Shakuhachi is a tubular instrument made of bamboo. It is named after the length of the pipe, one chi and eight cun. Shakuhachi originated in Tang Dynasty, China.
During the Southern Song Dynasty, it was brought to Japan by the Japanese monk Shinchi Kakushin after studying Buddhism at the Huguo Renwang Temple in Hangzhou. Now it has become a representative of Japanese pop culture. However, Shakuhachi gradually died out in China. It was not until the end of the 20th century that Shakuhachi returned to the vision of the Chinese because of cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people. This film records the lives of Shakuhachi players, makers, and learners in China, Japan, and the United States, to witness the people devoted to the career of Shakuhachi. Through their experiences and reflections in different stages, it reflects the plight and hopes of the ancient Shakuhachi in the present as well as everyone’s knowledge and perception of life and the world. 本片通过记录中国、日本、美国等地的尺八演奏家、制管师、习艺者的生活，呈现他们不同阶段的经历与思考，折射出古老的尺八在当下的困境与希望，也通过尺八去映照出每个人对生活、生命、世界的认知与感悟。 尺八，由竹子根部制成的管状乐器，因管长一尺八寸得名。尺八源于中国，在南宋时期传至日本发展至今，成为日本传统乐器的代表；而在中国，尺八却日渐式微。20世纪末期，随着中日民间的文化交流活动的增加，尺八重新回到中国人的视野。 English and Chinese Subtitles 中英字幕Mandarin, English, Japanese