The wind instrument Shakuhachi was introduced to Japan from China from the late Northern and Southern Dynasties to the early Tang Dynasty.

1. Shakuhachi

Shakuhachi, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, was introduced to Japan during the Tang and Song Dynasties. Made of bamboo, the inside is coated with cinnabar mixed with lacquer and the outer incisions are filled. It has five holes (four in the front and one in the back). It is an edge-vibrating air-sounding wind instrument. It is named after the length of the pipe, which is one foot and eight inches. Its sound is desolate. It is vast and can express an ethereal and tranquil artistic conception.

2. History of inheritance

1. During the Sui and Tang dynasties in China, the shakuhachi became one of the main musical instruments in the court. "New Book of Tang·Lu Cai Zhuan": "During the Zhenguan period (627-649), the filial piety of the ancestors increased the music rhythm, and the musicians Wang Changtong and Bai Mingda had even more difficulties and could not resolve. Taizong ordered the ministers to recommend those who are good at music... Wang Gui and Wei Sheng of the Zhong Dynasty made the shakuhachi made by Zhongcai. There are twelve pieces of them, of different lengths, and they are in harmony with the rules."

2. Because it is one shakuhachi in length, it is called shakuhachi. It is a kind of ancient wind pipe, flute and flute instrument. Starting from the Song Dynasty, folk instruments such as flutes and flutes gradually replaced the shakuhachi used in court music. The vertical bamboo wind instruments popular in China include Xiao, Nanyin Dong Xiao (Nan Xiao), Guangdong Dong Xiao, etc.

3. The main difference between it and the shakuhachi is that the flute and Guangdong Dongxiao have a U-shaped mouthpiece with a hollowed-out mouthpiece and are often covered with a top cover; the Nanin Dongxiao (Nanxiao) has a V-shaped mouthpiece with a hollowed-out mouthpiece and no top cover. The mouthpiece of the Shakuhachi is a half-moon shaped external mouthpiece. There are obvious differences between the flute and the south flute, as well as the mouthpiece and the shakuhachi.

4. The openings of the shakuhachi and the flute are also different. Taking the one-eight-inch shakuhachi as an example, the sound of the tube is D, and the pitch of each hole is F, G, A, C, D. In addition, there are significant differences between the shakuhachi and the flute in terms of inner diameter and timbre. In the Shoso-in of Todaiji Temple in Nara, Japan, there are still eight Tang-style shakuhachi passed down from the Tang Dynasty in my country.

5. One of the carved bamboo shakuhachi is 43.7 cm long. The upper end of the tube is open and the tube body has six holes (five in the front and one in the back). There is a circular pattern on the edge of each sound hole. The production is very exquisite, with carved patterns and images of ladies throughout the body. There are two women engraved on the first hole. One is leaning down to pick flowers, and the other is standing behind her with her sleeves open.

6. Under the hole in the back, there is a lady standing with a fan in her hand, and another woman sitting and playing the pipa. The rest are decorated with flower and bird patterns. In addition, there are jade shakuhachi, tooth shakuhachi, carved stone shakuhachi and birch tape shakuhachi. The shakuhachi developed into the five-hole shakuhachi in the Song Dynasty, and was spread eastward to Japan through the Tang monks sent by Japan at that time. It has been preserved to this day. Its technique is complex, and its timbre is unique and has an ancient flavor.

7. Shen Kuo's "Mengxi Bi Tan" records: "The flute given by Ma Rong of the Later Han Dynasty is hollow and bottomless. There are five holes in it, one hole comes out of the back, just like today's shakuhachi." . With the international popularity of shakuhachi and the Japanese shakuhachi community seeking its roots in China, various types of shakuhachi were gradually spread back to China. (From left to right in Figure 1 are Shakuhachi, Nanxiao, and Xiao).