A study on acoustical and sociological design of the komuso shakuhachi

• Project/Area Number: 25560008
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Design science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: YOSHIKAWA Shigeru 九州大学, 芸術工学研究科(研究院), 教授 (80301828)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SIMURA Satosi 大阪芸術大学, 芸術学部, 教授 (60226264)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2014)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 虚無僧 / 虚無僧寺 / 地無し尺八 / ピリオド楽器 / 竹の節 / 一音成仏 / 尺八楽の分裂と拡散 / 宗教性と芸術性 / 禅と音楽 / 虚無僧尺八 / 指孔位置 / クロス・フィンガリング / 音律 / 内径分布 / スペクトル・スイッチング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Historically famous Komuso-shakuhachis such as “Buko” and “Rodoudou” (manufactured in Edo and Meiji era, respectively) are called the “shakuhachi with no ground paste”, and made by remaining bamboo nodes with respect for natural shape of bamboo bores. The present study suggested that geometrical differences between the bores below and above the second node (positioning above the fourth finger hole) and characteristics in remaining the second node produced the tonal differences (complicated colorfulness) between lower and higher tones. Furthermore, the impressions given at actual performances and CD recordings suggested that both pitch changes and fingerings followed by pitch-bending techniques, which were more smoothly executed by Komuso-shakuhachis than by modern shakuhachis, led the appreciable differences in sounding and tonal color. These characteristics are regarded as the merits from the higher positions of the second and third tone holes in Komuso-shakuhachis.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Cross fingering and associated intonation anomaly in the shakuhachi (2015)
  • Author(s): S. Yoshikawa and K. Kajiwara
  • Journal Title: Acoustical Science & Technology Volume: 36
  • NAID: 130005086486
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] 尺八－その物理的・音響的解明 (2014)
  • Author(s): 吉川茂
  • Organizer: 横山勝也メモリアルフェスティバル
  • Place of Presentation: 国際尺八研修館（倉敷）
  • Year and Date: 2014-08-28 – 2014-08-31
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 地無し尺八の可能性と伝統邦楽の未来への提言 (2014)
  • Author(s): 志村哲
  • Organizer: 横山勝也メモリアルフェスティバル
  • Place of Presentation: 国際尺八研修館（倉敷）
  • Year and Date: 2014-08-28 – 2014-08-31
  • Invited
• [Presentation] Acoustics of cross fingerings in the shakuhachi (2014)
  • Author(s): S. Yoshikawa and K. Kajiwara
  • Organizer: International Congress on Acoustics
  • Place of Presentation: Le Mans, France
  • Year and Date: 2014-07-07 – 2014-07-11
  • Invited
• [Presentation] The psychosomatic and timbre in the tradition of shakuhachi (2014)
  • Author(s): S. Simura
  • Organizer: Kyoto International Colloquium for Lacanian Psychoanalysis
  • Place of Presentation: 京都国際会議場、日本
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-10 – 2014-04-11
  • Invited
• [Presentation] 尺八におけるクロス・フィンガリングと音律異常―バロック・フルートとの比較 (2014)
  • Author(s): 吉川茂、梶原和恵
  • Organizer: 日本音響学会音楽音響研究会
  • Place of Presentation: 九州大学大橋キャンパス
• [Book] 箏の古典と白繭の響き（CD解説書）所収、「収録に用いた古管尺八について－心地よい三曲尺八の音色空間を目指して」 (2014)
  • Author(s): 志村哲
  • Publisher: コジマ録音
• [Book] ”Construction of wooden musical instruments" in Springer Handbook for Systematic Musicology （ed. by Ralf Bader) (2014)
  • Author(s): Chris Waltam and Shigeru Yoshikawa
  • Total Pages: 50
  • Publisher: Springer