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Hello! Here in Chiba Prefecture in Japan, I woke up this morning to find that autumn had breezed into our homes overnight, with no warning. My long sleeves have been brought out of exile, and the light summer cottons retired for the year.
As the days grow longer, and the nights cooler, I begin to look forward to peaceful evenings sitting by the window, cosy and snug inside, looking upon the changing landscape outside. What could be a better accompaniment to the leafy carpets and swooshing winds of autumn than the calls of the season’s creatures?
Today, therefore, I would like to introduce to you the soulful shakuhachi piece called ‘Shika no Tohne’, meaning ‘the distant sound of deer’. Even though most Japanese people are not very interested in classical music, this classical work is comparatively widely known in Japan, as it’s included in a junior high school textbook.
Shakuhachi is a Japanese vertical flute made of bamboo. It has an extremely simple structure: a mouthpiece is simply cut off the end of a bamboo stem, and only five finger holes are made. Due to this simplicity, a wide variety of tones can be produced depending on the skill of the player.
The work is played by one shakuhachi in this video; however, it is originally played by two performers. This tune has been said to render two male deer crying in the mountain. It is as if the two deer are calling to each other.
This tune is full of the mood of autumn; you imagine a mountainous landscape with colorful leaves and the sound of crying deer. Please listen to it on a long autumn night.
Shakuhachi is also popular overseas. October 8th is World Shakuhachi Day, because the pronunciation of shaku is close to hundred (hyaku), and hachi means the number eight in Japanese. Thus, shakuhachi may be '108', just as October 8th may be written 10/8, or 108. This year as well, a global online shakuhachi event is being planned, which you can find out more about here:
http://worldshakuhachiday.com/
Happy Listening!
*This article has been revised based on the Japanese article from last year. Cafetalk instructor Ashhari J. assisted me.
Fukumaru
Oct 6, 2024
Dear Ash, thank you very much for your kind guidance and message. I hope that more students and tutors will become interested in Japanese music after reading this article.
Ashhari J.
Oct 6, 2024
How very kind of you to mention me, Fukumaru! Thanks to your article, I've gleaned several interesting titbits about traditional Japanese wind instruments. It was great fun acquiring new cultural and musical insight besides merely doing my job. I hope your students and readers appreciate this column as much as I did! :))