is the Japanese word for

bamboo flute The bamboo flute, especially the bone flute, is one of the oldest musical instruments known. Examples of Paleolithic bone flutes have survived for more than 40,000 years, to be discovered by archaeologists. While the oldest flutes currently k ...

, and refers to a class of flutes native to Japan. come in many varieties, but are generally high-pitched and made of a

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...

called . The most popular of the is the .

Categorization

are traditionally broken up into two basic categories – the

transverse flute A transverse flute or side-blown flute is a flute which is held horizontally when played. The player blows across the embouchure hole, in a direction perpendicular to the flute's body length. Transverse flutes include the Western concert f ...

and the

end-blown flute The end-blown flute (also called an edge-blown flute or rim-blown flute) is a woodwind instrument played by directing an airstream against the sharp edge of the upper end of a tube. Unlike a recorder or tin whistle, there is not a ducted flue v ...

. Transverse flutes are held to the side, with the musician blowing across a hole near one end; end-blown flutes are held vertically and the musician blows into one end.

History

The earliest may have developed from

pitch pipe A pitch pipe is a small device used to provide a pitch reference for musicians. Although it may be described as a musical instrument, it is not typically used to play music as such. Technically, it is a harmonica; however, it lacks many characteris ...

s known as in Chinese.Malm, William P. Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. 1959. Rev. ed. Otowa: Kodansha International, 2000. The instrument eventually made its way over to Japan from China in the 5th century, becoming prevalent during the

Nara Period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

. Soon after the introduction of instruments,

members Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the

Fuke sect The term "Fuke" is Japanese and may refer to: * Fuke, known as Puhua, in Chinese, the legendary precursor to the eponymous Fuke Zen school of Buddhism in Japan * Fuke Zen The term "Fuke" is Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or re ...

Zen Buddhism Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), an ...

made normal use of the . These "priests of nothingness" viewed the instruments as spiritual tools, using them for , or "blowing meditation".Tagliaferro, Linda. "Music and Nature in a Japanese Flute".
New York Times, 10 May 1998, retrieved 6 July 2008 Modern performance may feature a soloist or involve either a chamber or large ensemble of the instruments.

Instruments

Japanese include many different varieties of Japanese flute, including the following:

References

External links

{{Fue Japanese musical instruments Bamboo flutes