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The shakuhachi is the most important wind instrument of Japan. It combines complex playing technique with simplicity of construction. With only five holes, the shakuhachi can produce the complete chromatic scale in two octaves.
"Shakuhachi" means 1.8 shaku (1 shaku measures just under a foot). That length of bamboo has long been regarded as the standard, with the D above middle C as the fundamental tone. However, there are different sizes (graduated in tenths of a shaku). The most common sizes after the standard 1.8 are 1.6 (E), 2.1 (B), and 2.4 (A). The larger instruments (up to 3.0) are often preferred by players of the ancient honkyoku pieces of Zen music.
