The Koto
A Traditional Japanese Instrument
Heather Hull
Ayaka Kato
Clint Wood
A.J. Castillo
The Koto
•The history of the koto
•Scores
•Three-piece band
•The two schools of koto playing
•The make-up of a koto
The History of the Koto
•Originated in China
•5 strings
•BLIND musicians
th th
th century:
717
century:
20
Koto
Michio
came
Miyagi
to Japan
century:The
Yatuhashi-Kengyo
Scores weren’t written down
Strings were named by numbers
Japanese characters
Modern pieces written in
Western notation
Three-person Ensemble
THE
SHAMISEN
THE
KOTO
THE
SHAKUHACHI
The Two Schools
•Instrumental
•Angle
•Square
•Narrative
•Perpendicular
•Pointed
Just some more facts….
–No harmony
–No steady beat
–Sign of culture
The Koto itself is made up of…
•A 6’ X 1’ piece of
Paulownia wood
•13 silk or nylon strings
•13 plastic or ivory
moveable bridges
The koto resembles a dragon.
The body parts of
the koto are still
referred to as
dragon head,
dragon back, &
dragon legs!!
Bass Koto
Nijûgen
Jûshichigen
20 or 21
strings
17 strings
THE KOTO
Where did the koto originate?
China
Why weren’t there originally any scores for koto music?
Because the musicians were blind.
How many strings is on the traditional koto?
13
What is the three-person ensemble the koto is part of?
Sankyoku
Name one of the two schools of the koto.
Ikuta or Yamada