17-string koto

The {{nihongo|17-string {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}|十七絃 or 十七弦|jūshichi-gen|extra="seventeen strings"|lead=yes}} is a variant of the {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} with 17 strings instead of the typical 13.

The instrument is also known as {{Nihongo||十七絃箏|jūshichi-gensō}}, "17 stringed {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}", or "bass {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}" (although {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} with a greater number of strings also exist). The {{Transliteration|ja|jūshichi-gen}} was invented in 1921 by Michio Miyagi, a musician who felt that the standard {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} lacked the range he sought in a traditional instrument.{{Cite journal |last=Planas |first=Ramiro |date=1966 |title=Review of Nihon ongaku no rekishi, (History of Japanese Music) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2383392 |journal=Monumenta Nipponica |volume=21 |issue=3/4 |pages=424–429 |doi=10.2307/2383392 |jstor=2383392 |issn=0027-0741|url-access=subscription }} His 17 string creation, sometimes described as a "bass {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}", has a deeper sound and requires specialized plectra; traditional {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} plectra are worn attached to the player's fingers, with which the strings are plucked. Though his original {{Transliteration|ja|jūshichi-gen}} was considerably larger than a normal {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}, 17 stringed {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} of a similar size to the average {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} are more common today, though they do not have as deep a sound as the larger version.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2000, the musician Naito Masako, a member of the Seiha faction of the Ikuta school, constructed a new version of the 17-string koto called {{Transliteration|ja|poppukon|}} (popcorn), finished in bright colours such as pink, yellow, or blue.{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Henry |date=2011-09-23 |title='Sounding Japan': traditional musical instruments, cultural nationalism and educational reform |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/PB/article/view/16452 |journal=Perfect Beat |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=11–32 |doi=10.1558/prbt.v12i1.11 |issn=1836-0343|url-access=subscription }}

Construction

The bass {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} is similarly made from Paulownia tomentosa, known as {{Transliteration|ja|kiri}} wood; however, the thickness of the body is approximately twice that of a regular {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}. The wood is dried and treated{{how|date=January 2021}} traditionally until it achieves the correct properties for construction.

The strings used are typically silk threads that are yellow in colour and give the instrument a deep sound. These strings are tied at both ends of the instrument, held up by an ivory platform, before the strings are tied over small cylindrical holders with holes and tied very tightly to the downside, so that they can be moved during use, but not so much as to fall off. The bridges ({{Transliteration|ja|jī}}) used in the construction of the bass {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} are also larger in size than the average {{Transliteration|ja|koto}}; the plectra are made from a specialist ivory-like material to aid in plucking the instrument.

Advanced techniques of playing

Musicians who play the bass {{Transliteration|ja|koto}} have also invented new techniques for playing the instrument, utilising more of the left hand to produce a sound that more adequately displays the instrument's deeper sound, and allows for more pitches to be created on one string. The strings are also plucked over the cylindrical holder to create a sudden "shrill" sound.

References

Category:Japanese musical instruments