|
| Instrument Title | Nokan |
| Instrument ID | 14.00 |
| Variant Instrument Name | Fue |
| Country/area | Japan
East Asia
Asia
|
| Hornbostel-Sachs class | 421.121.12-7 |
| Keyword | Noh; Noh Hayashi; Kabuki; Kabuki Hayashi; Hayashi; Geza; Kabuki Geza; Nagauta; Matsuri-Bayashi; Folk Music; Flute |
| Description | A side-blown bamboo flute with seven fingerholes. It is assembled from three to six short lengths of bamboo joined together with cherry bark (or string?) wrapped between each pair of adjacent finger-holes. The inside of the tube is covered with red lacquer, which also extends out to the rim of each hole. The upper end of the flute, between the mouth-hole and the end, contains lead or iron (for balance) covered with wax, and the end is stopped with a small bronze plate with a leaf design. The nokan's most distinctive feature is the nodo, a short tube inserted in the bore between the mouthhole and the first fingerhole (not detectable on this instrument).
The nokan is primarily used in the Hayashi ensemble of No drama, usually to accompany dances, mark off sections of the play, and create special effects. It is the only melodic instrument in No drama. The nokan is also used in Kabuki Hayashi and in some folk music.
Note: The nokan looks similar to the ryuteki; however, on the latter the red lacquer covers only the inside of the tube, and the upper end ornament is made of embroidered fabric rather than metal; also, the ryuteki does not have the nodo which is characteristic of the nokan (see #4 in the instrument collection for an example of the ryuteki). |
| Dimensions | Length: 38.7 cm. (15 1/4") |
| Accessories | Black lacquered sheath with purple cord; green fabric bag; stored in blue hard-shell case w/ ryuteki. |
| Condition | Good; nodo (short tube inserted in bore) not detectable to naked eye 6/98, expert needed to determine if it is missing. |
| Digital Collection | Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Archive |
| Image No. | xaa_014b.jpg |
| Contact Info | For further information contact: Archivist, University of
Washington Ethnomusicology Division, School of Music Box
353450, Seattle, WA 98195; (206) 543-0974 |
| Copyright | This Musical Instrument database is intended for educational
and instructional use; if you cite or download images or
text, please acknowledge the University of Washington
Ethnomusicology Archives. |
| Repository | University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives |
| Type | Image |
| Digital reproduction field | Photographed with digital camera (JPG image); processed
using Photoshop (resized to 550 pixels, quality level 5,
label added) |
