Crafting The Mid-Joint/Nakatsugi
The Art of Finishing Japanese Mid-Joint/Nakatsugi Bamboo Flute
The nakasugé or middle joint of a two-piece shakuhachi is precisely proportioned to within a few hundredths of a millimeter in order to fit properly. It is made solely of bamboo and lacquer.
Shawn then uses two different techniques for creating the Chiku-shin nakatsugi/mid-joint on a Shakuhachi. The first technique Shawn utilizes is a simple rattan-(to) which creates the mid-joint/nakatsugi in a proper and traditionally crafted fashion. The second technique Shawn utilizes to create the mid-joint/nakatsugi is through use of a handmade silver ring, which is finished with either rattan or cherry tree bark. Chiku-shin silver rings are made individually, by hand, using silver wire. This is also a traditional Japanese method for creating the mid-joint/nakatsugi. This is a process Shawn has mastered over the years. Both techniques are excellent and provide for a solid joint and optimal quality Shakuhachi.
