Activities & Events – Koto Workshop
On Monday, February 2, 2010, OSS held a Koto workshop at Mita Hall. This workshop’s primary goal was to teach students about Koto, a traditional Japanese musical instrument. So, what is the Koto? First, check out this video of my fellow students in action!
The Koto is considered Japan’s national instrument, which has roots linking back to China. The Koto is made from paulownia wood and is 6 feet l(183 cm) long and a foot (30.5 cm) wide. This instrument has 13 strings across it lengthwise. Both hands are used when playing it. The koto is highly adaptable and it can be heard today in a variety of settings, from jazz to classical music.
The workshop started out with our instructor, Ono Sensei, providing a little history and a brief overview of how the koto works. After the introduction she had four students at a time sit in front of the koto where she began to instruct them on the proper use of the instrument.
The students were taught part of the traditional song, Sakura. They were taught how to play the instrument using one pick, called a tsume. Usually one plays the instrument using three tsume with their right hand. Each student had a lot of fun and was able to play multiple times throughout the workshop. They all improved so much that by the end, four students coud play in sync at the same time.
- Anthony Olsavsky, OSS Student Worker
