Shinobue

 

Shinobue is the Japanese word to describe a family of transverse flutes constructed out of Shino-dake bamboo. They are a simple yet elegant instrument with great depth and range of tone and expression. 

 

Taking their origins from the court flute, the Ryuteki, which derived from transverse flutes imported from the mainland centuries ago - the Shinobue developed into a distinctly Japanese instrument used in folk, festival and classic Japanese music. 

 

Today, shinobue flutes come in designs that include tuning for western scales, Japanese traditional scales and a variety of arrangements of holes and measurements that are unique to specific locales and festivals across Japan.