Music in Japan

Dear Readers,

During my year overseas in Takasaki, Japan, I have decided to explore the world of music, both traditional and modern types. Since my arrival last August, I have experimented with various types of instruments, including: the taiko drums (played frequently at cultural festivals), I am currently learning and taking lessons from a koto master, and I have also joined the local community orchestra in Takasaki. Each music experience has allowed me to meet new people, make Japanese friends, and learn something new about music through the Japanese perspective.

The first time I attended a koto concert in August, I was mesmerized and drawn to the beautiful melodies produced by this 13 stringed instrument. If you are interested to learn more about the koto, here is some more detailed information below:

The koto (箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng. The koto is the national instrument of Japan.^[1] Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) width, and made from kiri wood (Paulownia tomentosa). They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the width 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.

The ancestor of the koto originated in its earliest form in the 5th century and was first introduced to Japan from China in the 7th and 8th century. The first known version had five strings, which eventually increased to seven strings. (It had twelve strings when it was introduced to Japan in the early Nara Period (710–784) and increased to thirteen strings). 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 gayageum, and the Vietnamesedan 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, similar in design to many other instruments in Asia.

Originally, when the so, or koto, was imported to Japan, the word koto was a generic term for any and all Japanese stringed instruments. Over time the definition of koto could not describe the wide variety of these stringed 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 Kyūshū, began to compose for the koto, calling the style "tsukushi goto".

Perhaps the most important influence on the development of koto was 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".

Music is transformative and spiritual. As I have witnessed, it can transcend cultural boundaries and bring people together, despite their personal backgrounds. I am excited to live in Takasaki, home of Gunma's beautiful concert hall, the daruma figure, and music (both traditional and western).