On this page you can: Play koto Read about the instrument Learn to make your own koto and read the story of Plum Boy!

The Koto: A Long Story Made Short
   The koto has 13 strings. It is made from a wood called Paulownia ("Kiri"), and is about 6 feet long and a foot wide. It is basically a long, wooden box with a round hole carved out of the underside. That is where much of the sound comes out. This is called a "sound hole," and is found on many instruments such as guitars, violins, and the like. (Q: What would happen if there were no sound hole? See answers below.)
   The strings are very tight. They used to be made from silk, but nowadays most players use a synthetic material that sounds almost exactly like silk and is much cheaper and more durable. Each string has a white bridge placed under it. The bridges are called "ji." If the ji is placed far away from the player, the string will have a low sound. If it is placed hear the player, it will have a high sound. (Q: Can you guess why? See answers below.)
   We wear three picks, called "tsume" on our right thumb and first two fingers. The picks are made from ivory or plastic, and are held on our fingers by round bands of paper lacquered with shiny black paint. Koto players buy bands that fit their own fingers. We peel apart the layers of paper and glue the ends of the picks in. When the lacquered paper wears away, we simply throw that part away and insert our picks into new bands. The tsume last for many, many years, but the bands have to be changed occasionally. (Q: Can you guess what the word "tsume" usually means in Japanese? Look at the photo above for your hint. See answers below.)
   The koto is an ancient stringed instrument with roots in China and Japan that extend back over 1,000 years. It was first used as a court instrument in Japan, heard only by the emperor and the royal court in a highly stylized kind of music called Gagaku ("elegant music"). Today it is the national instrument of Japan. The beautiful sound of the koto has long been used to represent nature: the flow of water, the soft sound of wind, and the chirping of birds and insects. Koto can be heard today in a variety of settings, from jazz to classical, pop to world music. You may have heard its distinctively vibrant yet reflective sound as part of the music in a movie, or even in a television advertisement. The koto is very adaptable; it can be tuned to a variety of tunings, and played in a variety of ways, and blends well with many other instruments. It seems to be enjoying its new role as a world instrument. (If you want to hear what it sounds like, you can listen to various sound samples at the Koto World Store.)

Answers

1. What would happen if there were no sound hole? Answer: you wouldn't be able to hear the strings reverberate in the instrument! It would be a very quiet koto!
2. Why do the bridges farthest away have the lowest sound? Answer: Because they have the longest length of string between the end of the koto and the bridge. The longer the string, the lower the sound. As each length becomes shorter, the strings sound higher and higher, and the highest note has the shortest distance between the bridge and the end of the koto.
3. What does "tsume" mean in Japanese? Answer: It means "fingernails."

Make your own koto!
Now that you know all about koto, you can make your own. You will need:

Your parents' permission.
For your koto: 1 empty Kleenex box. (If you are too excited to make this to wait for a box to become empty, then carefully remove the tissue and continue to use it. Don't throw it all away!)
For your strings: 3- 5 LARGE rubber bands ("Big Bands" work best; you can find them in office supply stores.)
For your bridges (ji): small legos, the kind with 2-4 pegs.

Instructions: Wrap the rubber bands lengthwise around the box, and space them apart evenly. (If it seems they are too tight, you need to find bigger rubber bands, or to cut 2 in half and tie them together.) Turn the box over so the opening (the sound hole) is on the bottom. Stick 2 legs pieces together for each bridge. (If the bands are already very tight, then just use 1 lego piece for each bridge.) Then slip one bridge under each band, so that the rubber band is held in between the round peg thingies. That way, it won't slip around. Hold it in your lap or set it on a table. Tune your koto by moving the lego bridges. You can play lots of different notes! Play the koto with your fingers, on the right hand side. When you want to change tunings, carefully move the lego bridges to a different place under the band. You can also vary the tightness of the bands for a different sound as well. Have fun!

My son Jesse, playing the koto he made.

The Tale of Sumomotaro, Plum Boy!

You can enjoy this story by itself, or read along while you listen to the recording.

You can also click on Plum Boy! for a printer friendly pdf of the story, add your own illustrations and make your very own book!

Many, many Springs ago,
in the land where one can see Mt. Fuji rising high into the sky,
framed with cherry blossoms, peach blossoms, and plum blossoms,
there lived an old couple.

They were very poor;
the old man was a woodcutter, and the woman tended the garden and the hearth.
Their life was simple, but they longed to share it
with a child of their own.

One day, the old woman was at the river, washing clothes,
Goshi goshi, Goshi goshi! Goshi goshi, Goshi goshi!
The river was lined with plum trees, laden with fruit.
Jabu jabu, Jabu jabu! Jabu jabu, Jabu jabu!
Suddenly, she saw something splash into the water, and start to float toward her...
it looked like a giant plum!
The women beckoned to it, hoping that it would float her way:
"Kotchi oide! Kotchi oide! Ookii Sumomo, Kotchi oide!"

The plum floated right into her hands!

"What a beautiful plum! I must take it home, and show it to Ojiisan!" She cradled the plum in her clothes, and took it home.

When the old man came home from cutting wood, his jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Sugoi!" he cried. "That is a peach of a plum! Let's cut it open right now!"
The old woman got a knife and prepared to cut the plum. But then, they thought they heard a faint knocking sound, coming from inside the plum. The couple leaned in close and all of a sudden, the plum split wide open, and out jumped a boy!

He was covered with plum juice.
The boy looked at them. "Honorable Mother! Honorable Father!"

The old couple was overjoyed. At last they had a child! They looked at him lovingly, and the first thing the old woman said to him was, "You need a bath!" They decided to call him Sumomotaro, because Sumomotaro means Plum Boy.

While Sumomotaro was growing up, a gang of huge, red oni with horns growing out of their heads, would steal things from the village. Everyone was very afraid of them, but no one was willing to fight them.

Sumomotaro decided, "Someday, I will conquer the oni!"

Sumomotaro grew to be the biggest, strongest young man in the village. He also loved art, and carried his calligraphy brush everywhere. When he wasn't climbing trees, he was painting pictures of them. When he was fifteen years old, he told his parents.

"The time has come for me to help our village." I will go and find the wicked oni, and conquer them!"

The old couple was very worried, but they could see that he was determined. What could they say?

"Be strong, my son," the old man said, and he gave Sumomotaro his most treasured calligraphy brush to carry on his journey.

"Be careful, be careful," said the old woman, and she gave him a bag of homemade dumplings wrapped in a cloth.

"I'll come back as soon as I have conquered the oni," Sumomotaro promised. And he set off.

Sumomotaro-san, Sumomotaro san!
Courage in your footsteps and your heart so strong!
Take me with you, come along, Sumomotaro-san!

Sumomotaro had not gone far, when he heard a "Wan! Wan!" It was a hungry dog.
The dog looked at him pleadingly.
"Here, have a dumpling,"said Sumomotaro.
The dog quickly ate the dumpling, and asked,
"Wan! Wan! What are you doing?"
"I am off to conquer the wicked oni!" said Sumomotaro.
"Wan! Wan! Wanna take me with you?"
"Very well, said Sumomotaro.

So, Sumomotaro and Wan-chan the dog set off. Together, they walked a long ways, singing:

Sumomotaro-san, Sumomotaro san!
Courage in your footsteps and your heart so strong!
Take me with you, come along, Sumomotaro-san!

Then they heard a, "Kya! Kya!"
and a monkey swang down from a tree!
"Kya! Kya! Where are you going?" asked the monkey.
"To conquer the wicked oni!" said Sumomotaro.
"Kya! Kya! Kyan I go with you?" asked the monkey.
"Very well," said Sumomotaro. He gave Kya-kun the monkey a dumpling. So, Sumomotaro, Wan-chan the dog and Kya-kun the monkey set off. Together, they walked a long ways, singing:

Sumomotaro-san, Sumomotaro san!
Courage in your footsteps and your heart so strong!
Take me with you, come along, Sumomotaro-san!

Then, they came to a place with thick fog. Off in the distance, they saw the fort where the wicked oni lived. They stopped, and stared.

Suddenly, they heard a "Kee! Kee! And a pheasant flew out of the bushes. "It's dangerous around here!" she cried.

"Yes. But we are here to make the wicked oni stop stealing," said Sumomotaro.
"Kee! Kee! Keep me with you!" said the pheasant.
"Very well," said Sumomotaro, and he gave Kee-chan the pheasant a dumpling.

So, Sumomotaro, Wan-chan the dog, Kya-kun the monkey and Kee-chan the pheasant cautiously set off through the fog together.

Sumomotaro-san, Sumomotaro san!
Courage in your footsteps and your heart so strong!
Take me with you, come along, Sumomotaro-san!

When they reached the entrance to the fort, they saw the gang of huge, red oni monsters, with horns growing out of their heads, looking down from the high walls.

"Well, well, well! What have we here?" the biggest oni shouted down. "A boy, a dog, a monkey, and...is that a pheasant? Do you plan to fight us? You don't have a chance!" The oni roared with laughter.

As the laughed, Sumomotaro looked at Wan-chan the dog, Kya-kun the monkey, and Kee-chan the pheasant. Wan-chan, Kya-kun, and Kee-chan looked at Sumomotaro and trembled with fear. They knew they would have to think fast It was true: The oni were much stronger than they were. They put their heads together, and whispered.

"We have to think fast, think fast.."

"We have to make a plan, make a plan..."

"What are we going to do?"

Watching them, the oni became quiet.

Finally, Sumomotaro looked bravely up at the oni.
"You may be very strong," he shouted. "But before you do anything, we have something to show you!"

The oni looked at each other, and then looked back at Sumomotaro.
"Well, show us, then!" shouted the biggest one. If we don't like what we see,
we'll have you for supper! You look plum delicious!"

"Wan! Wan! Wanna see a trick?" asked Wan-chan the dog. Quickly, he jumped onto the wall of the fort, and before the oni's eyes, he stood up on his hind legs!

Then, before they could say, "Sumomotaro," he flipped over,
and stood on his head!

The oni chuckled. "That's quite a trick, little Wan-chan. How did you learn how to do that?"

"Wan! Practice!" said Wan-chan.

"Maaaaybe I won't eat you then, if you would teach me how to do that," said one of the oni, and Wan-chan agreed.

Then, "Kya! Kya!" Kya-kun swang over and jumped onto a rope leading up to the fort. Very carefully, he stood up on the rope, and started to walk up it. Everyone held their breath. And he walked all the way up it without falling!
The oni grinned with delight. "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle! How did you learn how to balance like that?"

"Kya! Practice! Practice!" said Kya-kun. Two of the oni asked if he would teach them, and Kya-kun agreed.

Then, "Kee, Kee," The pheasant flew over to the side of the fort, where an old koto rested.

"Now, what can a feathery pheasant do?" the oni wondered. Without futher ado, she showed them.

She could play koto! The soothing sounds of the koto made the oni feel very, very peaceful. "That's so purdy! Please, please teach us how to play!" the oni begged Kee-chan. "How did you learn how to do that?"

"Kee! Practice! Practice! Practice!" answered Kee-chan.

Several of the oni gathered around the koto to start practicing.

Then Sumomotaro drew his calligraphy brush from his sash. "Watch out! He has a sword!" the oni yelled.

"Fear not, Sumomotaro said. This is my trusty calligraphy brush. I am simply going to draw a picture of your fort." The oni watched as Sumomotaro drew a splendid picture of their fort.

"Hey that looks just like it! Can I try to draw something?"

"Me too!"
"Me three!"

Kee-chan plucked a few feathers from her tail for the oni to use as brushes, and soon the rest of the oni were busy drawing pictures of their own.

Then the leader of the oni, who had been trying to stand on his head, announced,
"Why should we be stealin' when there are so many other, more interestin' things to do? As soon as I learn to stand on my head, I want to paint a picture! Let's stop all that stealin', and thank our new friends by giving them back all the treasure we stole from the villagers!"

They stopped practicing their new skills just long enough to give back all of the stolen treasure.

Then, Sumomotaro, Wan-chan the dog, Kya-kun the monkey, and Kee-chan the pheasant took all of the treasure, and carried it back to the old couples' home, singing as they went:

Sumomotaro-san, Sumomotaro san!
Courage in your footsteps and your heart so strong!
Take me with you, come along, Sumomotaro-san!

The old couple was overjoyed to see their son at long last!

"The oni are too busy now to bring any harm to the village," said Sumomotaro. Then they shared the treasures with everyone in the village, and had a feast, to celebrate the end of the oni's stealin' days. Then, the old couple and Sumomotaro and Wan-chan the dog and Kya-kun the monkey and Kee-chan the pheasant lived together, happily.