This is a kokyū, a traditional Japanese stringed instrument.

At least, that is what it is called. When you look at it, you might be surprised. Its body is made from an empty cooking oil can, and its strings are made from fishing lines. They are not the materials you would normally expect to find in a musical instrument. And yet, it can be played.

This kokyū was made in Brazil. In 1908, the first Japanese immigrants arrived there. Some crossed the ocean in search of a better life, while others hoped to escape poverty. Along with them, the teachings of Tenrikyo also reached Brazil. Before the Second World War, the faith had already begun to spread there, and after the war it continued to be passed down through Japanese immigrant communities.

Music plays an important role in Tenrikyo ceremonies. Drums, flutes, and stringed instruments including the kokyū accompany singing and hand dances, and all of it together becomes a form of prayer.

In Brazil, however, it was not as easy to repair instruments or buy new ones as it was in Japan. So people found another way. The instruments used during ceremonies were carefully stored, while homemade instruments were used for daily practice.

That is how this kokyū came to be.

Made from an empty can and fishing lines, it is much more than a simple substitute. It shows the care people took to create the best sound they could and their determination to continue practicing every day.

The person who made it was especially skilled, and people even said it was well-made enough to sell at the church bazaar.

It brings to mind the words of the museum's founder, Shozen Nakayama: "Don't collect beautiful things. Collect the things worn smooth by human hands."

This instrument is exactly what he said.

A brand-new instrument cannot tell this story. But this one can. It still carries the marks of hands that held it every day, the hours spent listening, adjusting, and practicing, and the years spent praying through music.

Prayer does not begin with perfect tools. Wherever we are, and whatever we have, the heart that prays remains the same.

Even an empty can and a piece of fishing line can make the sound of prayer.