kokiriko

The kokiriko (kanji: こきりこ; is a Japanese musical instrument used when singing and dancing to Japanese folk songs such as the "Kokiriko Bushi" (Kokiriko Dance). In kanji, it is written as "Chikuko." In the Middle Ages, it was a type of street performer, known as a kokiriko, which was always carried by the houka, who mainly performed acrobatics.

==Overview== The kokiriko can hold bamboo pieces cut to 7.5 sun (approximately 23 centimeters) in length, one in each hand, with their fingertips, and spin them while striking and dancing and singing. The pieces are about 1 centimeter in diameter. In Japan, kokiriko have been used since the Middle Ages, and the hōgashi (throwing sergeants) who appeared from the mid- Muromachi period onwards always struck the kokiriko.