Spirit of Wa: Masterpieces for the Koto — Japan’s Beautiful Melodies
The koto is an instrument with a soft tone and an enchanting sound.
Koto music is perfect for quintessentially Japanese occasions like New Year’s celebrations.
When you listen to it, it feels familiar to the ear and calms the heart.
In this article, I’d like to introduce many famous koto pieces.
By the way, I’ve been using the character “琴” for koto, but some of you might be thinking, shouldn’t it be “箏”?
Strictly speaking, “koto” (琴) and “koto/so” (箏) refer to different instruments.
However, since I want to cover as many pieces as possible, I’m using “koto” here as an umbrella term.
Please read on to the end.
- [Classic] New Year’s BGM: Music for Japan’s New Year and Spring Festival
- The Spirit of Japan: A Collection of Famous and Popular Shamisen Pieces
- Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
- A Collection of Moving Shakuhachi Masterpieces | Beautiful Japanese Melodies That Stir the Heart
- [Hometown Songs] A curated selection of popular Japanese tracks that fill your heart with nostalgia
- [Kyoto Songs] Masterpieces that sing about Kyoto — songs themed on the ancient capital. The enduring heart of our hometown passed down in song.
- The soul’s cry woven into Japanese elegies: unraveling supreme masterpieces that resonate with the heart.
- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
- A classic song about Nagano. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- [Japanese School Anthems] A Hot Topic at Koshien! From Beautiful Anthems to Unique Ones, All Introduced at Once
- Japanese shoka (school songs). Nostalgic tunes, songs of the heart.
- Japanese sign-language songs; sign-language song(s)
- A classic Japanese folk song passed down through generations of acoustic performances
[Spirit of Wa] Masterpieces for Koto: Japan’s Beautiful Melodies (21–30)
Mode of YatsudanYatsuhashi Kengyō
This is a piece composed by Yatsuhashi Kengyō, a koto performer and composer from the early Edo period.
Yatsuhashi Kengyō is known as the father of modern koto music, and he is also said to be the origin of Kyoto’s famous sweet, yatsuhashi.
He was reputed to be a master not only of the koto, but also of the shamisen and kokyū.
This piece is one of the danmono—an umbrella term for compositions with a sectional (dan) structure—and, as its name suggests, it consists of eight sections.
Some say it was composed by Kurahashi Kengyō, Yatsuhashi’s grand-disciple.
It’s truly remarkable how such a piece has been handed down for hundreds of years.
Koto piece: Rokudan no ShirabeYatsuhashi Kengyō
This piece was composed by Yatsuhashi Kengyō, the founder of early modern koto music.
He’s also known as the person after whom the confection Yatsuhashi is named.
Yatsuhashi Kengyō laid the foundations of early modern koto repertoire by revising koto performance techniques and introducing semitones into gagaku tuning methods.
Rokudan is one of the koto pieces known as danmono; it’s called “Rokudan” because it consists of six sections (dan), each in 52-beat meter.
You’ve probably heard it, as it’s often played as koto background music on television and in hotels and Japanese restaurants.
cherry blossom
“Sakura,” a traditional Japanese folk song, is often sung and performed on the international stage.
Originally composed in the Edo period as a koto practice piece, it was given lyrics in the Meiji period and spread nationwide as a song.
If you’re thinking of starting the koto, begin with this piece.
the sound of the rapidsMiyagi Michio
This is a piece composed by Michio Miyagi at the age of 29, said to have been inspired by the Tone River.
Miyagi was declared blind at the age of eight and decided to devote himself to the koto.
Due to family circumstances, he moved to Incheon in what is now the Republic of Korea, where he taught koto while composing many pieces.
His works incorporate elements of Western music into traditional Japanese music, giving them a character distinct from conventional koto compositions.
He also devised new instruments for modern koto music, including the seventeen-string koto, the eighty-string koto, the short koto, and the large kokyū.
Autumn SongMinoru Miki
This piece was written in 1980 for shakuhachi and 20-string koto.
The composer, Minoru Miki, was not a koto player but a classical composer.
Alongside writing orchestral and operatic works, he also composed many pieces for Japanese instruments.
Music for Japanese instruments written from an outsider’s perspective has an irresistible appeal of its own, and it really brings out the unique charms of the koto and shakuhachi.
This might be a great opportunity to explore more of Minoru Miki’s works—you may find it quite enjoyable.
Five Sections of Fulling BlocksKōzaki Kengyō
This piece was composed by Mitsuhashi Kengyō, who was active at the end of the Edo period.
It consists of five sections in total and is one of the kinuta-mono.
Kinuta-mono refers to works among jiuta, koto, kokyū, and shakuhachi repertoire that take as their theme the onomatopoeic depiction from the Noh play Kinuta.
Whereas earlier kinuta pieces typically had four sections, Mitsuhashi Kengyō added a fifth by adapting the fifth section of Rokudan and, by applying an alternative part in the Hon-Kumoi tuning throughout, created the Godan-Kinuta.
The fact that the tunings have Japanese names also feels very characteristic of traditional Japanese instruments.
Symphonic Eclogue for 20-String Koto and OrchestraAkira Ifukube
Symphonic Eclogue for 20-String Koto and Orchestra is a work by Akira Ifukube, one of Japan’s leading composers who pursued a nationalist musical style.
The intertwining of the koto’s lyrical melodies with the orchestra leaves a very beautiful impression.
In conclusion
I think every one of them was a song that touched the heart.
If you’re here reading this, maybe you’re thinking, “Maybe I’ll try playing the koto”? I hope this article helps.
I’ll keep adding more pieces, so please stop by again when you have time!