Mujitsu and Tairaku's Shakuhachi BBQ

In my experience, it's generally best to leave two-piece shakuhachi assembled, only disassembling for travel,
where fitting into a smaller space may be necessary, or for work on the bore. Repeated assembly/disassembly
can be hard on the joint.

It's also best to disassemble the flute by holding it at the joint with one hand and striking that hand firmly with
the other. Here's a link to an illustration of how it's done:

     http://www.shakuhachiblog.com/2006/08/h … hachi.html

This method greatly reduces the tortional forces and leverage put on the joint when taking it apart.

The joint will generally contract and expand at the same rate as the rest of the flute.

eB

Last edited by edosan (2007-12-14 18:50:26)

I have a two-piece 1.8 jiari that has rarely been taken apart. I have had the instrument since the day I started studying in 1992. I don't know how old the flute was when I bought it from my teacher (the flutes maker), David Duncavage. So, after 15+ years, it shows no sign of not being happy as a one piece flute that happens to have a joint in the middle.
Damon

Hello,

Kurahashi Sensei travels a lot and says that apart is the best, however, if you are going to take it apart a lot you should of course use something on the joint so that the urushi doesn't wear away.
He likes hair pomade. He's also said, from his experience, that you shouldn't ever store it together for a long period of time because the urushi can stick and then wear the next time you go to separate it.

I keep my flute together and use a tube with impact foam but for travel I also think that it's better to have it apart.

You can find more info on shakuhachi care on my website here: https://flutedojo.com/shakuhachi-guides

Specifically here: https://flutedojo.com/guides/shakuhachi-care-cracks

Jon~

Last edited by Jon Kypros (2024-03-30 19:35:21)

Many minyou players here in Japan even travel with them in one piece, tightly secured in a case. They usually have a whole range as they have to play in different keys depending on the song and singer. The important point for that is that they are really secure so stress is not put on the joint.

I recommend hair pomade, whether or not you take it apart often.

If the 2 parts don't fit together after being apart, you most likely have a moisture problem. Check the humidity level. If it is high, wait until it has been low (around 40 or 50 %) for several days, then it might be okay.

If it is too loose, check if the humidity is low. If it is below 40%, I would not recommend getting another urushi coat to tighten it, as when the humidity rises again, it may not fit (too tight).

About twisting - there are different ways to make a hoso. One method results in a hoso which is not perfectly round. Sometimes a bit oval or just irregular. In that case, don't twist it. That is more on older shakuhachi. Most modern shakuhachi can be twisted.

Eventually the urushi will wear away, possibly become chipped also. At that stage I recommend you send it to a good professional shakuhachi maker for maintenance. Bad maintenance just causes more trouble as it doubles our work (or more!) to undo inferior work before we can even start!

Justin
http://senryushakuhachi.com/

Last edited by Justin (2008-09-02 00:52:06)

On the other hand...

If you have a wooden shakuhachi with a corked joint like David Brown (among others) makes.  It is definitely best to store these apart.  The cork will compress and loosen the joint if stored assembled.  Cork grease or hair goo ( I use lip balm ) is a good idea here too.

Yes.  I typically keep my bamboo flute assembled.  The only time I take it apart is when it needs to be shorter.  Lately that has only when I ride my bike to my lessons.