First, someone made the 13-string koto, which was cool.
Then someone came around and made the 17-string koto, which was a little harder to play but
it was alright.
Then, after spending an evening with Snoop Dogg, someone decided to create an 80-string
koto, which had to be played with hands, feet, and tongue.
Let’s go through the history of the koto from the Nara Period to the modern age.
Hey everyone, I have come back to take over Linfamy’s video.
It feels good to have the power once again.
My name is Shawn Renzoh Head, and I am a licensed shakuhachi instructor, performer, composer,
and lecturer on Japanese music and aesthetics.
Today I am going over the Japanese harp called koto.
Here’s how it sounds.
The koto is a Japanese zither/harp.
The original koto is a large rectangular block that has 13 silk strings over these ivory
bridges called “ji” which is used for tuning the instrument.
These ji can be moved around the instrument and come in a variety of heights to make it
possible for virtually any tuning on the koto.
Koto players wear three ivory picks (called Tsume) on their right hand (thumb, fore finger,
and middle) to pluck the strings.
They’re also great for scratching backs and stopping the chatter in a classroom when
you’re next to a chalkboard.
Koto players also use their bare left-hand to pluck, creating two distinctive timbres.
The left hand also vibrates the string and bends pitches on the opposite side of the
bridge.
Players typically will kneel on the floor in front of the koto on the right side, also
called “at the head of the dragon” but it is common to sit in have a chair and have
the koto raised on a stand.
This actually helps the koto project its sound because there are two holes on the bottom
of the koto where most of the sound comes from.
The koto made its way into Japan from China during the Nara Period.
The first version of koto which we mentioned before in the gagaku video, is called
so no koto.
Koto was not exclusively used in Gagaku but it appears that it was used as a solo instrument
in the Heian period.
Take a look at this short excerpt from the Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu.
“Kokiden spends the next several months mocking the Emperor's grief, which colors
everything he does.
Even when he's with Suzaku, he dwells on Genji.
He sends the best nurses and serving women to Genji and one chilly autumn evening, he
remembers how he and his love had played the Koto for each other.”
And take a look here too.
Just slightly after that…
“Genji also grieves as he grows, though he continues to show that he's absolutely
an exceptional child.
Even Kokiden likes him.
He learns the classics and to play the flute and the koto, and his musical talent is shocking.”
Okay if you haven’t read it, spoiler alert, Genji actually falls in love with a woman
that he has never seen before just because of how talented of a koto player she is.
But that isn’t surprising; he’d fall in love with a woman if she had two arms and
two legs.
Hell, maybe even one.
After the Heian Period, koto made its way into temples a served as accompanying instrument
to meditations.
This form of music was called tsukushi.
The koto actually had restrictions on it.
For one, women were not allowed to play the koto.
Another interesting restriction was that the blind were forbidden to play it…
until Yatsuhashi Kengyo that is.
Yatsuhashi Kengyo is recognized today as one of the great reformers of koto.
He is also known as a great composer and a shamisen player
(stay tuned for a future video on that).
He also has the nickname “father of the modern koto.”
So what did he do that was so important?
Firstly, he was a blind musician himself and learned the koto.
He was the main person to encourage both the blind and women to learn koto.
In addition to that, he has also reconstructed old music and composed new music to make the
koto more accessible for the common person.
One of his greatest achievements was the new tuning system called hira joshi, or plain
tuning.
This tuning allowed for the koto to play tunes well known by the layperson.
One of his most famous compositions which there is also a version for shakuhachi and
koto is called Rokudan no Shirabe or simply, Rokudan Shirabe, melody in six parts.
Another one of his masterpieces is called Midare.
This work specifically showcases his creativity and composition skills.
During the Edo period, the koto had been merged with another style of performance thanks to
the famous koto player, Ikuta Kengyo.
Many koto players would go on to change their names to Kengyo.
A similar thing happened in Germany with the name Adolf, but in the opposite way.
Ikuta Kengyo was based in Osaka.
100 years later in Edo, Yamada Kengyo would go on to do a similar thing, adapting pieces
and transforming them in to a specifically Edo style playing for
koto, shamisen, and singing.
This ensemble would eventually add in the shakuhachi as well.
This formed two schools.
The Ikuta Ryu (生田流), and the Yamada Ryu (山田流).
Let’s dive into one of their compositions before moving forward to the Meiji era.
Yamada Kengyo composed a work called “Nasuno” 那須野.
This was one of Yamada’s later works being composed in 1807.
There is a famous noh play and kabuki play in Japan called “sesshoseki” which Yamada
would derive his work from.
It is the reenactment of an old legend about a huge stone at the Nasuno Plain in north
Edo.
Sesshoseki was the name of this stone and people believed that it killed humans and
animals that came near it, and especially the poor souls who touched it.
The story goes that there was once a female fox demon called Tamamo no Mae who was killed
by an arrow in Nasuno and turned into this giant stone.
Random Fact: This place actually exists and you can go there today.
One of the things you will find are a bunch of Jizo statues which, he is the protector
of pregnant women and children who have died.
Shawn: Hey Linfamy, I’ll give you 20 bucks to go touch it.
Linfamy: mmm mmm!
Shawn: That sounded like a yes to me.
Linfamy: mmmmmm!
Shawn: Deal.
Moving into the Meiji era, we will now talk about arguably the most famous koto player
ever to live, Michio Miyagi.
Michio Miyagi was a blind koto player who composed, innovated new versions of the koto,
a master performer, and is thought to be the first Japanese composer ever to mix the western
musical traditions with koto.
His body of compositional work is over 500 works including his most famous Haru no Umi
(The Sea in Spring) for shakuhachi and koto.
Today many shakuhachi and koto duos perform haru no umi for new years.
In 1930 he was a lecturer at the Tokyo college of music, now known as Tokyo geidai and he
was appointed professorship in 1937.
There he taught koto and composition.
During his time performing internationally, he invented two new kotos.
The 17 string bass koto and the crazy 80 string koto.
He also published many books.
Today you can go to his memorial hall in Shinjuku.
I’ve personally been.
They have his personal manuscripts, instruments, and much more.
I hope you can visit one day and see a concert there, live!
Wanna hear about some famous koto players you can listen to?
The first being Sawai Tadao.
He was really famous for his compositions and his incredible skill on the koto.
The next is the Kurosawa koto family and specifically Yumi Kurosawa who is one of Japan’s top
koto soloist.
She started koto when she was 3 years old!
Hopefully this inspires you to check out other aspects of the koto and dig deeper.
It’s a great instrument and has a very fruitful tradition.
Linfamy, go touch that stone.
Linfamy: I touch my stones all the time, man.
Hey, Shawn has a music themed YouTube channel.
Check it out and give him a sub.
And yell at him for tying me up.
Without paying first.
Hey guys, just a reminder.
If you want one of these charms, sign up on my Patreon page.
See details in the description below.
Do it quick, the offer ends February 29.
Supplies are limited.
Alright we got 3 new emperor patrons this week.
Some of them seem to be famous.
Erin Moriarty (Starlight???), Chronophage, and Xavier (welcome, Professor X).
And we got a bunch of new patrons this week because of the special offer.
Here they are.
Ariel Ivory (that’s an awesome superhero name),
Milo Solomon (an awesome supervillain name),
Jason Watkin (what can you do about this guy?),
SoraNoTenshi,
Sam Segal,
Kitsu anuma,
Eru the Kitsune (he’s got 9 tails and will seduce and possess you, don’t think he won’t),
Angel Barcelo,
Brixton Brown (that’s a strong name),
Chris Masey,
Evilkarrot (quick, someone call Bugs Bunny),
Infinium (wielder of the Infinium Gauntlet,
with the power to pay for things by credit card),
Alicia Sarahi Schorr Aviles (I’m sorry),
derFuzzy (I’d like to hug you),
IceStar45,
Shikava,
KID2NR,
Bo’s Mind Space,
Anna (nice and simple),
Khellendross,
Sabina Alarcon,
(google translate don’t fail me now) 泡沫 阿修羅 (Utakata Ashura),
Kun Shun,
Jasmine (my second favorite tea after Oolong),
Cheryl L Larrabee,
Zizka (I can’t resist ya),
Derek Mendes,
Alvin Otis Møller,
strawberry_cat (the most adorable of cats),
Michio Yamasaki,
and Draven Mourne.
Phew! Thank you, you guys, that’s a lot of signups.
And if you like musical history, I have a playlist on it here.
Alright, love you all, and spread the knowledge!