aburanuki

Right before the rainy season started, I cut down some bamboo culms in my backyard with the intent to make flutes and ocarinas once they've had some time to cure. These are not the traditional Madake variety or anything fancy like that; they're very leafy and crooked. Weeds in the garden, really (they snuck under my neighbor's fence two years ago; since then my neighbor has cut down his side of the bunch). But I figure, why the heck not? If I am in any way successful making a few ghetto-ass flutes from scratch I might give it a go with the real deal.

The root ball was a nightmare; I managed to get some roots--the prize of hardcore shakuhachi makers--on only one culm, after half an hour of careful digging. I fired up the barbecue and placed the stems over the glowing coals to sweat some of the sap out, and wiped it off (somewhat unevenly; it was dark outside when I toasted them and I was having trouble seeing the sap). They turn a very pale green in the heat, and develop a bit of mottling. Now they all hang from my rafters slowly turning a pale golden yellow. We'll see if any of them make it through without cracking.