Koto

The koto (箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese zheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh.

The koto is the national instrument of Japan.^[1]

For every part of the koto there is a traditional name which connects with the opinion that the body of a koto resembles that of a dragon.

The ancestor of the koto was the Chinese zheng^[2][3] and was first introduced to Japan from China in the 7th and 8th century.^[4]  When the koto was first imported to Japan, the native word koto was a generic term for any and all Japanese stringed instruments.