Kayageum

A representative classical string instrument of the Korean peninsula. A 12-stringed zither. The "Samguk Sagi" (1145) states that King Gashi of Gaya made it by imitating instruments from the Tang Dynasty, but it is thought to have been an improved version of the zither, a string instrument from the Three Kingdoms period. It was introduced to Japan during the Nara period, and three zithers are preserved in the Shosoin Repository as "Shiragigoto." There are two types of zither: the Beopkin (also known as the Furyu Gayageum), used in gagaku, and the Sanjo Gayageum, played in sanjo and folk music. The Beopkin is made by hollowing out a single piece of paulownia wood into the shape of a boat, and the tip of the phoenix tail has a sheep's ear head (string stopper) to which the dyed tail is tied. The latter has a sounding board made of hard materials such as paulownia on the front and chestnut on the back, and the sheep's ear head has degenerated into a common, board-like shape. To play, the head of the instrument is placed on the knee and the twelve silk strings, each with a different twist, are picked and plucked directly with the right hand (mainly the thumb, index finger, and middle finger). The left hand is used for techniques such as pushing and vibrato. The Sanjo gayageum was made about 140 years ago and is smaller than the Beopgeum, at around 150 centimeters in length, and has been used widely in modern music in recent years. Its range is two octaves and a fifth.

[Harumi Haratani]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

朝鮮半島の代表的な古典弦楽器。12弦の箏(そう)。『三国史記』（1145）には伽倻国の嘉実(かじつ)王が唐の楽器をまねてつくったとあるが、三韓(さんかん)時代からの弦楽器「琴」を改良したものとみられる。日本には奈良時代に紹介され「新羅琴(しらぎごと)」として正倉院に3面保存されている。伽倻琴には、雅楽に使われる法琴（別名風流伽倻琴）と、散調(さんじょう)や民俗楽で奏される散調伽倻琴の2種がある。法琴はキリの一木を船形にくりぬいてつくられ、鳳尾(ほうび)の先端には染尾(せんび)を結ぶ羊耳頭（緒止め）がある。後者には、表にキリ、裏にクリの木などの硬い材質を使った共鳴板があり、羊耳頭は平凡な板状形に退化している。演奏は、楽器の頭部を膝(ひざ)の上にのせ、それぞれ撚(よ)りの異なる12の絹糸の弦を直接右手（おもに親指、人差し指、中指）で摘み、弾く。左手は押手やビブラートなどの技法に用いる。散調伽倻琴は約140年前につくられ、法琴より小型で長さは150センチメートル前後、近年は現代音楽に多く用いられる。音域は2オクターブと5度である。

［原谷治美］

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