The koto is a Japanese stringed instrument and the national instrument of Japan. It came from the Chinese zheng and se, and is similar to the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and ajaeng, the Vietnamese đàn tranh, the Sundanese kacapi, and the Kazakh jetigen. Koto are about 180 centimeters (6 feet) long and made from Paulownia wood, a type of wood called kiri. The most common koto has 13 strings that go over adjustable bridges, which help tune the instrument. Different musical pieces may require different tunings. Some koto have 17 strings and are used as bass instruments in groups. Koto strings are usually plucked using three fingerpicks (tsume), worn on the first three fingers of the right hand.
Names and types
The character for koto is 箏, although 琴 is also used. However, 琴 (koto) is the general name for all string instruments in Japanese, including instruments like the kin no koto, sō no koto, yamato-goto, wagon, nanagen-kin, and others. When read as kin, it refers to the Chinese instrument guqin. This term is still used today in the same way.
The word koto appears in the Kojiki, an ancient Japanese text, describing an early string instrument. Over time, different versions of the instrument were made, and some became the standard types used today. Four main types of koto (gakuso, chikuso, zokuso, tagenso) were created by different groups of people. These types were also adapted to change how the instrument was played.
One regional style of the koto is the Tategoto (竪琴) from the Amami Islands. Unlike other koto, the Tategoto is held upright on the lap and played with one hand. It may have more strings, is shorter, and is usually made with steel strings.
History
The ancestor of the koto was the Chinese guzheng. It was brought to Japan from China during the 7th and 8th centuries. The first known version had five strings, which later increased to seven strings. The Japanese koto is part of the Asian zither family, which includes the Chinese zheng (the ancestor of other zithers in the family), the Korean gayageum, and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. This type of instrument came in two basic forms: a zither with bridges and a zither without bridges.
When the koto was first brought to Japan, the word "koto" was a general term for any Japanese stringed instrument. As more stringed instruments appeared in Japan, the meaning of "koto" changed to describe the many different types. For example, the azumagoto or yamatogoto was called the wagon, the kin no koto was called the kin, and the sau no koto (sau being an older pronunciation of 箏) was called the sō or koto.
The modern koto comes from the gakusō, an instrument used in Japanese court music (gagaku). It was popular among wealthy people and was seen as a romantic instrument. Some records show that solo koto music existed long before the development of sōkyoku, the solo koto genre. Japanese literature mentions the koto being used as a symbol or for other musical purposes. In The Tale of Genji, the main character falls in love with a mysterious woman after hearing her play the koto from a distance.
The koto of the chikuso was made for the Tsukushigato tradition, which was originally used only by blind men. Women were not allowed to play or teach the instrument professionally. When these rules were relaxed, women began to play the koto, except for the chikuso, which became less common due to its design for blind people. Today, the two main types of koto are the gakuso and zokuso. These have changed little, except for the use of modern materials like plastic and new string materials. The tagenso is the newest type of koto, created in the 19th century. It has 17, 21, or 31 strings and was designed to expand the instrument’s range and playing style.
Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614–1685) had the greatest influence on the development of the koto. He was a blind musician from Kyoto who expanded the limited selection of six traditional koto songs into a new style called koto kumiuta. He changed the tsukushi goto tunings, which were based on older gagaku tuning methods, creating a new type of koto. Yatsuhashi is now known as the "Father of Modern Koto."
Keiko Nosaka, a musician who won a Grand Prize in Music from the Japanese Ministry of Culture in 2002, also influenced the koto’s evolution. She felt limited by the 13-string koto and created new versions with 20 or more strings.
Japanese innovations in bridgeless zithers include the one-stringed koto (ichigenkin) and the two-stringed koto (nigenkin or yakumo goto). In the 1920s, Goro Morita created a new two-stringed koto with buttons above the metal strings, similar to a Western autoharp. This instrument was named the taishōgoto after the Taishō period.
At the start of the Meiji Period (1868–1912), Western music was introduced to Japan. Michio Miyagi (1894–1956), a blind composer and performer, was the first Japanese musician to combine Western music with traditional koto music. He helped keep the koto alive during a time when many Japanese traditions were being replaced by Western culture. Miyagi wrote over 300 works for the koto and invented the 17-string bass koto. He also created new playing techniques and increased the koto’s popularity. His piece Haru no Umi ("Spring Sea") is still played in Japan to welcome the New Year.
Since Miyagi’s time, many composers, such as Kimio Eto (1924–2012) and Tadao Sawai (1937–1997), have continued to develop the koto. Kazue Sawai, the wife of Tadao Sawai and a former student of Miyagi, has been a major force in making the koto popular worldwide. She arranged John Cage’s "Three Dances" for four prepared bass kotos, a significant event in modern koto music.
For about 150 years after the Meiji Restoration, Japan moved away from its isolationist policies and began to adopt influences from America and Europe. This openness likely explains why the koto has many different variations today.
Construction
A koto is usually made from Paulownia wood, also called kiri. Artisans treat the wood in different ways. Some kotos have decorations, such as inlays made of ivory, ebony, tortoise shell, or metal figures. The wood is cut into two patterns: itame, which has a swirling look, or masame, which has straight lines. Masame is easier to make, so itame is more expensive and used for decorative kotos.
The body of a traditional koto is made from Paulownia wood. Each part of the instrument has cultural meaning, especially since the koto is Japan’s national instrument. The wood is dried and cut to exact measurements. The soundboard of a modern koto is about 182 centimeters (72 inches) long, though in the past it varied between 152 and 194 centimeters (60 to 76 inches).
Bridges (ji) were once made of ivory but are now often made of plastic or wood. Moving a bridge changes the pitch of a string. For very low notes, small bridges or bridges with three different heights are used. If a small bridge is not available, some players may use a bridge upside down, though this is unstable. Bridges can break during playing, especially on older instruments where the surface where bridges rest has worn down. Patch materials are sold to fix worn areas. A koto is about 6 feet (1.8 meters) long and 1 foot (0.3 meters) wide. It is placed on the floor in front of the player, who kneels to play.
Koto strings are made from various materials. Plastic strings are common, while silk strings, which are yellow, are still used despite being more expensive and less durable. Some musicians prefer silk strings for their sound quality. Strings are tied with a half hitch to a small roll of paper or cardboard, threaded through holes at the head and back of the koto, and tightened with a special knot. Strings can be tightened by hand or with a machine. Adjusting strings can be done by pulling from behind or sitting beside the koto, though the latter is harder and requires more strength. Some kotos have tuning pins, like a piano, to make tuning easier.
The makura ito, a silk thread used in the koto, is an important part of its construction. This feature was not used in early noble-style kotos, which had different tension requirements. Commoners introduced innovations that made the koto stronger and better at producing sound. The makura ito was used in paper, and fine silk was widely available in Japan. Starting in the 19th century, an ivory called makura zuno became the standard material for the koto.
Each part of the koto has a traditional name that reflects the belief that the instrument’s body resembles a dragon. The top part is called the "dragon’s shell" (ryūkō), and the bottom part is called the "dragon’s stomach" (ryūfuku). The end with the removable fabric cover is called the "dragon’s head" (ryūzu), which includes parts like the "dragon’s horns" (ryūkaku), "dragon’s tongue" (ryūzetsu), "dragon’s eyes" (ryūgan, the string holes), and "dragon’s forehead" (ryūgaku). The other end is called the "dragon’s tail" (ryūbi). The string nut is called the "cloud horn" (unkaku).
Koto today
The influence of Western pop music has made the koto less popular in Japan, but it is still being used today. The 17-string bass koto (jūshichi-gen) has become more important since Michio Miyagi developed it. There are also koto with 20, 21, and 25 strings. Composers are writing music for the 20- and 25-string koto and the 17-string bass koto. Reiko Obata made the koto easier for Western musicians to use by publishing two books that use Western musical notation. Today, koto players like Reiko Obata, Miya Masaoka, Kazue Sawai, and Michiyo Yagi are helping the koto appear in jazz, experimental music, and pop music. Members of the band Rin' are well-known 17-string koto players in modern music.
June Kuramoto of the jazz fusion group Hiroshima was one of the first koto players to use the instrument in a new style. Reiko Obata, founder of East West Jazz, was the first to perform and record a jazz album with the koto. She also created the first English-language koto instructional DVD, called "You Can Play Koto." Obata has performed concertos with U.S. orchestras, including with Orchestra Nova for San Diego's KPBS in 2010.
Other koto players outside Japan include Elizabeth Falconer, who studied at the Sawai Koto School in Tokyo, and Linda Kako Caplan, a Canadian grandmaster and member of Fukuoka's Chikushi Koto School for over 20 years. Masayo Ishigure, a student of Kazue Sawai, teaches in New York City. Yukiko Matsuyama leads her KotoYuki band in Los Angeles. Her music mixes world music sounds with Japanese culture. She played on the Grammy-winning album Miho: Journey to the Mountain (2010) by the Paul Winter Consort, which helped more Western audiences learn about the koto. In November 2011, Yukiko Matsuyama performed with Shakira at the Latin Grammy Awards, giving the koto more global attention.
In March 2010, the koto gained international attention when a video linked by the Grammy-winning band Tool became very popular online. The video showed the Tokyo-based ensemble Soemon playing Brett Larner's arrangement of Tool's song "Lateralus" on six bass and two bass koto. Larner previously played the koto with musicians like John Fahey, Jim O'Rourke, and members of indie rock bands.
In older pop and rock music, David Bowie used the koto in the instrumental piece "Moss Garden" on his 1977 album Heroes. Brian Jones, a guitarist for The Rolling Stones, played the koto on the song "Take It or Leave It" from the 1966 album Aftermath.
Paul Gilbert, a famous guitarist, recorded his wife Emi playing the koto on his song "Koto Girl" from the 2000 album Alligator Farm. The rock band Kagrra is known for using traditional Japanese instruments in their music, such as in the song "Utakata" (うたかた), where the koto is prominent. Winston Tong, the singer of Tuxedomoon, used the koto on his 15-minute song "The Hunger" from his 1985 album Theoretically Chinese.
The rock band Queen used a toy koto in the song "The Prophet's Song" on their 1975 album A Night at the Opera. Steve Hackett, a guitarist from Genesis, used the koto on the instrumental song "The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere" from the 1979 album Spectral Mornings. Tony Banks, a keyboardist from Genesis, used a sampled koto in the band's song "Mama." Hazel Payne played the koto in A Taste of Honey's 1981 English version of the Japanese song "Sukiyaki." A synthesized koto was used in their cover of The Miracles' song "I'll Try Something New." Steve Howe, a guitarist from Asia, played the koto in the instrumental break of the song "Heat of the Moment" from the 1982 album Asia. He also used the koto in the Yes song "It Will Be a Good Day (The River)" from the 1999 album The Ladder.
Dr. Dre's 1999 album 2001 includes a synthesized koto on two songs: "Still D.R.E." and "The Message." A 2020 acoustic cover of Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" by PianoRock feat. Dean McNeill also features a synthesized koto.