Shakuhachi

A bamboo flute with five finger-holes - four on the front and one on the back - the shakuhachi has a full range of chromatic notes, obtained by adjusting the position of the flute and partially covering the holes. The colour of its tone, while always soft and pure, depends on the bamboo used. During the Edo period, it was played primarily in chamber ensembles with koto and shamizen , although more recently there's been a revival of the more ancient solo repertoire as an aid to meditation.

Biwa and Shamizen

A pear-shaped plucked lute with four or five strings, the biwa originated in China. It was played both in gagaku ensembles and solo, but had almost fallen out of use by the end of World War II, until Toru Takemitsu, Japan's most famous contemporary composer, started writing for it, precipitating a revival.

A three-stringed lute, the shamizen also came to Japan from China, via Okinawa, where it's known as a shansin . The earliest shamisen , music is credited to biwa players in the early seventeenth century and it has become one of the most popular instruments in Japanese music.

Koto

The Japanese long zither, or koto , usually has thirteen strings with moveable bridges and is played with fingerpicks. It is thought to have originated from the Chinese zheng and to have arrived in Japan in the eighth century. Similar instruments are found in Korea ( kayagum ) and Vietnam ( dan tranh ). Found in gagaku ensembles, it has developed a rich solo tradition. It is also used to accompany songs and in small "chamber music" ensembles, together with a second koto , a shamizen , or a shakuhachi .