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#1 2009-05-25 04:52:04

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Shōmei flutes - an opinion

I received an email about the jinashi shakuhachi maker  Kobayashi Teruaki or Kobayashi Shōmei (Shōmei is his shakuhachi name).
I thought this was interesting - also after the post where Chris was asking about jinashi makers selling at Mejiro. I have cut out some personal stuff from the email. Otherwise it is copied and pasted. Thus, some of the opinions of this person remained in this post - and I just want to point out, they are not my opinions - and I would not like to get involved in a long defense of another person's jinashi opinions expressed here. This is just one person's take and I have posted this to share information about Shōmei's jinashi shakuhachi. I hope you understand.

Kobayashi is a student of Yokoyama. He makes more "jinashi-like" jinashi. The owner of Mejiro is a big fan of his flutes and now selling seven of them. You can listen to some sample audio at Mejiro's website. (they finally uploaded those files). http://www.mejiro-japan.com/system/cont … p?c_id=126
It was played by Kobayashi-san himself (his shakuhachi name is Shomei). You can compared them with some more "jiari" like
jinashi (samples is also audible on the Mejiro site). Kobayashi-san said his 2.7 (and san'an played on it) was among the best. But it was already sold. Itseems it went so quickly within a few days after they were posted. So no sound sample for that one.

He is probably not so well known outside of Japan. He is probably one of very few modern jinashi makers who are well respected among jinashi folks especially among the members of the Komuso Shakuhachi Study Group. (Another well-known maker is probably Gudo Ishibashi). If you think Shugetsu's (or Neptune)'s jinashi is too loud and/or Dan Shinku's flutes are too diffcult to play, you may find Kobayashi's ones interesting. His flutes actually sound a bit like Dan Shinku's, especially "daha" played on 2.3.

Kobayashi-san is known as a specialist of kokan vintage shakuhachi (thus, many of his flutes were owned and played by Shimura Zenho. There seems at least 15 Kobayashi flutes exhibited at Shimura's jinashi shakuhachi museum in Osaka). But unlike edo-perioed flutes, his flutes are well tuned (to our modern ears), which you may or may not like. (different from my Myochin flutes).

I tried his 2.9 and 3.0 in Tokyo, It was just amazing. The sound was deeply profound yet light and smooth. It was "taken" by Shimura-san, which he probably played on in Australia.


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#2 2009-05-25 11:34:16

philthefluter
Member
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: 2006-06-02
Posts: 190
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

I met Kobayashi-san in Mejiro a few years ago. He was very generous in giving his time and advice to me, still (as always) a novice shakuhachi maker. He plays with great spirit and his shakuhachi are very responsive.


"The bamboo and Zen are One!" Kurosawa Kinko
http://www.shakuhachizen.com/
http://www.myspace.com/shakuhachizen

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#3 2009-06-12 14:38:12

wachiku
Member
Registered: 2008-02-29
Posts: 3

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Since my "personal take" has been exposed here, I should be responsible for what I wrote.

(Kiku, you could have asked me first before you posted and shared my personal email here. It was only meant to be read by my shakuhachi friends - a very small circle.)

Since Kiku edited (and softened) my voice (for good reasons), I just paste my original email below (without just one sentence that doesn't sound nice to Mejiro smile. Please be reminded that I was not aware of the previous discussions initiated by Chris when I composed this email.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I thought you might be interested in this. If not, sorry for bothering you.

I talked to Teruakiu kobayashi on the phone the other day. He is the
only student of Yokoyama who became a flute maker (as far as I am
concerned). He makes more "jinashi-like" jinashi. The owner of Mejiro
is a big fun of his flutes and now selling seven of them. You can
listen to some audio samples at Mejiro's website. (they finally
uploaded those files yesterday).
http://www.mejiro-japan.com/system/cont … p?c_id=126

It was played by Kobayashi-san himself (his shakuhachi name is
Shomei). You can compared them with John Nepture's more "jiari" like
jinashi (audio sample is also available at Mejiro). Kobayashi-san said
his 2.7 (and san'an played on it) was among the best. But it was already
sold. It seems it went so quickly within a few days after they were posted.
So no sound sample for that one.

He is probably not so well known outside of Japan. (Al knows him, and
saw him at Mejiro a few years back during the Roots Pilgrimage?) He is
probably one of very few modern jinashi makers who are well respected
among jinashi folks especially the members of the Komuso
Shakuhachi Study Group. (Another well-known maker is probably Gudo
Ishibashi). If you think Shugetsu's (or Neptune's) jinashi are too loud
and/or Dan Shinku's flutes are too difficult to play, you may find
Kobayashi's ones interesting. His flutes actually sound a bit like Dan
Shinku's, especially "daha" played on his 2.3.

Kobayashi-san is known as a specialist of kokan vintage shakuhachi
(thus, many of his flutes were owned and played by Shimura Zenho.
There seems be at least 15 Kobayashi flutes exhibited at Shimura's
jinashi shakuhachi museum in Osaka). But unlike edo-perioed flutes,
his flutes are well tuned (to our modern ears), which you may or may
not like. (different from my Myochin flutes).

I tried his 2.9 and 3.0 in Tokyo, They were just amazing. The sound was
deeply profound yet light and smooth. Kobayashi-san was going to give
one of them to Yokoyama-sensei as offering. But it was "taken" by
Shimura-san, which he probably played on in Australia.

Finally, "hello" to those of you who have not heard from me for a long time. smile
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

Yes, my personal take is "I love Shomei's flutes." But I didn't mean to suggest that Shomei's flutes are the only choice. Shugetsu's and Neptune's flutes are no less fabulous than Shomei's flutes. I do appreciate each maker's flutes in its own way. In fact, I have been in close contact with one of these makers through a number of email exchanges and inspired by his professional knowledge. So each maker deserves great respect. My intention of sharing my "private" thought was that Shomei is not well known compared to other makers and so worth my time writing about him. We appreciate different kinds of shakuhachi, right? So that is my take. (Of course, I love my myochin flutes).

By the way, what I mean by "the Komuso Shakuhachi Study Group" in my email is Komuso Kenkyukai (so-called "komuken") based in Tokyo, not the group of Professor Shimura, Tsukitani, Seyama... in Osaka.

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#4 2009-06-12 14:45:27

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Sorry about that, Wachiku. Last time you didn't mind under some conditions, so I assumed it would be ok under the same conditions... but assuming is a dangerous business! Apologies!


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#5 2009-06-12 15:18:49

wachiku
Member
Registered: 2008-02-29
Posts: 3

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Forgot to add one more sentence: Thank you Kiku for helping me introduce Shomei's flutes here! After all, that was my intention.

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#6 2009-06-12 15:20:08

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Everybody's posting everybody else's emails nowadays!

If I start, whoa! Look out. wink


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#7 2009-06-12 15:34:27

Kiku Day
Shakuhachi player, teacher and ethnomusicologist
From: London, UK & Nørre Snede, DK
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 922
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Tairaku wrote:

Everybody's posting everybody else's emails nowadays!

If I start, whoa! Look out. wink

Promise not to post the nude pictures I sent you!  hmm


I am a hole in a flute
that the Christ's breath moves through
listen to this music
Hafiz

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#8 2009-06-12 19:14:23

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

Kiku Day wrote:

Tairaku wrote:

Everybody's posting everybody else's emails nowadays!

If I start, whoa! Look out. wink

Promise not to post the nude pictures I sent you!  hmm

We don't have a "Pay Per View" area, but I'll talk to Ken about it. Maybe we can make some money.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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#9 2014-01-08 03:35:38

Moran from Planet X
Member
From: Here to There
Registered: 2005-10-11
Posts: 1524
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

All of these pages contain sound samples of Shomeis flutes

Here's a new Shomei "professional" quality and priced as such:
https://www.mejiro-japan.com/product/17 … -zen-flute

Here's a Shomei "student" model at a more student price: 
https://www.mejiro-japan.com/product/20 … -zen-flute

Here's a pre-owned Shomei. Judging from the ivory utaguchi it must pre one of his "professional" flutes. This is marked "out of stock" so it must be reserved or sold. Nice to look at
https://www.mejiro-japan.com/product/22 … -pre-owned

Hole spacing appears modern and the chi looks smaller. Timbre is quite rustic. I'd like to se him make towari flutes some time. I thought he had.


"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I am all out of bubblegum." —Rowdy Piper, They Live!

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#10 2014-01-08 04:51:19

Tairaku 太楽
Administrator/Performer
From: Tasmania
Registered: 2005-10-07
Posts: 3226
Website

Re: Shōmei flutes - an opinion

I played Simura's 3.3 or whatever it was and I liked it a lot. Good sound.


'Progress means simplifying, not complicating' : Bruno Munari

http://www.myspace.com/tairakubrianritchie

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