Farming implements transformed into Japanese musical instruments

Have you ever heard of the Japanese festival called Yosakoi Matsuri?
Originating in Kochi Prefecture, this festival has become one of the most famous festivals in Japan and is held all over the country.
The sight of the dancers in their colorful and unique costumes dancing without a break is breathtaking.

One of the indispensable elements of Yosakoi Matsuri is a certain Japanese musical instrument.
It is called “Naruko”.
Dancers are required to dance with a “naruko” in each hand.
This percussion instrument makes the festival even more exciting.

The traditional form of Naruko is a wooden board shaped like a red rice scoop with black and yellow pieces of wood attached.
Today, however, each person uses his or her own arrangement of colors and shapes.

It is said that this tool was originally hung in the fields to drive away birds and animals that were destroying crops.
At that time, it was called a “hikiita.
It has a long history as a tool, appearing in Japan’s oldest extant collection of waka poems, the Manyoshu.
It was not until after World War II that it came to be used as a percussion instrument.
Although it has a shorter history as a musical instrument than other Japanese musical instruments, from the perspective of Japanese culture, it is a familiar part of Japanese daily life.