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November 13, 2006
Old Hocchiku Style Shakuhachi Flutes
I have been focusing on Hocchiku style flutes for many years. It seems they are entering the mainstream due to ebay. Today, I would like to share my thoughts on these special flutes.
Here is a 1.65 Hocchiku wide bore shakuhachi made from Chinese Madake harvested specially for me in Zhejiang China. This means it is a Fair Trade piece of bamboo. I found the bamboo researcher about 6 years ago and through many emails and long distant conversations by telephone (in Mandarin and English) we developed a relationship. The bamboo was harvested by his friends and family with a wage that allowed them more than a decent living for the time of the harvest. Many of you know that bamboo harvestors in Asia are like diamond miners in South Africa, They make pennies a day while the importer lives off the sweat and blood of the worker. I have a stash of aged bamboo that I will finished. After that, I will only make shakuhachi from bamboo I personally sourced from the ground. It is important for me to be involved in every aspect of my shakuhachi flutes and know that the energy that goes into this process is positive in every way. Even my EARTH model flutes are now being made by suppliers of poles grown in America. Sorry for the excursion - back to the Hocchiku. This flute can play in D when blown Kari. A 1.8 length shakuhachi normally plays in D so this means that this bore is extremaly wide and the result is a lower pitch.
The flute measures 19 and is 1 3/8 in diameter. Normally, modern makers would fill the bore with Ji paste to shrink it so that the aspect ratio would be more proper allowing for a more even balance between the registers.
As you can see, its a short, fat flute.
Because of the interior wall angle, I cut the utaguchi facet more perpendicular to maintain a proper relationship between both interior and extrior angles to allow for proper response in embroucher techniques.
It so happens that it ended up resembling the older Komuso style utaguchi angle.
I like to fashion my root ends closer these days as I repair a lot of damaged roots from shakuhachi flutes with the tiny roots that were left longer. It's no surprise that the older Komuso roots were completely shaved.
Hear a Hocchiku.
I am improvising in the way of Watazumido, the Komuso monk responsible for coining the term Hocchiku. He was also the founder of Dokyoku style Zen Honkyoku muisc. I learned this style from Kinya Sogawa, who learned under Katsyua Yokoyama, who learned under Watazumi himself. These large bore flutes work very well in the lower octave but less flexible for beginners on the second. Experienced players of this type of flute will be able to squeeze some erie sounds out of Kan. Non experienced players will have difficulty maintaining a clean tone and pitch. This is true for any shakuhachi but more so for Hocchiku since the bore are not treated and tuned only by removal. These flutes are not meant for Sankyoku or Gaikyoku as they do not project above a Koto or Shamisen. However, when played solo or with a human voice, they are, IMHO, out of this world.
Enjoy the unearthly sounds. Namaste, Perry
Posted by Perry Yung at November 13, 2006 10:34 AM