A Brief History of Azumi

Azumi is an off-shoot from the highly esteemed Flute manufacturer Altus, founded by Shuichi Tanaka and KHS, a highly respected musical instrument manufacturers company that owns a number of prized brands.

Shuichi Tanaka is one of the most extraordinary flute makers ever to have emerged from the Japanese flute construction tradition. After completing his studies with Japanese teacher Toshio Takahashi, and as an already gifted musician, Tanaka had developed a keen interest in the properties and technical aspects of his instrument.

At the age of 20, he embarked on the study of the art of flute making. He was particularly fascinated by and interested in the construction of the headjoint. He relished the opportunity to research in fine detail the factors that influence tone production which can change with every step, every file stroke and with every new combination of material during the manufacturing process.

After spending five years working at Muramatsu, the company with which he completed his training, and then taking on a management role at Miyazawa and Takumi, Mr. Tanaka finally realized his dream in 1981. He drew upon his diverse experiences gathered during his years as both a flute player and flute maker to channel his passion into the design and construction of his own flute.

His vision was to make this exceptional combination of handmade design and affordability available to both beginners and advanced flute players.

The handmade headjoints, produced by Altus for Azumi, are the result of a lifetime of passionate and devoted work carried out with utmost care and attention, with each headjoint manufactured by hand to Tanaka's exacting specifications. Each fine detail is perfected until the headjoint and body form a unique tonal unity.

With this vision the Azumi flute series was born – to satisfy the different demands of the beginner and the advanced musician.