The tonkori (トンコリ) is a plucked string instrument played by the Ainu people of Hokkaidō, northern Japan and Sakhalin. It generally has five strings, which are not stopped or fretted but simply played "open".[1] The instrument is believed to have been developed in Sakhalin.[citation needed] By the 1970s the instrument was practically extinct, but is experiencing a revival along with the increased interest in Ainu heritage.[1][2]
- ^ a b Alison Tokita (2008). The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 338–. ISBN 978-0-7546-5699-9. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ Takashi Ogawa. Traditional Music of the Ainu Journal of the International Folk Music Council, Vol. 13, (1961) - Notes that at publication the instrument was only found in museums