End-blown flute
Vernacular Name
- Shakuhachi
Maker
Minzan
Date1940-1960 ca.
Place MadeJapan, Asia
Serial No.none
SignedMarked by thumb hole in Japanese characters, possibly a maker's name: MinzanMarkingsWritten in black ink on backside, proximal end: Ej-374-G-27 / 32
Stamped on back of lower joint, just at the begining of the flared section of the bamboo: 6
DescriptionEnd-blown with notch. Bamboo. Lacquered interior. Horn utaguchi (blowing edge). I Shaku Yon Sun Shakuhachi of the Tozan School. This is a Tozan school of shakuhachi playing flute because of the utaguchi shape. The utaguchi shape differs depending on the school of shakuhachi playing it comes from. The two main types are Kinko and Tozan.
The shakuhachi emerged in its characteristic Japanese form in the 15th century, having been imported to Japan from China in the early 8th century. Early examples, made of jade, stone, and ivory, can be seen in the Shosoin Repository in Nara, Japan.
DimensionsOverall length: 425mm
Overall length in shaku: 1.4'
ProvenanceArne B. Larson Collection, Vermillion, South Dakota, 1979.
Published ReferencesSilva, Ana Sofia. "Digging the Fifties: A Curatorial Perspective on 50 Objects from the NMM Collections." NMM Notes (October 2023): 18.
André P. Larson, The National Music Museum: A Pictorial Souvenir (Vermillion: National Music Museum, 1988), p. 30.
Credit LineArne B. Larson Collection, 1979
Object number01250
On View
On view
1960 ca.
1900-1925 ca.
1880-1920 ca.
1625-1675 ca.