I just sent this Hocchiku shakuhachi to England. I call these “Liberty Bell” flutes due to the crack at the root bell. The crack was a result of the root being rocked with too much torque during the harvesting. It was filled with bamboo dust and CA glue after it was cured. Liberty bell shakuhachi symbolize freedom, kinda ironic that it went to England

Hear this flute. I am playing an excerpt from Koku. I chose this section as it highlights some of the organic timbres associated with well made Hocchiku flutes. Koku translates loosely as Empty Sky but the meaning is more complex. Along with Kyorei and Mukaiji, many consider Koku as one of the three ancient Honkyoku pieces.
I am playing it in the way I learned it from Kinya Sogawa. I have a feeling Watazumi used these flutes symbolically for the similar reasons, in search of freedom.

Now for my little rant. Hocchiku is an esoteric term in the world of an esoteric flute. Unfortunately, the term is being co-opted and decontextualized. Hocchiku is a term coined by Watazumi to bring attention to the sound of shakuhachi as played on organic bamboo instruments. All natural shakuhachi flutes existed for many many years in Japan before Watazumi coined the term. One can say that all the earliest shakuhachi were all natural, non-plastered, non-lacquer and non-inlaid flutes. The difference is Watazumi coined the term and introduced a different approach to playing as an antithesis to the more balanced, Westernized sound the mainstream shakuhachi world was headed towards. Hocchiku is translated as Darma Bamboo. It embodies a way of life. All natural shakuhachi are shakuhachi instruments, but a flute is a Hocchiku if it was made to follow the path of Watazumi.

OK rants over. I recieved a commission for my best Hocchiku a few weeks back so I asked Kinya if I can have a piece of bamboo. He sent me these pieces - a 2.7 and 3.0. He personally harvested these about 10 - 20 years ago in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Man am I excited. 

My life rules!