Why do I make shakuhachi? It is a great joy and inspired medium for me, and one of the most humbling, rewarding things I have ever done. Just when you think "Ah... now I understand!", try repeating what you thought you understood. That is why, out of the many countless bamboo shakuhachi ever made, no two look or sound exactly alike. In my case, I average just a handful of instruments every couple of years, partly due to time constraints and partly that I tend to make subtle tone adjustments over a long period of time. While the instruments I make are primarily for my own use, I do, on rare occasions, make one available for sale.

One could wonder why, since I am not in the "business" of making shakuhachi, would I stamp it? I also wonder that. I think it is a legacy thing, just as an artist, good or bad, signs his name. Perhaps, someone in the near future, and/or eons down the road, will ponder the life of the conduit, and how this work came to be? Or, if it's really crappy, they will know who to blame!

Loosely, the intended meaning of my hanko was... "to drink from the great river". As I am told, the combination of kanji I selected is readable as "Inga", which goes back thousands of years, spanning many cultures, and with many different meanings: "Rest a while", "The law of cause and effect", "A tree or unusually strong wood", just to name a few. In this case, it is more a pronunciation of the actual kanji, which can also be pronounced "Nomukawa", of which there is no word in Japan.

While I have made many shakuhachi, it is only very recently that I feel my quality level is such that I am willing to actually put my mark on one. When I do, that shakuhachi will have a very special quality about it. Thanks for reading!

Derek Van Choice