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3 string japanese instrument12/5/2023 ![]() During the New Year holidays, "Haru no Umi" (the Sea in Spring), a duet with the shakuhachi, is commonly piped in as background music, and during the cherry blossom ( sakura) season, one often hears renditions of the popular tune "Sakura, Sakura" performed on the koto. Koto music expresses customs or seasons that are meaningful to the Japanese people. ![]() However, a number of elementary and middle schools hold classes in traditional music and arrange outings to theaters and concert halls to see and hear traditional performing arts. There are fewer opportunities to hear these traditional instruments being played live these days. It is derived from a Chinese stringed instrument with a drum-like body covered with snakeskin, the sanxian, which was introduced to Japan during the sixteenth. It's also commonly performed with the shamisen and shakuhachi or as accompaniment to songs. Initially, it was performed in ensembles with other stringed and wind instruments, but eventually it came to be performed by itself. Originally it had only 5 strings, but this later increased to 12 strings and then to 13,and the 13-string koto was brought to Japan during the Nara period (710–794). It's said that the koto was invented in China around the fifth to the third century BC. The left hand presses down on the strings to bend notes and create other effects. It's played with picks (called tsume) similar to those used when playing the guitar, but worn on the fingers of the right hand. ![]() The pitch is adjusted with movable bridges (called ji) placed under each string. It's around 160 centimeters (63 inches) to 200 centimeters (79 inches) long and about 30 centimeters (12 inches) across. The koto, meanwhile, is a large, rounded wooden instrument with 13 strings.
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