The history, types, basic knowledge and working scenery of the koto

The koto (intermediate quality koto, chestnut koto) that we sell is a traditional craft designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry .

Traditional crafts are designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry based on the "Act on the Promotion of Traditional Crafts Industries."
In order to be designated as a traditional craft, the following five requirements must be met.
1. 2. It is something that is mainly provided in daily life. 3. The main part of the manufacturing process is manual. 4. It must be manufactured using traditional techniques and techniques. 5. Must be a traditionally used raw material. Forming a production area in a certain area

The koto is ranked by Kashiwaha and Shifunrokban. The main body is all made of paulownia wood, but the oak leaves and quarter-six boards are made of quince, rosewood, and red wood, depending on their rank. There are various ways to use it.

The kanji for koto are ``koto'' and ``koto.'' Koto refers to the 13-string instrument that is commonly called koto, and koto refers to the 7-string instrument that does not use a pillar (ji). It is read as "Kin".
Currently, only the character for koto is included in the commonly used kanji, so koto is generally better read than koto.
However, people involved in the path of koto read the character for koto as ``koto'' or use it as ``sōkyoku.''

Although it was introduced from China as an instrument for gagaku, Japanese koto music originated in Kurume, Kyushu, in the late Muromachi period, when the monk Kenjun created koto (koto) music, known as the Tsukushi style, under the influence of gagaku and koto music. It all started with great success.
Tsukushi-ryu later passed through Yatsuhashi-ryu and gave birth to Ikuta-ryu and Yamada-ryu.
In the 18th century, Kengyo Yamada of Edo composed a piece using the koto, which had previously been used as an accompaniment for the shamisen, as the main instrument, and koto master Fusakichi Shigemoto improved the instrument, increasing the length of the koto to 6 shaku. We also made it thicker than previous models, strengthened the vertical warpage, and increased the volume. This is the prototype of the Yamada koto, and today, Yamada koto is used in both Yamada and Ikuta schools.

Betta making (karin roll)
		When the koto's quarter-six-plates, oak leaves, dragon horns, and cloud horns are not bordered with plastic or bone, it is called ``beta-zukuri.'' It is the cheapest of the kotos and is used for practice.
Corner of the mouth (quince roll, rosewood roll)
		The mouth corner refers to the dragon horn, cloud horn, and one horn decorated with a single horn. It is generally used for practice purposes. Also, Even if high-quality raw wood is used, red wood is sometimes used to create a betta or corner of the wood to make it look simple.
Half upper corner making (rosewood roll)
		Bordering the quarter-six board with plastic, corners, etc. It is called the half-upper angle. There is no border on the oak leaves. In some cases, a metal fitting is placed in front of the mouth to make it look a little more sophisticated. It is called a half-upper corner gold mouth. Kotos made with half-jokaku are of intermediate grade or lower quality, so rosewood is generally used for the quarter-six-board, dragon-kaku, and cloud-kaku pieces.
Upper corner making (benikimaki)
		In addition to the quarter-six board, the one with the oak leaf border is called the top corner. The materials used for the borders include plastic and shari. From this class, red wood is used for materials such as quarter-six boards and dragon horns. There is also a top square gold cap with a gold cap in front of the mouth.
Making chestnut shells (beni-kimaki)
		A method called tamaren wrapping is used to border the quarter-six boards and oak leaves. Inside the koto, a twill cedar pattern is carved on the inside of the koto to improve the acoustics. (There is also a double-carved Komochi Ayasugi pattern.) Also, it is made with a chestnut shell, which means there is no seam between the shell and the back, making it one of the best among kotos. Koto is also a work of art when it comes to this class. It takes on the appearance of a work of art.
seventeen strings
		The seventeen-stringed harp is a low-pitched musical instrument. Unlike the koto (13 strings), it uses 17 strings. In terms of Western musical instruments, it is responsible for the range of sounds such as the cello. Thick strings are also used for bass sounds. The seventeenth strings also come in beta and kuriko shapes, and rosewood and red wood are used for the quarter-roku and oak leaves.

Although our company has a long history in this industry, having been established for 90 years, the Japanese musical instrument industry is currently not as vibrant as it was in the past.
Furthermore, since around 2004, Japanese musical instruments have become a compulsory subject in music classes in schools, and although there was optimism within the industry that the industry would regain its former dynamism, things are still limited.

How can we increase the number of people who take up shamisen and koto, and how can we bring back the vibrancy of the past...
One vendor had a variety of opinions, including ``Maybe we should just offer free trial lessons'' and ``Maybe we should increase the number of classes at schools.''
After receiving various opinions, we came to the conclusion that the musical instruments are too expensive.
I think there are many people who want to learn the shamisen or koto but end up giving up because they are unable to purchase an instrument. However, lowering the price of musical instruments is not easy...

It was after we started selling online that we significantly reduced our prices, but the following circumstances occurred before then.

Normally, there is a general rule that ``when the number of customers is large (fast selling), the profit margin is low (low price), and when the selling rate is slow, the profit margin is high (high price)''.

Previously, we only sold locally, so like other stores, we set a high profit margin and sold shamisen and koto at high prices to compensate for the slow sales.
Of course, shamisen and koto are traditional crafts, so they have a high value.
However, I felt that ``musical instruments are too expensive nationwide'' and that the Japanese musical instrument industry would definitely become obsolete.

We started selling online about 10 years ago, but as our sales area has expanded across the country, many customers have started using our services, and our profit margins have increased significantly compared to before. It is now possible to set it as low as possible. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our customers.
Even now, Japanese musical instrument stores that are only open locally sell their products slowly, and their profit margins are as high as before, which is why prices are so high.

However, even though we are now able to set profit margins much lower, there was a time when we wondered whether it was necessary to lower prices this much. We decided to take the plunge and drastically lower the price, thinking that we want people to understand our products and to pass on the goodness to the next generation, and if we do that, we might be able to regain the vibrancy we had before.

We no longer live in an era where musical instruments are too expensive to start, or where the monthly tuition for classes is too high to continue, but now we live in an era where instruments are cheaper than before, and you can easily start studying on your own with introductory books and DVDs. I think so. This is also thanks to the customers who use our company.

Nowadays, we receive a lot of criticism from our peers for selling not only musical instruments but also accessories at low prices, but we strive every day to make as many customers as possible across the country happy. We will continue to sell our products at low prices so that the Japanese musical instrument industry can regain its former vibrancy and more people can appreciate its quality.

I would be happy if the Japanese music world could regain some of its former vibrancy.