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Koto (musical instrument)
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The koto (? or ?) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese zither (guzheng). The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about long, and made from kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa). They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, index finger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings.
One of the characters for koto, ?, is also read as so in certain contexts.
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Encyclopedia
The koto (? or ?) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese zither (guzheng). The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about long, and made from kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa). They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, index finger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings.
One of the characters for koto, ?, is also read as so in certain contexts. Though often called by a number of other names, these terms almost always refer to similar, but different instruments, such as the Chinese guzheng or guqin (?, called kin in Japanese).
History
The koto was first introduced to Japan in the 7th and 8th century from China. It originated in its earliest form in the 5th century. It was a very popular instrument in the Northeastern part of China. The first known version had five strings, which eventually progressed to seven strings. It had twelve strings when it was introduced to China and increased to thirteen strings when it was introduced to Japan in the early Nara Period (710-784). This particular instrument is known throughout Asia but in different forms: the Japanese so or koto which is a distant relative to the qin, the Korean komungo, and the Vietnamese dan tranh. This variety of instrument came in two basic forms, a type that had bridges and those types without bridges. The type that was most known in China was the qin.
Originally, the word koto was a generic term for any and all Japanese string instruments when the so, or koto, was imported to Japan. Regardless, over time the definition of koto could not describe the wide variety of these string instruments and the names were changed. The Azuma goto or yamatogoto became the wagon, the kin no koto became the kin, and the sau no koto was changed to the so or koto.
The modern koto originates from the so, or gakuso, used in Japanese court music. It was a popular instrument among the wealthy; the instrument koto was considered a romantic one. Some literary and historical records solo pieces for koto existed centuries before sokyoku or the music of the solo koto genre was established. According to Japanese literature, the koto was used as imagery and other extra music significance. In one part of “The Tales of Genji (Genji monogatari),” Genji falls deeply in love with a mysterious woman, who he has never seen before, after he hears her playing koto from a distance.
The history of the koto, or so, in Japan, dates back to the 16th Century. At this time a Buddhist priest by the name of Kenjun (1547-1636), who lived in northern Kyushu, began to compose for the koto, calling the style “tsukushi goto.”
Perhaps the most important influence on the development of koto was the man Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614-1685). He was a gifted blind musician from Kyoto who changed the limited selection of six songs to a brand new style of koto music which he called kumi uta. Yatsuhashi changed the Tsukushi goto tunings, which were based on gagaku ways of tuning; and with this change, a new style of koto was born. Yatsuhashi Kengyo is now known as the “Father of Modern Koto.”
The Japanese developments in the bridgeless zithers include the one-stringed koto (ichigenkin) and two-stringed koto (nigenkin or yakumo goto) around the 1920s, Morita Goro created a new version of the two-stringed goto. On this goto, one would push down buttons above the metal strings like the western autoharp. It was named the taisho goto after the Taisho Era.
At the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), western music was introduced to Japan. Miyagi Michio (1894- 1956), a blind composer, innovator, and performer, was the first Japanese composer to combine western music and traditional koto music. Michio is largely regarded as being responsible for keeping the koto alive when traditional Japanese arts were being forgotten and replaced by Westernization. He wrote over 300 new works for the instrument. He also invented the popular 17 string base koto, created new playing techniques, advanced tradition forms, and most importantly increased the koto's popularity. He performed abroad and in 1828 his combination of koto and shakuhachi, Haru no Umi (Spring Sea) has been transcribed for numerous instruments. Haru no Umi is even played to welcome each New Year in Japan.
Since Miyagi’s time, many composers such as Sawai Tadao (1937-1997) have furthered Miyagi’s vision by continuing to perform and compose works that continue to advance the instrument in new directions. Thanks to artist such as these, the thousand year old Japanese koto is still important and thriving.
Construction
A koto is typically made of Paulownia wood. The treatment of the wood before making the koto varies tremendously: one koto maker seasons the wood for perhaps a year on the roof of the house. Some wood may have very little treatment. Kotos may or may not be adorned, some adornments include inlays of ivory and ebony, tortise shell, metal figures, etc.
The bridges (ji) used to made of ivory, but nowdays are typically made of plastic, and occasionally made of wood. For some very low notes, there are small bridges made, as well as specialty bridges with three different heights, depending on the need of the tuning. When a small bridge is unavailable for some very low notes, some players may, as an emergency measure, use a bridge upside down. Of course, such an arrangement is unstable, and the bridge would have a tendency to fall down. Bridges have been known to break during playing, and with some older instruments which have the surface where the bridges rest being worn due to much use, the bridges may fall during playing, especially when pressing strings. There are, of course, various sorts of patch materials sold to fill the holes which cause the legs of a bridge to rest on an unstable area.
The strings are made from a variety of materials. Various types of plastic strings are popular. Silk strings are still made. Silk strings are usually yellow in color, but they cost more and are not as durable, but claimed to be more musical. The strings are tied with a half hitch to a roll of paper or cardboard, about the size of a cigarette butt, strung through the holes at the head of the koto, threaded through the holes at the back, tightened, and tied with a special knot. Strings can be tightened by a special machine, but often are tightened by hand, and then tied. One can tighten by pulling the string from behind, or sitting at the side of the koto, although the latter is much harder and requires much arm strength. Some instruments may have tuning pins (like a piano) installed, to make tuning easier.
Koto today
The influence of Western pop music has made the koto less prominent in Japan, although it is still developing as an instrument. Works are being written for 20- and 25-stringed kotos and 17-string bass kotos, and a new generation of players such as Japanese performers Kazue Sawai and Michiyo Yagi (who studied under Sawai), and American performer Reiko Obata are finding places for the koto in today's jazz, experimental music and even pop.
June Kuramoto, of the jazz fusion group Hiroshima, was one of the first koto performers to popularize the koto in a non-traditional fusion style. Reiko Obata, founder of East West Jazz band, is the first to perform and record an album of jazz standards featuring koto. Obata also produced the first-ever English language koto instructional DVD "You Can Play Koto."
David Bowie used a koto in the instrumental piece "Moss Garden" on his album "Heroes". Paul Gilbert, a popular shred guitarist, recorded his wife, Emi playing the koto on his song "Koto Girl" from the album Alligator Farm. JRock / Visual Kei band Kagrra, are well known for using traditional Japanese musical instruments in many of their songs, an example being "Utakata", a song where the koto has a prominent place. Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck composed "Koto Song" that, while not featuring the koto itself, is played to allow the piano to emulate its sound. Winston Tong, singer with Tuxedomoon, uses it on his 15-minute song, "The Hunger" from his debut solo album Theoretically Chinese.
Well-known solo performers outside of Japan include koto master and award-winning recording artist Elizabeth Falconer, who also studied for a decade at the esteemed Sawai Koto School in Tokyo, as well as koto master Linda Kako Caplan, Canadian Daishihan (Grandmaster) and a member of Fukuoka's Chikushi Koto School for over two decades. David Horvitz pioneered the instrument into the contemporary indie rock scene playing on Xiu Xiu's new album, The Air Force.
The 17-string bass koto, called jushichi-gen in Japanese, has become more prominent over the years. The members of the band Rin' are perhaps some of the more famous jushichi-gen players in the modern (pop/rock) music scene. There are also 20-string, 21-string, and 25-string kotos.
The influence of the koto on Western music is also evident in jazz. The "in-sen" scale, a five note scale, was first introduced to jazz by John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner (another koto player) and is based on the tuning of the koto.
The rock band Queen used a (toy) koto in "The Prophet's Song" on their 1975 album A Night at the Opera.
Dr. Dre's 1999 album Chronic 2001 prominently features a synthesized koto on two of its tracks - "Still D.R.E." and "The Message".
Bibliography
- , by Henry Johnson (Hotei, 2004)
- The Kumiuta and Danmono Traditions of Japanese Koto Music, by Willem Adriaansz (University of California Press, 1973)
See also
External links
- Japanese-American koto performer of traditional and jazz koto. Producer and instructor on "You Can Play Koto" DVD.
- Jazz ensemble featuring Reiko Obata on koto
- young Composer and Koto virtuoso
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- - Linda Kako Caplan - The World of Japanese Koto and Shamisen: textbooks, CD and online video resources for koto, plus useful links and general info on the instruments
- - Koto no koto: the website with all the info you need about US and Canadian teachers, recordings, and the instrument.
- - Website of the koto/shakuhachi duo EN.
- Play the "Sakura" tune on a virtual koto.
- another virtual koto.
- one of very few hand-made Koto shop
- one of few Koto makers of today
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