Mujitsu
Taimu Shakuhachi
The "Big Nothing"
Taimu
shakuhachi are long, wide bore flutes with a deep, airy, expressive
tone. I've been working closely with Brian Tairaku Ritchie for a number
of years developing this particular style of shakuhachi. My
concern when building these flutes is
finding a 'glowing' tone quality. This glow is very different than the
focused, pure tone of thinner bored shakuhachi.
This flute
design is characterized by a wide bore, which gives the flute its
natural, raw, windy tone. The holes are also relatively large and
sharply undercut to smooth the playability and open up the volume. The
design approach is minimal. There is no utaguchi and little or no ji
paste added to the bore. Bores are lightly coated with urushi
as a
functional addition. This helps protect the bamboo from climate
changes. It also slightly increases the tone projection of the flute.
The
term Taimu seemed to be a logical name for this style of flute. It was
formed by combining Brian's professional name Tairaku with
Mujitsu
Shakuhachi. Taimu can be loosely translated as "The Big Nothing."
The latest group of Taimu Shakuhachi
I
have a number of new Taimu shakuhachi in the works. These range in size
from 2.5 (finished) to 3.1 and larger (unfinished), Most range in price
between $2,000 and $3,000. Please contact me for availability or to
reserve a flute.
Mujitsu Shakuhachi
