koto

[Japanese.]

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Japanese zither. Introduced from China in the 8th century, it has a long, slender rectangular wooden body. 13 strings of equal length and thickness are stretched over movable wooden or ivory bridges, one per bridge, tuned to various types of pentatonic scale. The strings are plucked with plectra worn on the thumb, index and middle finger of the right hand; the left hand is used to press on the string to the left of the bridge.

There are several schools of koto playing; the koto is used in gagaku (court music), solo music, songs with accompaniment and ensemble music with shamisen (lute) and shakuhachi (end-blown flute). In the 20th century Japanese composers (notably Miyagi Michio) have used the koto in Western-style works and introduced new types, including a 17-string bass koto.

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Koto may refer to:

• Koto (musical instrument), a Japanese musical instrument
• Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Creole women in Suriname
• Koto (band), Italian synth pop group
• Kōtō, Tokyo, a ward in Tokyo, Japan
• The novel The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata, originally titled "Koto" in Japanese

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