Koto

Japanese music · string instrument · plucking

Japan's national instrument. The koto is so important to Japanese culture that it's officially the national instrument of Japan. It has been played for hundreds of years and remains beloved today.

Surprisingly long and light. A koto is about 6 feet long, roughly the size of a grown-up lying down. It's made from Paulownia wood, which is light enough to play while sitting.

Plucked with three picks. Instead of using your bare fingers, koto players wear special picks on their thumb and first two fingers to pluck the strings. This creates a bright, clear sound.

Movable bridges for tuning. The koto has 13 strings that rest on small movable bridges. Players can slide these bridges to change the pitch, so different songs might need different tunings.

Bass cousins in the family. Some koto have 17 strings instead of 13, and these deeper-sounding versions play the bass parts in musical groups, kind of like how a tuba works in a band.