Koto - Kugo

An ancient East Asian stringed instrument. There are three types: the vertical koto, the phoenix-headed koto, and the lying koto. The first two belong to the harp family, while the lying koto belongs to the zither family. The vertical koto consists of a bow-shaped sounding body and a neck that extends at a right angle from the body, and as a rule, 21 to 23 strings are stretched between the body and the neck. It is a representative instrument of the Chinese Hu music of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and in Japan it is also known as the Baekje koto, and was introduced to Japan along with Baekje music from the Korean peninsula, but its origins can be traced back to the horn-shaped harp (changgu) of the Sassanid Persian Empire, and even further back to ancient Assyria. Currently, a remnant of the instrument (a taimairaden koto) is preserved in the Shosoin Repository, and in recent years there have been attempts to restore it and to play on restored instruments. The phoenix-shaped koto is a bow-shaped harp literally shaped like a phoenix, with around 10 strings. It originated in India and was introduced to China during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period but did not reach Japan. The gako koto is a koto with fixed frets, and is the prototype of the Korean xuanqin. It originated in China and was used in the folk music of the Tang dynasty at court.

[Osamu Yamaguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代東アジアの弦鳴楽器。竪(たて)箜篌、鳳首(ほうしゅ)箜篌、臥(ふせ)箜篌の3種類あり、前二者はハープ属、臥箜篌はチター属に属する。竪箜篌は、弓なりの響胴と胴から直角に出た棹(さお)からなり、胴と棹の間に原則として21～23本の弦を張る。中国隋(ずい)、唐代の胡楽(こがく)の代表的楽器で、日本では別名を百済琴(くだらごと)というように、朝鮮半島の百済楽とともに渡来したが、その源はササン朝ペルシアの角(かく)型ハープ（チャング）、さらに古代アッシリアにまでさかのぼることができる。現在、正倉院にその残欠（瑇瑁螺鈿(たいまいらでん)箜篌）が保存され、近年ではその復原や、復原楽器による演奏の試みがなされている。鳳首箜篌は、文字どおり鳳凰(ほうおう)をかたどった弓型ハープで、弦は10本前後。インド起源で、中国には南北朝時代に伝来したが、日本には伝わらなかった。臥箜篌は、固定フレット付きの琴(きん)で、朝鮮の玄琴の祖型である。中国起源で唐代の俗楽系宮廷楽に用いられた。

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