The shamisen (三味線), also known as the sangen (三絃) or samisen (all meaning "three strings"), is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.

What does the word koto mean?

1) Using “koto” as its dictionary definitions of “thing,” “matter,” “incident,” “circumstance,” etc. “Koto” can be used in a variety of situations to generally mean “thing(s).” For example: する事がありません。 Suru koto ga arimasen. There is nothing to do, as in “I'm bored”.

What are shamisen made of?

The problem is this: the shamisen is one of the most elegant uses ever devised for a dead cat. The instruments are hand-crafted out of various exotic materials, including mulberry, sandalwood or quince for the frame, silk for the strings, ivory and tortoiseshell for the pegs and plectrum.