Concert of Koto
Where do you listen to the Koto sound? Maybe you have a chance to listen to it in the Japanese shop as a BGM in New Year season. Or you...
Kotoji
When you see the Koto, you can find the 13 small white parts on the body of the Koto. They are called “Kotoji”. “Kotoji” is supporting...
The family of Koto
Do you know why the Koto has 13 strings? I found a funny anecdote about this question. “In ancient China, there was a SHITSU which was an...
Belly Warmer Tie
When we put the Koto away, we put a “Tenugui (Japanese hand towels)” between the table board and the strings. It looks like a belly...
The size of Koto
Generally, Koto has 13 strings. The length is about 182cm and the width is 27cm. In spite of the many improvements have been made on the...
Koto-zume(Koto Plectrum)
When you play the Koto you put on the Koto-zume(Koto plectrum) on your fingers. The Koto- zume is constituted of the nail and the ring....
Strings Name
The Koto has 13strings. These names are 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, 斗 (To), 為 (I), 巾 (Kin). Why not 11,12,13? What are To, I, Kin? Actually,...
Koto and Dragon
The Koto has a lot of parts named after ”dragons” such as 'ryukaku' (dragon antler), 'ryuzetsu' (dragon tongue) and 'ryushu' (dragon...
Score
In the old days, there was not a musical score to play Koto. Not only Koto, but also most of Japanese instruments. People were initiated...
Ensemble
A lot of etudes of Koto are composed as the duet. Especially “Hanaikada” which we introduced last time, is the piece that even a beginner...
