The is an Okinawan and Amami Islands musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Origins Its close resemblance in both appearance and name to the Chinese suggests Chinese origins, the then-Ryūkyū Kingdom (pre-Japanese Okinawa) having very close ties with Imperial China. In the 16th century, the reached the Japanese trading port at Sakai in Osaka, Japan. In mainland Japan, it evolved into the larger , and many people refer to the as or due to its snakeskin covering. The is considered the soul of Okinawan folk music. Played by youth as young as 2, to older people aged 100 or more, there is a in most Okinawan homes. It is the center of small informal family gatherings, weddings, birthdays, other celebrations, community parties, festivals. The is held in great respect among the Ryukyuan culture, and is often viewed as an instrument that carries the voice of the deities, and is regarded as a deity itself. This is reflected in the traditional construction of the . are generally designed to last more than a lifetime, as they are often passed down through the generations of a family. A traditional Okinawan story, the tale of the 'Husband and Wife ', tells of a pair of made from the same core of Okinawan Ebony tree. They were owned by a husband and wife prior to World War II. At the onset of the war, the husband was forced into military service by the Japanese, and therefore had to leave his wife and home. Due to the destruction to main island during the war, the pair of were in danger, and the war wiped out almost half of the native population. In an attempt to preserve his and his wife's , the husband wrapped them up, put them into a wooden box, and buried them deep in the Okinawan forest. Later, they were dug up, and brought back to their rightful home, having made it safely through the violent war. They are currently preserved by the son of the couple. Construction Traditionally, the was covered with the skin of the Burmese python, but today, due to CITES regulations, the skin of the reticulated python is also used. Python skin is used for the skin of the body of the instrument, in contrast to the cat or dogskin