The syakuhati has been known in Japan at least since the Nara period (710–794), when an early version was among the
gagaku
instruments introduced from China during the Tang dynasty [see Gagaku]. Originally part of the tôgaku ‘Tang music
’ ensemble and style, the syakuhati was dropped after a reorganization of the ensemble in the mid-tenth century. However, eight specimens of this early six-hole form of the instrument (made of bamboo, jade, or ivory) have been preserved in...
