The history of Japanese musical instruments is long, and descriptions of them can be found in many books.
Japan’s oldest full-length novel, which has been translated into dozens of languages and is famous throughout the world, also contains descriptions of Japanese musical instruments.
The work is called “The Tale of Genji”. It depicts the aristocratic society of the Heian period, with Hikaru Genji as the main character.
The three main Japanese instruments that appear in “The Tale of Genji” are the wagon (an ancient Japanese koto), the kin no koto (a seven-stringed koto from China), and the sou no koto (a 13-stringed koto as it is commonly known today).
These instruments appeared throughout the works and sometimes played an important role in connecting Hikaru Genji with women.
They were also depicted in ensembles of women playing in compositions consisting of the biwa, wagon, kin no koto, and sou no koto.
These descriptions indicate that the koto was much loved by the aristocracy during the Heian period (794-1185).
Koto concerts are also held in Japan today. It can be said that the koto is a Japanese musical instrument that has been loved throughout its long history.
The koto introduced here, as well as other Japanese musical instruments, are filled with deep history. It is a lot of fun to learn about them.See you on the next blog.
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