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HISTORY OF THE SHAKUHACHI
THE WORD "SHAKUHACHI" IS A CORRUPTION OF A SPECIFIC UNIT
OF MEASURE; ICHI SHAKU, HACHI SUN (1.8 FEET) WHICH IS THE
LENGTH OF THE CLASSICAL FLUTE.  THIS LENGTH RENDERS A D
MINOR (ABOVE MIDDLE C ON THE PIANO) IN THE PENTATONIC
SCALE AND IS REGARDED AS THE STANDARD PITCH FOR PLAYING
SOLO PERFORMANCE PIECES.  IT WAS ALSO THE FAVORED
LENGTH FOR THE WANDERING BUDDHIST MONKS OF THE FUKE
ZEN SECT DURING THE EDO PERIOD (1603-1867) IN JAPAN.  THIS
SIZE FLUTE WAS CALLED THE "FUKE SHAKUHACHI."

ALTHOUGH THE ORIGIN OF THE SHAKUHACHI IS ALMOST
CERTAINLY IN ANCIENT EGYPT (MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH
INDIA AND CHINA BEFORE ENTERING JAPAN IN THE SIXTH
CENTURY), IT IS THE MONKS OF THE FUKE ZEN SECT WHO ARE
PROBABLY MOST FAMOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHAKUHACHI.
 SOMETIME DURING THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY, THE FOLLOWERS
OF THE "CRAZY ENLIGHTENED" CHINESE MONK FUKE, SOUGHT TO
IMITATE THE SOUND OF THE MASTER'S BELL AND TO REPLACE
SUTRA CHANTING WITH "SUI ZEN" (BLOWING ZEN).  THESE
ITINERANT PREACHERS BECAME KNOWN AS KOMUSO (HAVING NO
FORM, A BEING OF NOTHINGNESS) AND WORE LARGE BASKETS
(TENGAI) OVER THEIR HEADS TO SHOW THEIR DETACHMENT
FROM THE PHYSICAL WORLD.  THE BASKETS ALSO HELPED
PROTECT THE WANDERING PRIESTS FROM THE ELEMENTS.  
OUTFITTED THIS WAY AND PLAYING THE ETHEREAL SOUNDING
SHAKUHACHI, THE KOMUSO MUST HAVE STRUCK AN INCREDIBLY
GHOSTLY APPEARANCE TO THE EXTREMELY SUPERSTITOUS
JAPANESE COUNTRY FOLK.

DURING THE EDO PERIOD, LARGE NUMBERS OF MASTERLESS
SAMURAI (RONIN) AND SOME SPIES (NINJA) JOINED THE RANKS
OF THE KOMUSO.  IT IS SAID THAT THESE NEW RECRUITS
REDESIGNED THE SHAKUHACHI; CHANGING IT TO A LONG PIECE
OF THE ROOT OF THE EXTREMELY DENSE MADAKE' (TIMBER
BAMBOO).  THIS MADE THE SHAKUHACHI A FORMIDABLE WEAPON
AS WELL AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR SPIRITUAL PERFECTION.  
THERE WERE EVEN CASES OF SHORT SWORDS (WAKIZASHI)
HIDDEN WITHIN SOME SHAKUHACHI.

THE SONGS OF THE KOMUSO WERE KNOWN AS HONKYOKU
(ORIGINAL MUSIC) AND WERE PACED ACCORDING TO THE
PLAYER'S BREATHING.  THESE SONGS WERE CONSIDERED
MEDITATION AS MUCH AS MUSIC.  BECAUSE OF THE INFLUX OF
SPIES INTO THE RANKS OF KOMUSO, SEVERAL PARTICULARLY
DIFFICULT HONKYOKU PIECES BECAME WELL KNOWN AS 'TESTS":  
IF YOU COULD PLAY THEM, YOU WERE A REAL MONK.  IF YOU
COULDN'T, YOU WERE PROBABLY A SPY AND MIGHT VERY WELL BE
KILLED IF YOU WERE IN UNFRIENDLY TERRITORY.  THIS, NO
DOUBT, HELPED DRIVE THE FUKE SECT TO THE TECHNICAL
EXCELLENCE THEY WERE RENOWNED FOR.

DURING THE 18TH CENTURY, A RETIRED SAMURAI (KUROSAWA
KINKO; 1710-1771) WHO WAS THE TEACHER AT A TEMPLE OF THE
FUKE SECT, ESTABLISHED A STYLE OF ART MUSIC ON THE
INSTRUMENT BY COMPOSING NEW PIECES BASED UPON THE
REPERTOIRE OF THE FUKE SHAKUHACHI.  THE HONKYOKU PIECES
OF THE FUKE SECT (30 TO 40 PIECES) ARE BASED ON THE
RELIGIOUS IDEAS OF ZEN BUDDHISM.  HONKYOKU OF THE KINKO
SCHOOL TOOK OVER THE REPERTOIRE OF THE FUKE SHAKUHACHI,
BUT WAS MODIFIED INTO A MORE ARTISTIC STYLE.  ALSO, NEW
SECULAR COMPOSITIONS WERE ADDED TO THE REPERTOIRE OF
THE KINKO-RYU HONKYOKU (36 PIECES).

INSTRUMENTS RANGING IN SIZE FROM 1.3' TO 3.2' ARE PLAYED
IN CONCERT WITH THE MOST COMMON SIZES BEING 1.8(D),
1.6(E), 2.1(B), AND 2.4(A).  THE SMALLER SHAKUHACHI CREATE A
BRIGHTER AND MORE PENETRATING SOUND, WHILE THE LARGER
ONES HAVE A WARMER, MORE ROBUST TONE.  PLAYING SOFTLY
ON THE LARGER SHAKUHACHI, IT IS AS IF ONE HAS TURNED
DOWN THE VOLUME ON A RECORDING.  THERE IS NO CHANGE IN
THE COLOR OF THE NOTES, ONLY IN VOLUME.