This is a Japanese flute (shinobue) in the key of "yonhon-choshi" (four-hole tuning), suitable for classical Japanese festival music (ohayashi). The bamboo used is of excellent quality, having been dried for 35 years. The finish is black, highlighting the natural grain of the thread. The flute produces high, mid, and low tones. It has also been thoroughly disinfected with alcohol and coated with cream. The bamboo used for this flute has been dried for over 35 years, and it's rare to find material of this quality without cracks or splits after such a long drying period. Please note that this flute is for classical festival music and is not tuned to the Western "do-re-mi" scale. In my experience of making flutes, I've never seen material this good. Usually, flutes are made with bamboo dried for only 3 to 5 years. If you were to buy a finished flute with a decorative finish in a shop, even with younger bamboo, it would cost around 15,000 to 20,000 yen, so I think this price is reasonable. Also, if you were to have a flute made with bamboo dried for many years and of similar quality, it would cost at least 30,000 yen. It has also been disinfected with alcohol and coated with cream. I've significantly reduced the price; it was originally 17,000 yen, then 13,000 yen, and now it's at the current price. Thank you for looking.