Composer Miya Masaoka has started playing the "Laser Koto," a futuristic version of the traditional Japanese stringed instrument, the Koto, that's been around since the 8th century. Masaoka outfitted ...

Concerts featuring Chinese and Japanese string instruments will be held this month and in December in Kyoto. A koto concert (www.kac.or.jp/events/8738/) will start at ...

Japan's "shamisen" industry is struggling to preserve the distinctive sound of the three-stringed instrument integral to Japanese performing arts, as it runs into issues of animal ethics and a ...

Amid cold conditions at Marusan Hashimoto Co.'s studio, silk threads are stretched between hooks on pillars and excess glue wiped off with a cloth in a process for making strings for Japanese ...