Madaké is a giant timber bamboo most abundant in fertile lowland valleys. Smaller diameter, denser bamboos suitable for flutemaking are found only in mountainous regions where the soil is poor and conditions for growth are harsh. While madaké is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth -- having been measured at over four feet of growth in one day! -- quality bamboo for flutemaking is very difficult to find. Exacting specifications demanded by the traditional aesthetic, which considers size, shape, color, root structure and nodal configuration, combine to make the search for shakuhachi bamboo a formidable one. A large grove of madaké provides the maker with only a limited number of usable pieces.

Japan's high population density, rampant development and economic organization of traditional craftworks further compound the problem of accessibility. Acquisition of bamboo for shakuhachi is also limited by the fact that harvesting occurs only during winter months before the sap has risen in the plant. All these factors combine to make madaké for shakuhachi a truly precious resource. As a result, Tai Hei Shakuhachi has labored long and hard to locate supplies of this special resource throughout the world. 

Student shakuhachi are made from madaké as well as torachiku or Tiger Bamboo (phyllostachys nigra f. punctata), a unique species of black bamboo which originates in Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's main islands. Each piece is carefully chosen, treated and cured in the traditional manner.

Photo Journal of Bamboo Harvest

Bamboo Resources