Japan
Japanese

Ceramic
Mid 20th century
Length 19.5 inches; Diameter: 1 in
Aerophones – Wind Instruments Proper – Edge-blown Flutes

A transverse flute called shinobue (takebu) made from Japanese pottery known as raku ware.  This type of pottery is traditionally characterized by being hand-shaped rather than thrown with porous vessels, which result from low firing temperatures.  This shinobue has six fingerholes and is used in traditional Japanese folk music such as, bon dance songs and non-vocal local ritual music.  The seven-finger hole shinobue are known as the kabuki model and are made from shino bamboo.  An example of the kabuki model shinobue can be seen in this collection.