Koto maker Teruhiko Tamashige strings an instrument at his workshop in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
The koto is a traditional Japanese 13-stringed musical instrument that resembles a horizontal harp.
Think of the sound you’d expect to hear when geishas are entertaining samurai in an ancient castle.
You can hear Japan’s national instrument and see craftsmen build them during a visit to Tamashige Koto Workshop in Ube, about 90 minutes’ drive from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan.
The workshop, in a roadside warehouse, is full of kotos in various stages of construction. The smell of sawdust wafts through the building as craftsmen go about their work.
The Tamashige company began in the late 19th century when the first owner, Shintaro Tamashige, started selling musical instruments, according to the company’s website.
A craftsman works inside Tamashige Koto Workshop in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
Koto maker Teruhiko Tamashige strings an instrument at his workshop in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
At that time, the area where the workshop stands flourished with high demand for traditional Japanese musical instruments such as the koto, three-string shamisen (Japanese banjo), biwa (Japanese lute) and taiko drums.
“The Tamashige koto, a crystallization of traditional techniques, is cherished by teachers from various schools,” according to the company.
Making a koto is a complex process.
One room of the workshop is filled with countless scraps of wood, tools, glue, strings and other items. The hollow bodies of the musical instruments stack against a wall like surfboards.
Newly made traditional Japanese musical instruments are stored at Tamashige Koto Workshop in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
On the day Stars and Stripes visited, koto maker Teruhiko Tamashige was stringing an instrument.
The 66-year-old musician and company president has made thousands of kotos. An Elvis Presley fan, he is a skilled musician who once played electric guitar in a rock band.
Each koto is around 6 feet long and a foot wide and made from kiri wood, chosen for its light weight and acoustic qualities.
The instrument has 13 strings pulled across moveable bridges, often made of plastic, that allow them to be tuned.
Players use “tsume” or finger picks, to pluck the strings while they press the strings to make music.
Musician Tomoki Tamashige plays a koto in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan, Oct. 23, 2025. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes)
You can buy a koto at the workshop. A standard instrument costs a little over $500, or you can opt for a shorter 2 ½-foot koto for around $300.
You can listen to a musician play the finished product at the workshop. Close your eyes and it’s possible to imagine you are the shogun, sitting under a cherry tree and meditating on the transience of falling sakura petals.
On the QT
Directions: 692-2 Funaki, Ube, Yamaguchi 757-0216; about 90 minutes by car from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni; from Ube Station, 18 minutes by bus.
Times: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday; closed on public holidays. Weekend morning visits by appointment.
Costs: Free admission.
Food: You’ll find a diner and coffee shop within walking distance.
Information: Phone: 0836-67-0175 Online: tamakoto.com (Japanese)