This exquisite recording presents five pieces from the repertoire of koto performers in the field known as 'gendai hogaku,' or contemporary music for Japan's traditional instruments. Performers in this field play on the traditional 13-string koto and two of its 20th century variants: the jushichigen ('17 strings', bass koto) and nijugen (literally '20 strings' but now as a rule with 21).
Performers in this field have generally undergone early training in the classical repertoire, but it is very uncommon for them to include pieces from that repertoire in their solo or group recitals. This trend is indicative of a shift in direction, away from the vocal towards the instrumental that is currently shaping the future of new composition for the original and newly-developed versions of Japan's traditional instruments.
The traditional koto is a long zither with thirteen strings stretched over a hollow shell made of kiri (princess tree or paulownia) wood. The strings are held up over the body of the instrument with movable bridges whose positions can be changed to produce a great variety of tunings. From its ancient introduction to Japan from the Asian continent until the early decades of this century, the instrument went through no major changes in construction. The situation has changed dramatically, however, since the 1920s, as a number of versions of the instrument with more strings were developed to answer demands for greater instrumental versatility.
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