The koto

Thirteen strings over thirteen movable bridges — a scale you can take apart and rebuild

The koto turns a scale into hardware you can take apart: thirteen strings, a movable bridge (ji) under each. Move the bridges and the open strings form another scale; the right hand plucks with picks, the left presses left of a bridge.

The main line: the scale sits on the soundboard

Most instruments hide the scale in keys; the koto puts it on show — thirteen bridges are the scale. The basic tuning is hirajōshi, a pentatonic scale; other pieces call for kumoi or insen, and the bridges move. It is retuned into a new scale each time.

Form and sound: thirteen strings, paulownia, bridges and picks

Body: hollowed paulownia, close to two metres; thirteen strings.
Ji: one movable bridge per string; sliding it changes the speaking length.
Right hand: picks (tsume); the edge gives the attack.
Left hand: pressing left of a bridge raises pitch (oshide).
Notation: string numbers and fingering signs.

Range D4–G6, common D4–E6; the 17-string bass is lower.

Institution and relatives: two schools, Miyagi, three zithers

Koto music divides into Ikuta-ryū (seventeenth century, closer to jiuta) and Yamada-ryū (early nineteenth century, song and narrative); both use an iemoto system. Miyagi Michio built the 17-string bass koto in 1921, and "Haru no Umi" (1929) made koto and shakuhachi a classic duo.

Against three zithers: the guqin has no bridges, pitch is made by the left hand, and it is a quiet literati solo instrument; the gayageum has movable bridges but bare fingers and nonghyeon; the Chinese zheng has more strings, metal strings and picks, and is louder with wider slides. The koto has bridges (changeable scale), picks (hard attack) and few strings (each does more than one job).

Its arrival from China via Korea is the common account; Yatsuhashi Kengyō is honoured as founder, and the hirajōshi and "Rokudan" attributions are traditional.

Three things to take away

1. The bridges are the scale: moving them changes a mode, not just intonation. 2. Pluck, then press: pitch can still change after the note sounds. 3. Thirteen strings is not a limit: fewer strings make each one work harder.

HS classification

Item	Content
HS class	Chordophone · plucked · board zither
Sub-type	near 312.22 (heterochord board zither) · thirteen strings · movable bridges
Family	World · East Asia (Japan; arrived via the Korean peninsula, common account)
Key features	thirteen strings · paulownia body · movable ji · tsume picks · left-hand pressure
Compass	see the range fence
Institution	Ikuta-ryū / Yamada-ryū · iemoto system · 17-string bass koto

Koto range (schematic; sounding pitch)

In hirajōshi the lowest string is usually D4 and the top reaches G6; because the bridges move, the band shifts with the mode, and left-hand pressure raises notes. The figure gives D4–G6, common D4–E6; the 17-string bass koto is lower and not shown.

Listen in the library

9120kotohyoshiC13:45《9120kotohyoshi》—— 日本风格 MIDI 合奏，主声部指定 GM 108 号 Koto 音色、横跨低音与高音：听拨弦起音与低音开放弦怎样撑住合奏（C1 · CC0；曲库无日本筝录音）Details9037japoi3C12:50《9037japoi3》—— 另一条 CC0 小品，筝承担主旋律、尺八在上方应答：听颗粒感与长音怎样分工（C1 · CC0；曲库无日本筝录音）DetailsSakuraC10:27《Sakura》—— 单声部民谣，没有筝：听五声骨架与句尾，想柱与左手押弦会做什么（C1 · OPEN；曲库无日本筝录音）Details

All tracks from midicn-lib — inline badge is the license tier (C1 commercial / C2 non-commercial / C3 study only).

Sources

日本筝形制（十三弦 · 桐木 · 可移动柱 · 义甲）与平调子，参 Wikipedia 与 Grove 的 "Koto" 条目
生田流 / 山田流、宫城道雄与十七弦低音筝，参 Grove 与 Adriaansz, The Kumuita and Danmono Traditions

Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.

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