Hichiriki Reed Tongue "Kiyoshi"

Thank you for viewing. I am a Ryūteki player with 50 years of experience in Gagaku and Ryūteki. I create over a thousand high-quality reeds annually.

These reeds are made from carefully selected, high-quality reeds from Udono. After drying them in the shade for about 1.5 years, they have been smoked over a traditional Japanese hearth for over 10 years. I am confident that these are top-quality reeds, combining both durability and superior sound quality. I believe my past reviews will help you understand this.

They are finished with great care, free from cracks, allowing for comfortable playing. While they are made to the thickness I use for my own Kanda Jūsuke instrument, they are generally a suitable thickness for any Ryūteki, including those with plastic tubes.

They are finished to be playable immediately, even for beginners. However, please be aware that they will not produce a good sound with just a light or weak breath. To achieve a beautiful resonance, please remember to blow with ample breath. While the price per reed may be slightly high, I offer returns and exchanges if you are not satisfied. I am confident you will be pleased with these reeds, so please give them a try.

As a supplementary note, even with the finest materials and instruments, without the skill to play them, it is impossible to create truly excellent reeds! Even if the reed itself is somewhat shaped, if the tsume (the part that makes it playable) is not properly adjusted, or if the seme (the binding) is too loose or too tight, it will not play well. This is one of the reasons why new reeds may not sound good. While people say to nurture new reeds to make them playable, in my experience, if the original material is poor or the reeds are still close to raw after only shade-drying, they simply won't work.

If you have any concerns or difficulties with Gagaku or Ryūteki, I may be able to help. Thank you for reading this long message to the end. I would appreciate your consideration of these reeds.