The koto is a long (about 1.8 m) plucked instrument with a curved wooden body and thirteen silk or nylon strings. Under each string stands a separate movable bridge: by shifting it the player tunes the pitch, and by pressing the string with the left hand beyond the bridge achieves subtle microtonal “bends” and vibrato.
The koto is considered the national instrument of Japan and holds a central place in the traditional gagaku music and sankyoku ensembles. The player performs wearing special claw-plectra on the fingers. Its transparent, ringing yet meditative sound has become, for the whole world, a recognizable symbol of Japanese musical aesthetics — refined, contemplative, and deeply connected to nature.
