Shakuhachi with only one joint, Hitoyogiri（一節切）｜History of the Shakuhachi
The short shakuhachi with only one joint appeared
After the Shosoin shakuhachi disappeared, the Hitoyogiri came to be played. The reason why it was called the Hitoyogiri is that it is about 30cm long and had only one joint. It has 4 holes on the front and 1 hole on the back, total of 5 holes, the same as today.
It was used by famous generals
It is said that it was introduced by a man named Roan（from Fuzhou, South China）in the late 15th century, but the details are not known. However, the Hitoyogiri certainly existed at that time, as it appears in a poem by Zen monk Ikkyu （一休：1934-1481）. It is said that famous generals of the Warring period such as Nobunaga Oda （織田信長）and Shingen Takeda（武田信玄）were also fond of playing it.
However, by the beginning of the 19th century, it was rarely played. The reason for its demise can be attributed to a variety of factors, but it is thought that one reason was that the performance of the instruments was not good enough to allow the technique of semi-open bores and " Meri & Kari "* to be used properly.
* " Meri & Kari " is one of the techniques to adjust blowing angle by bending the head forward for tone tuning.
*Actual picture
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
