KOTO (English)

 KOTO (English)

Few instruments have remained as unchanged and yet stayed as vibrantly relevant to their culture at large as the Japanese koto. For many, hearing just a few expressive notes played on the koto brings to mind the simple yet elegant beauty of traditional Japan. The Japanese koto has many relatives in Asia; the Ch' in in China, the komungo in Korea, and the dan tranh in Vietnam. These instruments have various numbers of strings, but the koto seems to have had thirteen when it was brought to Japan in the early Nara Period (710-784). (In Japan, folklore has it that a 23-string instrument in China was chopped in half and brought over.) The modern 13-string koto originates from the so or gakuso of Japanese court music, and was an important instrument of the exclusive Gagaku "Elegant Music" performed by the Imperial court ensemble. Popular among aristocrats, the koto was a romantic instrument in ancient Japanese literature. In one section of The Tale of Genji, Japan' s first novel, Prince Genji falls deeply in love with a woman he has never seen after hearing her exquisite koto performance. The novel was written by the authoress Murasaki Shikibu, who was an accomplished koto player herself. 

The koto is a long, hollow instrument, about six feet (180 cm) long and 14 inches (25 cm) wide, made from Paulownia wood, often called Empress Tree (kiri). The Paulownia Crest is the Imperial Crest of Japan, and the instrument is the official national instrument. The shape of the koto is said to resemble that of the dragon (ryu), and the names of various parts of the koto correspond to various parts of the dragon. Underneath the body are two sound holes, one at each end. There are 13 strings stretched lengthwise over bridges and tied at each end of the body. The strings are the same size and same tension. They were once made from silk, but nowadays nylon or tetlon is used; the sound is very close to the sound of silk strings, and they are much more durable and affordable. A movable bridge, called a ji, is placed under the length of each string. Originally rosewood or ivory bridges were used, but hard plastic bridges are most often used today. The bridges themselves are about an inch and a half (5 cm.) tall. Each string is lifted away from the koto by one of these movable bridges so that it will resonate when plucked. The strings are tuned according to the placement of the bridges. During performance the bridges can also be moved for different tunings. One of the challenging yet appealing aspects of the koto is the flexibility this type of tuning allows. For the player, it is challenging because each piece that is played needs to have the bridges set to the right tuning; it is appealing because of the wide variety of tunings that can be created, from traditional Japanese pentatonic scales, to European classical scales and improvised jazz tunings. This is one aspect that has helped to keep the instrument alive and well; the ability to adjust to various musical and cultural settings across time and place. 

The official written history of the koto in Japan dates from the 16th century. At that time, Kenjun (1547-1636), a Buddhist priest who lived in Northern Kyushu, began to compose for the instrument, calling the original style "Tsukushi" after the region. Yatsuhashi Kengyo (1614-1685), a gifted blind musician from Kyoto, learned from Kenjun and transformed the limited repertoire by adding new techniques, making new tunings, and writing new compositions. His most well-known composition, "Rokudan no Shirabe " (Study in Six Steps) remains the most well-known and often played classical koto piece today, and is viewed by koto players has containing all of the basic techniques needed for koto playing. In many schools, it is used as a test piece. It was during the peaceful Edo period (1603-1867) that the koto developed from an exclusive court instrument into a uniquely Japanese instrument with a voice all its own, with its own indelible sound that has become an intricate part of Japanese art and culture. Yastushashi is known today as the "Father of Modern Koto, " and visitors to Kyoto can enjoy Yatsuhashi Sembei, special koto-shaped cookies, to remember him by. 

 The strings are plucked with three picks, called tsume, which are worn on the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand, held on by bands. Today, the square-picked Ikuta School (Ikuta-ryu) and Yamada School (Yamada-ryu) are the two major koto schools. While there are some similarities between the styles, each school has its own exclusive repertoire and approach to the pieces. Ikuta Kengyo (1656-1715) created the Ikuta School. Ikuta rearranged a shamisen style called jiuta, a vocal style of shamisen music of the Edo Period popular in the Keihan region (Kyoto and Osaka). Ikuta's arrangements of jiuta became the foundation of the repertoire for the Ikuta School. Ikuta-style players use square-shaped picks, and today are known for emphasizing playing technique over singing. 

While tegotomono style was thriving in Osaka and Kyoto, Yamada Kengyo (1757-1817) was transforming shamisen styles as music for koto, and founded the Yamada School of koto music in Tokyo. Yamada based his style on the vocal compositions of Edo (old Tokyo). These pieces, composed for Tokyo-style shamisen, were adapted for the koto and evolved as the principal repertoire of the Yamada School. Yamada-style players use rounded picks, and nowadays are known for emphasizing classical singing with their playing. Within each school, various masters define their own style of performing and teaching in keeping with their school' s basic philosophy. 

The player kneels towards the right end of the instrument, at the head of the dragon. The player plucks the strings with the three picks, which can be used on the strings in a variety of styles to produce various textures. The left hand is used for altering the sound in numerous ways, sometimes pressing down on a string firmly on the left side of the bridge to change the pitch of a string, or gently moving the strings for various kinds of vibrato. The two hands work in close coordination with each other to produce each note. 

Western music was introduced in Japan at the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912). The blind composer, innovator and performer Miyagi Michio (1894-1956) was the first Japanese composer to combine, with great creative inspiration, Western and traditional koto music. He is largely regarded as being responsible for keeping the koto vital and alive at a shaky turning point in Japanese culture, when traditional arts were being set aside and forgotten in a time of intense westernization. He not only wrote over 300 new works for the instrument, he invented the very popular 17-string bass koto, created new playing techniques, expanded traditional forms, and in general restored popularity to the genre with his charismatic and down-to-earth personality. He also performed abroad, and his 1929 duo for koto and shakuhachi, Haru no Umi (Spring Sea) has been transcribed for numerous instruments, and is played to welcome each New Year throughout Japan. Since that time, composers such as Sawai Tadao (1937-1997) have furthered Miyagi' s vision by continuing to compose and perform works that continue to stretch the instrument in new directions. (To learn more about Sawai Tadao, Sawai Kazue and the current directions of modern koto artists, see the articles at http://www.kotoworld.com/articles_by_liz.html) Because of the integrity, creativity and determination of some very talented musicians and the devotion and dedication of their students, the thousand-year old Japanese koto is still as vibrantly alive and appealing as ever. 

(From http://www.kotoworld.com/koto.html)