is the Japanese word for bamboo flute, and refers to a class of flutes native to Japan. come in many varieties, but are generally high-pitched and made of a bamboo called .Taiko – Japanese Drumming". , Drumdojo Magazine, Ed. Paul Marshall, 2000, Retrieved 6 July 2008. The most popular of the is the .
Categorization are traditionally broken up into two basic categories – the transverse flute and the end-blown flute."Fue (Flute)." Japanese Traditional Music". , 2002, Columbia Music Entertainment, retrieved 6 July 2008 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."Fue (Flute)", Japanese Traditional Music , 2002, Columbia Music Entertainment, retrieved 6 July 2008
History The earliest may have developed from pitch pipes 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,Tagliaferro, Linda. "Music and Nature in a Japanese Flute." New York Times, 10 May 1998 retrieved 6 July 2008 becoming prevalent during the Nara Period.
Soon after the introduction of instruments, members of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism 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: Image Name Type Description End-blown One of the most popular and oldest of the Japanese End-blown Made from the same material as the End-blown A unique in that it is a double reed instrument. Transverse Traditional Transverse This is for , a type of music used for dances associated with Imperial Court music. Transverse Used in Japanese music seeming to have a Chinese origin. Its sound is said to represent the ascension of dragons. Transverse A flute used in the Noh theatre and ensembles. Transverse Also called the bamboo flute, it is used for , the background music used in kabuki theatre. Transverse This is used in a type of Japanese music called . At long, it is the longest . (also known as the ) Transverse Used in ceremony. The sympathetically vibrating membrane, such as on a Chinese , is visible in the photograph between the embouchure hole and finger holes.
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