Types of Japanese Traditional Instruments
Koto
Koto was propagated from China to Japan in Nara Era.
In Kamakura Era, it became more common among ordinary people and was spread widely by monks.
There are two famous schools of playing Koto, Ikuta and Yamada, and the major difference between them are such as the way of writing scores and the details of the claws.
While Ikuta usually uses square-shaped claws and scores written vertically, Yamada mainly uses round-shaped claws and scores written horizontally.
The main body of Koto is made of an approx. 182cm/ 5.97 ft-long paulownia timber.
It has 13 strings made with tetron or occasionally silk, all of which thickness are almost the same.
In fact, there are two kinds of Koto and the difference between them is whether it has Koto pillars or not.
Shamisen(Japanese )
In Muromachi Era, Shamisen was brought from China into Ryukyu, former Okinawa. In Ryukyu, it was originally called “Sanshin”, which was spread nationwide as “Shamisen” later.
There are three types of neck of Shamisen - thick, middle and thin and the size of the body depends on the thickness of each neck.
Tsugaru Shamisen is made with a thick neck, which has an specific dynamics.
A Shamisen with a middle or thin neck is usually used in Kabuki or to play Japanese classical musical pieces.
Necks are made of wood called “Kouki”, pterocarpus santalinus, which is so solid that regarded as expensive because of its rich sound and stable holding feeling.
Other than Kouki, Shitan(rosewood) or karin(Chinese quince) are as well used to produce Shamisen.
Shamisen has three strings with different thickness made from silk.
Sometimes these strings are made from nylon or tetron considering its durability.
Different types of plectrums are used depending on the thickness of the necks.
Taiko(Japanese drums)
Taiko has been played in local festivals or Kabuki from the era of ancient Japan.
It is quite simply consisted of a cylindrical shell and skins one above and one below.
There are mainly two types of constructions of Taiko.
One is which the skins are fixed with screws on the shell.
Another is which the skins are tightened with original ropes called “Shirabe” which enables us to adjust the scales easily.
Taiko is categorized into several types such as Miya-daiko, Okedou-daiko, Shime-daiko, Hira-daiko nad Kotsuzumi which plays an important role in Kabuki.
The shell of Taiko is generally made of woods called Keyaki(Zelkova), and sometimes made of the other kinds of woods like Sen(castor aralia), Tochi(aesculus turbinata) and joint filler.
The skin of Taiko is made from cowhide or horsehide, while some of them are made from artificial skin.
We can arrange the combination of many kinds of Taiko, large or small, to play to the scene like local festivals or Kabuki.
It has become popular to play music only with several kinds of Taiko.
Yokobue(Japanese transverse flute)
Yokobue is one of Japanese traditional instruments which is used in Kabuki or local festivals.
Nohkan, used in Japanese traditional performing arts Noh, is also classified into the category of Yokobue.
Koto was propagated from China to Japan in Nara Era.
In Kamakura Era, it became more common among ordinary people and was spread widely by monks.
There are two famous schools of playing Koto, Ikuta and Yamada, and the major difference between them are such as the way of writing scores and the details of the claws.
While Ikuta usually uses square-shaped claws and scores written vertically, Yamada mainly uses round-shaped claws and scores written horizontally.
The main body of Koto is made of an approx. 182cm/ 5.97 ft-long paulownia timber.
It has 13 strings made with tetron or occasionally silk, all of which thickness are almost the same.
In fact, there are two kinds of Koto and the difference between them is whether it has Koto pillars or not.
Shamisen(Japanese )
In Muromachi Era, Shamisen was brought from China into Ryukyu, former Okinawa. In Ryukyu, it was originally called “Sanshin”, which was spread nationwide as “Shamisen” later.
There are three types of neck of Shamisen - thick, middle and thin and the size of the body depends on the thickness of each neck.
Tsugaru Shamisen is made with a thick neck, which has an specific dynamics.
A Shamisen with a middle or thin neck is usually used in Kabuki or to play Japanese classical musical pieces.
Necks are made of wood called “Kouki”, pterocarpus santalinus, which is so solid that regarded as expensive because of its rich sound and stable holding feeling.
Other than Kouki, Shitan(rosewood) or karin(Chinese quince) are as well used to produce Shamisen.
Shamisen has three strings with different thickness made from silk.
Sometimes these strings are made from nylon or tetron considering its durability.
Different types of plectrums are used depending on the thickness of the necks.
Taiko(Japanese drums)
Taiko has been played in local festivals or Kabuki from the era of ancient Japan.
It is quite simply consisted of a cylindrical shell and skins one above and one below.
There are mainly two types of constructions of Taiko.
One is which the skins are fixed with screws on the shell.
Another is which the skins are tightened with original ropes called “Shirabe” which enables us to adjust the scales easily.
Taiko is categorized into several types such as Miya-daiko, Okedou-daiko, Shime-daiko, Hira-daiko nad Kotsuzumi which plays an important role in Kabuki.
The shell of Taiko is generally made of woods called Keyaki(Zelkova), and sometimes made of the other kinds of woods like Sen(castor aralia), Tochi(aesculus turbinata) and joint filler.
The skin of Taiko is made from cowhide or horsehide, while some of them are made from artificial skin.
We can arrange the combination of many kinds of Taiko, large or small, to play to the scene like local festivals or Kabuki.
It has become popular to play music only with several kinds of Taiko.
Yokobue(Japanese transverse flute)
Yokobue is one of Japanese traditional instruments which is used in Kabuki or local festivals.
Nohkan, used in Japanese traditional performing arts Noh, is also classified into the category of Yokobue.