhachi. I didn't have an opportunity to use it until now. I ground and filed the facets to fit the cavity
Utaguchi material can be any hard material such as horns and acrylic. I often use MOP buttons and any other exotic items I can grind into shape.
The angle was pretty steep.
Cut with my Japanese bamboo saw with a super fine kerf.
Filed from inside first.
Filed from inside first.
Filing teh front last provides control over the angles.
Polished.
Chris wanted to leave it looking weathered so no relaquering on the exterior was need. However, the inside needed a thin coat to seal the crack.
Thick Rattan in the way of the Komuso was done over the three inlays. It looked good natural so we left it.
All in a good day work.
Once it was finished, I enjoyed the delicate sound of another era. To paraphrase a shakuhachi player I know, an old flute like this is kinda like a sweet school girl from Kyoto instead of some loud drunk from the big city.
Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at October 10, 2006 08:27 PM
Comments
This was a great surprise and a masterful restoration by Perry. I bought the flute from a seller in urushiware in Toyko over the Internet. The shakuhachi had no utaguchi inlay. It had two wide cracks in the fore and aft of the top section.
From the pictures of it I thought it could be a fairly old instrument that had become a "wall-hanger." The nodal numbers and placement were consistant with traditional full-root Edo or early Meiji shakuhachi. There are three lines of kanji on the back of the shakuhachi, just above the 'dake bushi' node. The price was under a hundred dollars. I was willing to buy it to see if it could be made into a playable instrument once again.
Perry's work brought out the best in this delicate old 1.7. The notes all have good presence; traditional fingerings work very well up through Go no Hi and Go no Ha. It is remarkably in tune with itself through the octaves and has good "glide". Very pure, delicate kan. As Perry said ... a sweet school girl from Kyoto.
As ususal, Perry went above and beyond the call of duty, paying careful attention to the filling of the crack and the inlaid bindings, the outer rattan work, the utaguchi restoration and his generous sharing of a fine piece of ivory with me for the benefit of the flute.
Posted by: Chris Moran at October 11, 2006 04:20 PM