Flute - Fue

Japanese: 笛 - ふえ

A general term for instruments played by blowing in Japan. There are various theories about the origin of the word, such as it being an abbreviation of fukie (blow handle/blow branch) or fukiirune (blow sound), but the word is not certain. Today, the word fue is used in the broadest sense as a general term for wind instruments, regardless of how they are played, whether they have a reed, or their shape, but in the narrowest sense it often refers only to the transverse flute, that is, the flute without a reed. This is because the transverse flute was particularly well developed in Japan, and considering that there are many people in the world who do not own a transverse flute, the development of the transverse flute can be said to be one of the characteristics of East Asian music, including Japan. There are various English words for fue, such as flutes, pipes, and whistles, but in Japan it often refers mainly to woodwind instruments among Western instruments, and brass instruments that use a mouthpiece such as trumpets were called "rappa" to distinguish them.

The history of the flute in Japan is long, and can be found in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Since ancient times, Japanese people have been familiar with music, calling it "fuetsuzumi," but it is unclear what form the earliest flutes took. Here, we will consider three types of flutes: transverse flutes, vertical flutes, and others.

[Akiko Kawaguchi]

flute

There are three types of flutes used in gagaku: the kagura flute (yamatobue, futobue), the ryuteki (outeki), and the komabue, but in gagaku, the word "flute" refers specifically to the ryuteki. It is said that the kagura flute is an ancient Japanese flute that existed before the other two were imported from the continent, but this is not certain. In the Muromachi period, with the rise of Nohgaku, the nohkan, a modified version of the ryuteki, appeared. In addition, the shinobue, a flute with a gentler tone to suit popular songs, was born and was widely used in Kabuki music and other folk performing arts in the Edo period. In addition, the Ming flute and the Qing flute, which were introduced from China and used for Ming and Qing music, were also popular and became popular during the Meiji period because they were compatible with Western music.

All of these flutes are made from bamboo, some with the surface left as is, and some with the surface wrapped in birch or cherry bark and hardened with lacquer to prevent cracking. The latter is a unique Japanese design adapted to the climate, which changes drastically between wet and dry. There are six or seven finger holes, but the mouthpiece and finger holes do not have any special mechanisms such as keys. The simple structure makes it possible to produce delicate and rich expressions that showcase minute intervals and subtle tones through subtle breathing and fingering techniques.

[Akiko Kawaguchi]

Vertical flute

Those that do not use reeds include the hitoyogiri, shakuhachi, and tenpuku, which are of the shakuhachi family, while those that do use reeds include the hichiriki of gagaku and the charumera (both of which have two reeds) commonly found at chuka soba stalls, but wind instruments that use reeds are sometimes not included in the category of fue. In addition, the whistle-type recorder is also widely used today as an educational instrument and is affectionately known as the vertical flute.

[Akiko Kawaguchi]

others

Round, container-shaped flutes such as stone and rock flutes, which are played through a hole drilled in a stone, and clay flutes (similar to the Chinese Xun), which are clay jars with a mouthpiece and finger holes, have also been excavated from ancient ruins. In a broad sense, the term flute can also include the sho used in gagaku music, the conch flute, which can be considered an instrument used by mountain ascetics, and flutes made from natural plants such as the grass flute and wheat flute, as well as mouth and finger flutes. In Kabuki, onomatopoeic flutes made with black blinds that imitate the cries of various birds and insects are also used. There are also a variety of other flutes in the world, including nose flutes (such as those used in Oceania) that are played with the nose, flutes with multiple pipes like panpipes, flutes with multiple pipes like the Indian snake charmer's flute, the poongi, and flutes with bellows like bagpipes.

[Akiko Kawaguchi]

toy

There are many toys made from flutes, and as toys that make sounds, they occupy a large section of the toy market, but in the past they were limited to natural object toys such as grass flutes and wheat flutes. Flute toys were not developed until the Edo period, and their forerunners were bird-attracting flutes such as the nightingale flute. The nightingale flute is a bamboo flute about 10cm long, held down at both ends with the fingers, and by opening and closing the fingertips it produces a sound that resembles the song of a nightingale. The Enokoshu, published in 1633 (Kan'ei 10), contains the line, "I wonder if today is also the day for the nightingale flute," and although flutes were already in use at the time, they were still used to attract birds and for onomatopoeic sounds in plays. Around the Genroku period (1688-1704), following the Uguisu-bue, the Hibari-bue and the Sho-bue, a souvenir from the Ise Shrine pilgrimage, became popular among children. The Sho-bue is thought to be a short vertical flute that produces a sound similar to the Hichiriki, and was featured in lullabies and was beloved for a long time throughout the Edo period. Other flutes included the Shishi-bue, which had a lion decorated on its head, and the Sarumatsu-bue, which was used to soothe children. In Aizuwakamatsu (Fukushima Prefecture), the nightingale flute is sold as a lucky toy for the New Year under the name "Hatsune flute," and from the Taisho to Showa periods it was available as a local toy in various places, such as Nikko (Tochigi Prefecture), Zenkoji (Nagano Prefecture), Ise (Mie Prefecture), and Yashima (Kagawa Prefecture), and can still be seen in tourist spots today.

Following the sho flute, the Chinese-style Chinese flute, a type of Chinese instrument, was introduced from China and was made as a musical toy for infants. In Nozawa Onsen (Nagano Prefecture), there are Akebia crafts. Children also loved the "Pi-Pi," a flute made of wood with a tongue attached to the inside of a tube, and earthen bird whistles.

Since the Meiji period, various childcare toys have been available using new materials and manufacturing techniques imported from overseas, such as the scroll flute, which stretches the wrapping paper when the cylinder is blown, and the fur flute, which has a rubber balloon attached and makes a whistle when the balloon deflates. In addition, from the Edo period to the Meiji period, a metal flute toy called a biyabong became popular, and there are many local toys that can still be seen all over the country today, such as clay pigeon flutes, wooden turned wood flutes, bamboo flutes, and papier-mâché flutes.

[Ryosuke Saito]

"Music Selection 53: Tales of the Flute" by Itsuo Akai (1987, Ongaku No Tomosha)

Alto Recorder
©Yamaha ">

Alto Recorder

Sho
Late 19th century, wood, metal, ivory, length 50.2 cm, owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art , China

Sho

Local toy whistle
©Shogakukan ">

Local toy whistle

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

日本における吹いて鳴らす楽器の総称。語源はフキエ（吹柄・吹枝）あるいはフキイルネ（吹気入音）の略など諸説あり、さだかではない。今日笛という語はもっとも広義には、吹き方、リード（簧(こう)）のあるなし、形態を問わず、吹奏楽器の総称の意味で用いられるが、狭義にはこのうち横笛、すなわちリードのない横吹きフルートのみをさすことが多い。これは日本ではとくに横笛が優れて発達したためで、世界には横笛をもたない民族も多いことを考え合わせると、横笛の発達は日本を含めて東アジア音楽の特徴の一つといえよう。英語で笛にあたるものにフルートflute、パイプpipe、ホイッスルwhistleなど各種あるが、日本では洋楽器のうち主として木管楽器類をさすことが多く、トランペットのようにマウスピースを用いる金管楽器類は「らっぱ」とよんで区別していた。

　日本における笛の歴史は古く、『古事記』や『日本書紀』にも記述がみられる。古来、日本人は音楽のことを「ふえつづみ」と呼び習わして親しんできたが、最古の笛がどのような形態であったのかは不明である。ここでは横笛、縦笛、その他、の3種に分けて考察する。

［川口明子］

横笛

雅楽で用いられる横笛に神楽笛(かぐらぶえ)（和笛(やまとぶえ)、太笛(ふとぶえ)）、竜笛(りゅうてき)（横笛(おうてき)）、高麗（狛）笛(こまぶえ)の3種があるが、雅楽で「笛」というととくに竜笛のことだけをさす。神楽笛はほかの二つが大陸から輸入される以前に存在した日本古来の笛だともいわれるが、さだかではない。室町時代になると能楽の興隆とともに竜笛を改作した能管が現れた。さらに、歌謡にあうようなより柔和な音色の篠笛(しのぶえ)も生まれ、江戸時代には歌舞伎囃子(かぶきばやし)をはじめ各地の民俗芸能などで広く用いられた。このほか中国から伝わった明清楽(みんしんがく)用の明笛(みんてき)や清笛(しんてき)も愛用され、西洋音楽にも適合するので明治時代に流行した。

　これらの横笛はすべて竹製で、竹の表面そのままのものと、割れにくいように表面をカバやサクラの皮で巻いて漆を塗って固めたものとがある。後者は乾湿の変化の激しい気候にあわせた日本独特のくふうである。指孔は6孔または7孔だが、吹口と指孔にキーのような特別の仕掛けはなく、その簡素な構造ゆえに可能な、微妙な息づかいや指づかいの妙技により、微小音程や音色のあやを粋(すい)とする繊細で豊かな表現を生み出している。

［川口明子］

縦笛

リードを用いないものに一節切(ひとよぎり)、尺八、天吹(てんぷく)などの尺八系の笛が、リードを用いるものに雅楽の篳篥(ひちりき)、屋台の中華そばでおなじみのチャルメラ（いずれも2枚リード）などがあるが、リードを用いる管楽器は笛に含めないこともある。このほかホイッスル式のリコーダーも今日では教育楽器として広く普及し、縦笛の愛称で親しまれている。

［川口明子］

その他

丸型・容器型のものとして石に穴をあけて吹く石笛や岩笛、土で壺(つぼ)型をつくってそれに吹口と指孔をつけた土笛（中国の塤(けん)と同型）なども古代の遺跡から発掘されている。このほか雅楽の笙(しょう)や山伏の楽器ともいえる法螺貝(ほらがい)、さらに草笛・麦笛など自然の植物を利用したものや、口笛、指笛なども広義には笛に入れられよう。また、歌舞伎でも黒御簾(くろみす)でさまざまな鳥の鳴き声や虫の音を模倣した擬音笛が用いられている。世界にはこのほか鼻で吹く鼻笛（オセアニアなど）や、パンパイプのような多数管、インドの蛇使いの笛プーンギのような複管、バッグパイプのようなふいご式など、種々の笛がある。

［川口明子］

玩具

笛を玩具(がんぐ)化したものは数多く、音の出るおもちゃとして、玩具のなかで大きな分野を占めているが、古くは草笛、麦笛などの自然物玩具の程度にすぎなかった。玩具としての笛が発達したのは江戸時代に入ってからで、その先駆をなすものは鶯笛(うぐいすぶえ)以下の鳥寄せ笛である。鶯笛は10センチメートルほどの竹製のもので、指でその両端を押さえ、指先の開閉でウグイスのさえずりに似た音を出す。1633年（寛永10）刊の『犬子(えのこ)集』に、「けふははや鶯笛もねの日かな」とあり、当時すでに用いられていたが、まだ鳥寄せや芝居の擬音用などのものであった。元禄(げんろく)年間（1688～1704）前後は、鶯笛に次いで、雲雀(ひばり)笛や伊勢(いせ)参宮土産(みやげ)の笙(しょう)の笛が子供たちに親しまれるようになった。笙の笛とは、篳篥(ひちりき)に似た音を出す短い縦笛と推察されるが、これは子守歌にも詠み込まれ、江戸時代を通じて長い期間愛玩された。このほか、頭に獅子(しし)を飾り付けた獅子笛、子供をあやす猿松(さるまつ)笛などもあった。鶯笛は会津若松（福島県）で、「初音(はつね)の笛」の名で正月の縁起物玩具として売られるほか、大正時代から昭和期にかけて、日光（栃木県）、善光寺（長野県）、伊勢（三重県）、屋島（香川県）など各地に郷土玩具としてあり、現在も観光地などにみられる。

　笙の笛に続いて中国からチャルメラ形の唐人笛が伝来し、乳児用の鳴り物玩具としてつくられた。野沢温泉（長野県）にはアケビ細工のものがある。また管の中に経木(きょうぎ)などの舌をつけた「ぴいぴい」や、土製の鳥笛などが子供たちに愛用された。

　明治以降は、外国から輸入された新しい材料や製作技法で、育児玩具などが各種出回っているが、筒を吹くと巻紙が伸びる巻笛、ゴム風船が取り付けてあって、風船がしぼむとき笛が鳴る毛笛がある。また江戸期から明治にかけて、金属製のビヤボンという笛玩具が流行したほか、土製の鳩笛(はとぶえ)や木製の挽物(ひきもの)細工、竹笛、張り子製など、現在も郷土玩具として全国各地にみられるものが少なくない。

［斎藤良輔］

『赤井逸著『音楽選書 53　笛ものがたり』（1987・音楽之友社）』