The Sound of Ryuteki

What you’ll do

Enter the premises of a more than 400-year-old shrine and learn about the history and art of the ryuteki bamboo flute from the chief priest and ryuteki teacher. Then, following the guidance of the chief priest, learn how to produce sounds on the ryuteki.

Availability

Who can attend

Children must be 10+

Access

20min by car from Kanazawa Station

Ancient Melodies

Arriving in Japan nearly 1,500 years ago, the ryuteki bamboo flute traces its roots to China, where it was said to have been developed from the ancestor of all flutes, which in turn had made its way to China from the Middle East via the Silk Road. Although more than a thousand years have passed since its advent, the ryuteki has remained in the same form, made with the same methods and materials, with its playing methods passed down through the generations solely by word of mouth. One of the three main instruments in ancient Japanese court music (gagaku), the ryuteki gets its name from its range of two octaves, compared to the voice of a dragon rising up into the heavens. Made from the now rare material of susudake, bamboo that could be harvested from the attics or ceiling of traditional straw-thatched houses, each individual ryuteki has its own distinct sound and quirks based on the age of the bamboo and the length of use, as they are created without following a set musical scale. At this more than 400-year-old shrine in Kanazawa, join the chief priest, a ryuteki performer and instructor, and learn about the history of ryuteki. Then, under the guidance of the chief priest, try your hand at playing the ryuteki bamboo flute and breathe life into the historical sounds of Japan's ancient court music.