Hichiriki

Sei Shonagon, en hofdame hos kejserinde Sadako fra år 990 og til kejserinden døde i år 1000 beskriver en oplevelse med hichiriki på følgende måde:

"The flageolet [hichiriki] is a very shrill instrument, the autumn insect it most resembles being the long cricket. It makes a terrible noise, especially when it is played badly, and it is not something one wants to hear near by. I remember one of the Special Festivals at Kamo, when the musicians had not yet come into his Majesty's presence. One could hear the sound of their flutes from behind the trees, and I was just thinking how delightful it was when suddenly the flageolets joined in. They became shriller and shriller, until all the ladies, even those who were most beautifully groomed, felt their hair standing on end. Then the procession came before the emperor with all the string and wind instruments playing in splendid unison."

Kamo var en shinto-helligdom som lå ca. 10-15 km fra Heian. Det er indlysende at Sei Shonagon ikke er vild med klangen af hichiriki, på den anden side har mange netop fremhævet instrumentets særlige klang som en bærer af stærke moralske og overnaturlige kræfter med hvilke man kunne påvirke både mennesker og guder (Malm (1959), s. 95-97).