Hichiriki Reed "Kiwami"

Thank you for viewing. I am a Ryūteki player with over 50 years of experience in Gagaku and Ryūteki. I create over a thousand high-quality reeds annually.

These reeds are made from carefully selected, high-quality reeds from Udono. After drying them in the shade for about 1.5 years, they have been smoked over a traditional Japanese hearth for over 10 years. I am confident that these are top-quality reeds that combine both durability and excellent sound quality. I believe my past reviews will help you understand this.

They are finished with time and care as if for my own use, so they may appear used, but they are of course free from cracks and will perform beautifully, allowing you to play with ease. They are the thickness I personally prefer (slightly thick) from Kanda Jusuke, but this thickness is generally compatible with any Ryūteki, including plastic ones.

Even beginners will find them easy to blow into and can fill them with breath properly. While the price per reed may be a bit high, I will accept returns or exchanges if you are not satisfied. I am confident that you will be pleased with these reeds, so please give them a try.

As a supplementary note, no matter how excellent the materials are, without the skill to play them, one cannot discern their quality, and it is impossible to create better reeds! Even if the reed itself is somewhat shaped, if the shaping (tsume) is not precise enough to make it sound, or if the binding (seme) is too loose or too tight, it will not play well. This is one of the reasons why new reeds often don't sound good. While people say to grow new reeds to make them sound, in my experience, if the original material is poor or the reeds are still close to raw after just shade-drying, they simply won't work. I am convinced that only through thorough smoking can reeds achieve the necessary resilience and produce a clear, resonant tone.

If you have any concerns or difficulties with Gagaku or Ryūteki, I may be able to help. Thank you for reading this long message. I hope you will consider these reeds.