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NEWS

Be among the first to hear about new shakuhachi arriving from the workshop and other shakuhachi related news.
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JANUARY 2024 Let’s hope it will be a good one!

OCTOBER 2023 Settling in again after an eventful summer, in particular of course the European Shakuhachi Society Summer School. One of the highlights (yes I am bias 🙂 was Riley Lee borrowing one of the shakuhachi I made to use for the evening concert. Arguably the most well known western shakuhachi player, playing my flute and performing a beautiful version of San’an with it was a great experience for me as it very useful to hear the flute played by a high level player in a concert setting. A short extract below. (the full concert will be released on the ESS YouTube later this year)

Riley Lee playing San’an with a 2.1 shakuhachi made at shakuhachi-atelier. (short extract)

Also there is a new 2.4 available now. Check out the specific page for photos and audio sample here.

JULY 2023 shakuhachi atelier will be in Balbriggan, Dublin from 20-23 July!
at the European Shakuhachi Society Summer School. There will be a number of jiari shakuhachi available for trying and purchase, as well as PVC flutes, bags, notation, accessoirs…. Also I wil be giving a workshop (with Emmanuelle Rouaud) combining ideas on improvisation and moving image, as well as a jiari making demo/Q&A and also working with JosĂ© Vargas on the jinashi making workshop. You can find out more about ESS Dublin 2023 here.

Update 19. July: A few quickly edited impressions from the journey to Balbriggan, County Dublin, after taking te ferry from Wales to Dublin Port.

JULY 2023 shakuhachi atelier online shop will be in holiday mode from 3 July – 10 August. 
It means you can still browse all what is on offer, but the check-out system will be disabled. However feel free to contact me and if it can be arranged, I might still be able to get your order fullfilled.

JUNE 2023 NEW honkyoku PVC set.  Five different PVC shakuhachi lengths ranging from 2.3 (key of Bb) to 2.9 (key of Gb) can be assembled. See the honkyoku PVC set page.

FEBRUARY to JULY 2023 Want to start to learn the shakuhachi? You are near Paris?
The CRC of the PĂŽle Musiques et ThĂ©Ăątre is pleased to announce the opening of a shakuhachi workshop at the Forum des Arts Charles Aznavour (near Paris). The workshop will be led by Emmanuelle Rouaud, shakuhachi player and teacher (shihan), who has been studying with Teruo Furuya, director of the Tokyo branch of the ‘Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshukan’ school in Japan, since 2013. See events page.

JANUARY 2023 New 1.6 just finished, Check it out the details on this page.
Also honkyoku scores of the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshƫkan now availabe in the notation section.

JANUARY 2023 Happy , healthy and shakcessful year to everyone!

OCTOBER 2022 Looking for a shakuhachi in the UK, London? Two new shakuhachi – 1.6 & 2.4 – just finished and ready to try out, audio samples will follow soon.

AUGUST 2022 Just added a new 1.8 shakuhachi to the jiari pages. This is a great flute to start out with, good tuning, easy otsu and kan – visit the shakuhachi page to listen to this flute.

AUGUST 2022 Plenty of new soft padded shakuhachi bags made from beautiful embroidered Japanese fabrics are now ready! Strong materials with padded inside protect your shakuhachi while storing and travelling – see the accessoires page here.

JUNE 2022 Two new jiari shakuhachi now available. A 1.6 made from 35 year old Japanese madake bamboo and a 2.1 – for more details and audio sample please visit the jiari shakuhachi page here.

APRIL 2022 There are still a few places left for the Teruo Furuya Online Workshop 2022. Teruo Furuya, director and principle instructor of the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshƫkan (KSK) in Japan, will present the honkyoku pieces Hon Shirabe, Sanya Sugagaki, Reibo & Ukigumo as well as the modern pieces Miyama Higurashi by Fukuda Rando & Kokyo by Miki Minoru. Furthermore there are two contextual sessions about honkyoku performance & technique.
See the event page for more details: Teruo Furuya Online Workshop 2022

MARCH 2022 Booking is now open for the Teruo Furuya Online Workshop 2022!
It is a full packed and exciting programme and it is an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the leading players active today.
See the event page for more details: Teruo Furuya Online Workshop 2022

JANUARY 2022 Four new shakuhachi are available now –  two 1.8s , a 1.9 and a 2.4 just came out of the workshop.
See the shakuhachi jiari page for more details: jiari shakuhachi

JANUARY 2022 Have a Happy & Healthy New Year!

DECEMBER 2021 Last day for posting will be on the 21.12.2021, so please order by
Monday the 20th. Posting starts again on the 4th January 2022! Any questions please contact me.
Happy holidays and great start into the new year!

NOVEMBER 2021 Just finished and available –  two 1.8, 2.3 and 2.4.
Check out the jiari shakuhachi pages.

OCTOBER 2021 Quick update of new shakuhachi shaping up in the workshop:
There are four 1.8s in the works with one in the final lacquering stage. Also a 2.4 just got it holes and first testing is very promising indeed. Then there is a 2.3 and another 2.4 as well a 1.9 in different stages of making. Some of those should be available some time in November!

OCTOBER 2021 Jiari making demonstration 16 October 2021, 16h30 at the
Salle Boris Vian, Conservatoire de Musique,
49 rue de la Division Leclerc, 91160 Saulx-les-Chartreux
See more info on events page here

MAY 2021 New jiari shakuhachi are now available – 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, 2.3 – see the jiari page for details and audio samples

PVC shakuhachi 1.5 and 7-hole 1.8 and 2.0 are now available too – see the PVC shakuhachi section

APRIL 2021 As part of the Teruo Furuya Online Workshop we will present a major honkyoku recital by Teruo Furuya. Yamagoe, Reibo, San’an, Nanadan Tsuru No Sugomori and other core pieces of the Kokusai Shakuhachi KenshĆ«kan repertoire are presented. Shakuhachi used range from 1.8 – 3.1 length. This concert was recorded in Tokyo in 2017 and will be shown via ZOOM.

MARCH 2021 We are very excited to announce an online workshop with Teruo Furuya for April2021!! This is an excellent opportunity to learn from one of the leading players active today.
Teruo Furuya, director and principle instructor of the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshƫkan (KSK), will present honkyoku as transmitted through KSK, modern composition by Fukuda Rando and sessions on technique. Detailes & dates on the events page.

FEBRUARY 2021 New 1.8 bamboo shakuhachi are in the making and should be available sometime in March/April!

JANUARY 2021 A quick update – from today the prices will be displayed in € (EURO) instead of ÂŁ (GB Pound). We will continue to ship from France where my shakuhachi making workshop is located. Also it is still possible to try out flutes either in Paris or London, but due to ongoing travel restrictions please contact me well in advance to arrange.

JANUARY 2021 Happy New Year to everyone!

NOVEMBER 2020 Three new 1.8 jiari shakuhachi available now. See jiari page here

NOVEMBER 2020 New 5-flute PVC shakuhachi “minyƍ” set now available.
Also 1.8 PVC shakuhachi in all colours back in stock. See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

OCTOBER 2020 red  1.8 PVC shakuhachi back in stock. See Shop > pvc shakuhachi
New 1.8 jiari shakuhachi coming soon too.

SEPTEMBER 2020 green  1.8 PVC shakuhachi back in stock. See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

JULY 2020 New jiari shakuhachi available now – 1.8 & 2.1
Three new shakuhachi were just finished recently and are now available. There are two 1.8
shakuhachi
, one weighing 350g and the other around 420g. The 2.1 shakuhachi is about 410g. There are jiari shakuhachi made from japanese madake bamboo and all are suitable to play a variety of styles or genres including the traditional honkyoku music, and of course the longer 2.1, with its lower key, is in particular suited for honkyoku. You can see more images and listen to audio samples here: jiari shakuhachi

MAY 2020 2.1 PVC shakuhachi now available!
These are in ‘B’ and that lower pitch makes them ideal to try out some honkyoku music too. See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

MAY 2020 shakuhachi-atelier.com is now on facebook too.
Follow us at shakuhachi-atelier FB and see the latest updates and much more. See you there!

MAY 2020 red   & yellow  – 1.8 PVC shakuhachi back in stock.
See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

APRIL 2020 1.8 PVC shakuhachi sound sample online now.
Gekko Roteki played on 1.8 PVC shakuhachi by Emmanuelle Rouaud.

APRIL 2020 blue   & green  – 1.8 PVC shakuhachi back in stock. See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

MARCH 2020 – Teruo FURUYA performing with a shakuhachi made by Shakuhachi Atelier!
I was very happy when Furuya sensei asked me to use one of the shakuhachi I made for his European premiere of Shofugin at his recent concert in Paris. The piece, composed by Keisuke Doi, is for 2.0 shakuhachi and voice. A short extract of Furuya’s performance you can see below:

JANUARY 2020 – Teruo FURUYA & Mizuka ONISHI Masterclass Paris 2020.
Just finished the flyer for this years’ Masterclass! This year we are back at the Academy of Music and Theater Saint-Maurice/Paris. Of course there will be again an opportunity to test and purchase shakuhachi from Shakuhachi Atelier at the event. Hope to meet you there, meanwhile read all the details on the event page here.

JANUARY 2020 – Happy New Year to everyone! We at Shakuhachi Atelier wish you much success with all your plans and projects in 2020.

DECEMBER 2019 – As part of the “DĂ©couverte de la musique japonaise” weekend of Emmanuelle Rouaud and Naoko Kikuchi in Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France, I was presenting my PVC shakuhachi at the Franco-Japanese Cultural Institute, Salle Jacques Brel as well as the Canal Mediatheque in Montigny. Some impression on the event page here.

DECEMBER 2019 – New 2.0 shakuhachi now in stock! A fine player with darkish tone colour and easy accessible meri notes, made from Japanese bamboo. See more details at shop page jiari-shakuhachi

DECEMBER 2019 – Introductory free skype session! Shakuhachi-atelier.com has teamed up with professional flutist and shakuhachi performer Emmanuelle Rouaud (emmanuelle-rouaud.com) and is happy to announce that we can offer now a free skype session to help you get started with your new instrument purchased at shakuhachi-atelier.com (either bamboo or PVC). The session will cover basic fingering positions, posture and sound production as well as the basic handling and maintenance of your (bamboo) shakuhachi. The session will last approx. 30 minutes and can be conducted either in English, French or German. Further lessons can be arranged with Emmanuelle (€ 35 / 45 minutes), if you wish to continue studying shakuhachi via skype. Just drop us an email to arrange your free session.

NOVEMBER 2019 – We just launched the CD & Notation page in our shakuhachi shop. We are aiming to offer a selection of shakuhachi music, ranging from traditional to contemporary on CD, which are not at all or not widely available otherwise. There is also a selection of sankyoku sheet notation as published by the Chikuyusha school in Japan. Have a browse. More CDs and notation added in due time.
See shop page > shakuhachi cd & notation

SEPTEMBER 2019 – New 1.8 now in stock! One new beautiful shakuhachi is available in the shop now.
See shop pages > jiari shakuhachi

SEPTEMBER 2019 – Just returned from Japan. It was a very interesting and informative time to study there with the master shakuhachi maker Miura Ryuho and to delve deeper into jiari making processes. Looking forward to put it all into practice in my shakuhachi making workshop!
While in Japan I also attended the Kokusai Shakuhachi Kenshƫkan (KSK) Festival in Bisei celebrating 30 years since Yokoyama Katsuya founded the Kenshƫkan. Some pics in the gallery page and you can read my report of the event on the blog page here.

JULY 2019 – New 1.8 now in stock! Three new beautiful shakuhachi were just finished and are available in the shop now. See shop pages > jiari shakuhachi

JUNE 2019 – Choose your colour! PVC shakuhachi now available! See Shop > pvc shakuhachi

MAY 2019 – Bryan Fleming posted a nice video of him playing the flute he bought from shakuhachi-atelier at the WSF2018 in London. Thanks! Sounds great! 😉 The Parting Glass Shakuhachi Cover

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ABOUT

Welcome to shakuhachi-atelier.com website! Handmade with traditional methods from japanese bamboo (madake) we offer quality shakuhachi flutes made in Europe and aim to offer affordable shakuhachi for the ever increasing community of European players and beyond.

If you are interested in acquiring a shakuhachi please check out our available instruments here. Availability changes regularly as new instruments are arriving from my making workshop.

If you are not sure if you ready for the world of bamboo shakuhachi I also craft a variety of PVC shakuhachi which offers a great way of making the first steps.

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SHAKUHACHI

The shakuhachi is a vertical, end-blown Japanese bamboo flute, tuned to a pentatonic scale. It is made from thick-walled madake bamboo and has four holes on the front and one at the back making a pentatonic scale but through the meri/kari system of partial hole closing, up and down head movements and subtle changes in embouchure, a 12-tone chromatic scale up to three octaves can be produced.

Its diverse and long history ranges from being used as a meditative tool by Zen Buddhist priests, an instrument for folk music and traditional ensemble music, as well as an instrument valued within the contemporary musical context and among avant-garde composers due to its ability to express subtle change in tone colours, pitch and dynamics.

You can read more about the shakuhachi history and construction here.

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NEWSLETTER

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The newsletter may also include specially selected information about shakuhachi events in Europe.
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