{"product_id":"japanese-professional-level-shakuhachi","title":"Japanese Professional Level Shakuhachi","description":"\u003cp\u003eA vintage professional-grade instrument, believed to date from roughly the 1950s through the 1970s based on its age. The bore has been finished in the jiari style: ji, a paste of stone powder mixed with urushi (Japanese lacquer), has been applied along most or all of the bore. These instruments generally have a smooth bore, and require great skill from the maker in controlling the inner dimensions to within tiny fractions of millimetres, in order to give the required tone colour and for each note to be stable and in tune. This is the standard and most common type of modern shakuhachi, and so in Japan is simply called \"shakuhachi.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJiari construction tends to produce a louder and brighter sound, and a well-tuned jiari can make it easier to hit higher octave notes due to the smooth and precise bore profile. Because of its greater intonation accuracy, the jiari style is customarily used in sankyoku ensembles and other modern styles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne small humidity crack is present and has been repaired. The repair appears stable, as is common with well-cared-for bamboo instruments of this age. Expert artisans have been crafting these flutes for centuries, a process that combines years of drying time with careful straightening, carving, and the layered application of urushi lacquer to seal the interior. The result here is an instrument with the hallmarks of professional-level workmanship: a refined, smooth bore and a utaguchi (blowing edge) shaped to exacting standards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe shakuhachi has four holes on the front and one at the back; through the meri and kari system of partial hole closing, head movements, and embouchure control, a twelve-tone chromatic scale of up to three octaves can be produced. This expressive range is a large part of what draws serious players to the instrument, and a jiari flute of this age and quality represents a meaningful find for a dedicated practitioner.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Irish Flute Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47877127864546,"sku":"K4Qmtbno-PAOLf9f2","price":499.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2140\/2331\/files\/1Q7A8620.jpg?v=1781033929","url":"https:\/\/www.irishflutestore.com\/products\/japanese-professional-level-shakuhachi","provider":"Irish Flute Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}