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Like most shengs, this instrument has seventeen pipes that are arranged in the form of a circle, symbolizing the wings of the phoenix, a symbol of rebirth. The wind chamber is likened to the phoenix’s body, the mouth pipe to its beak, and the sheng’s sound to its voice.
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Title: Sho
Date: ca. 1838
Geography: Japan
Culture: Japanese
Medium: Bamboo, wood, metal
Dimensions: Height: 50.8 (20 in.); Diam. of body: 7.6 cm (3 in.)
Classification: Aerophone-Free Reed-mouth organ
Credit Line: The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889
Accession Number: 89.4.98
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