Satochiki — the only person in the world who plays the Wako, an original Japanese string instrument he co-created from scratch — will make his solo debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City on May 19, 2027.
Satochiki (里地帰)
The Wako — original Japanese string instrument
Solo Wako Recital
Wednesday, May 19, 2027 · 7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall, New York City
World / Japanese contemporary
Satochiki is the world's only performer of the Wako — an original Japanese string instrument that did not exist twelve years ago. In 2015, together with master craftsman Nishino Kazuhiro, he built it from scratch using Japanese cedar, zelkova, and washi paper. That same year, the Wako received Japan's national Wood Design Award.
Over the following decade, Satochiki performed across Japan and Asia — from symphony halls to government-hosted cultural events — building an entirely new musical language around an instrument he invented. In November 2025, he marked his tenth anniversary with a sold-out concert at ACROS Fukuoka Symphony Hall, one of Japan's premier 1,867-seat classical venues.
In 2027, that journey reaches Carnegie Hall — the most storied stage in the world. It is, quite simply, without precedent: a solo recital on a self-created instrument, at Carnegie Hall, by the only person alive who plays it.
The Wako is an original Japanese string instrument, hand-built in 2015 by Satochiki and craftsman Nishino Kazuhiro from Japanese cedar, zelkova, and washi paper. Its sound is often described as expanding into a room rather than filling it. Satochiki is the only person in the world who plays it — every composition in his repertoire is written for an instrument that exists nowhere else.
Satochiki in front of Carnegie Hall, New York City.
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Satochiki performing the Wako.
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Sold-out ACROS Fukuoka Symphony Hall (1,867 seats).
Download ↓Photos courtesy of Satochiki. Free to use in connection with editorial coverage of Satochiki with credit. For high-resolution files or additional assets, contact info@satochiki.com.
"Two hundred years from now, I won't be here. But music and culture outlast any person. That is why I am committed to carrying the Wako forward — to the next generation, and the one after that."
— Satochiki