本音尺八 Hon-on Shakuhachi
Edo-Style Shakuhachi for old-style honkyoku
News
Spring 2024 - A good deal of time this year has been spent on developing an online hitoyogiri class, in which we are playing our way through the seasons one mode at a time. The class includes translations from many ancient Edo and Muromachi-era sources, and interpretations of the heavily gagaku-influenced techniques used in the classical repertoire of this precursor to the Fuke shakuhachi. Please contact me if you'd like to join us!
I also developed a lower-cost hitoyogiri for use in the class ($475 including world-wide shipping), coated with urushi and complete with 24K gold hira-maki-e calligraphy on front.
Hon-on（本音）means "True Sound." The same characters can also be read in Japanese as "hon-ne," which carries two meanings - "true sound," and "true feelings."
I make shakuhachi an old, Edo era style, for people who, like some of the Komuso of old, are looking to express their own true sound. Hon-on flutes are Edo-style ji-nashi, which means that they make maximum use of each individual piece of bamboo's natural, mysterious tone color. Each flute receives several months of attention, during which it is carefully played, tuned and balanced to a premodern Japanese aesthetic ideal for old-style honkyoku playing.
In addition to Edo-style shakuhachi, I make hitoyogiri shakuhachi, the ancestor of the Edo-era shakuhachi. I also do repairs, maki-e shakuhachi ornamentation in silver and gold, and sell used and vintage shakuhachi, both ji-ari and ji-nashi. Feel free to use the contact form if you have any quesitons.