8 High-Quality Dragon Head Flute, Classical Style, 7 Holes, 5 Hon Choshi (Key), Great Value, Negishi Shinobue Studio

This instrument is made to the same specifications as the Shishida and Maruyama shinobue.

It is easy to play and produces clear high notes.

The mouthpiece is angled slightly forward, making it recommended for those who play with the instrument held normally or slightly raised.

Even when played by a woman, it does not fall short of a man's shinobue in terms of volume or tone quality.
It has the best resonance among Japanese transverse flutes.

Difference from Wagaku (Japanese traditional flute)
With Wagaku, only the high notes resonate clearly, but with the Ryukubi flute, both the high notes and the higher high notes resonate. It also has better volume and resonance.

Material: Domestic Japanese bamboo
Thickness: Approximately 21.7 mm around the mouthpiece
Length: Approximately 45.2 cm
Mouthpiece size: Approximately 14 mm
Thickness: Standard.
Bamboo hardness: Standard.
Pitch: Around a little over a fifth.
Slightly lower in winter.
Range: From root tone to the 5th higher high note.

What is a Ryukubi flute? It is a flute that came from China during the early to mid-Edo period. It is called a Ryukubi flute because a dragon is decorated on the head of the flute and there is a resonance hole between the mouthpiece and the finger holes. (Mentioned in Chinese Tang Dynasty literature.)

This is a flute made by improving a legendary Ryukubi flute, originally crafted by a Kyoto flute maker in the mid-Edo period, to suit modern festival music. Its resonance is three-dimensional like a Nohkan flute, it has a firm yet soft and easy blowing feel, and its tone is refreshing (similar to a shinobue).

Difference from Shinobue: The biggest difference is in volume and tone quality. It has nearly double the volume of a shinobue, and the high notes and higher high notes resonate three-dimensionally. However, while there are many craftsmen who make shinobue, there are few who make bamboo flutes (flutes with nodes, such as madake and hachiku). This is partly because they are difficult to make and securing materials is challenging.

Having researched physics for many years, I am able to select materials that are relatively easy to play and have good resonance.

Please understand that this is a handmade item using natural materials. Also, please note that price reductions are not possible.