He creates traditional sounds unchanged since ancient times.
So is a musical instrument originally introduced into Japan from China during the Nara period. It is said to have been in the latter half of the 16th century when its shape, often referred to as a crouching dragon, became almost identical to the shape we know today.
Process of making So or Koto
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- Prepare the body
- Cut a kiri or paulownia wood block that has been left to dry for a few years to a length of about 2 meters. Whittle the wood to form the shape of So.
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- Plane the surface
- Plane the body to form the curve on the surface.
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- Carve out the inside
- Carve out the back of the body to form the hollow resonance chamber.
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- Chisel the back of the body
- Chisel saw-tooth waves on the surface of the back to ensure the resonance inside the chamber of the body.
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- Attach the body and the backboard
- Fix six thin wooden bridges inside and attach the body and the backboard.
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- Burn the surface
- Burn the surface of the body with a hot iron then polish so that the wood grain emerges beautifully.
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- Attach parts
- Attach the parts necessary to fix the strings, called Ryukaku or dragon horn, near the dragon head and Unkaku or cloud horn near the dragon tail, then, attach ornaments such as kashiwaba (in the shape of an oak leaf) at the dragon tail.
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- String
- The sounds of So depend on the tuning of the strings. Carefully string and tune the instrument.
