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| Instrument Title | Gaku-so 2 |
| Instrument ID | 11.00 |
| Variant Instrument Name | Koto |
| Country/area | Japan
East Asia
Asia
|
| Hornbostel-Sachs class | 312.22-6 |
| Keyword | Gagaku; Togaku; Kangen; Court Music |
| Description | Heterochord half-tube zither with arched top and hollowed body. Small soundhole in back. Thirteen yellow silk strings (which might actually be nylon). There are two attached wood bridges at each end. This instrument is very ornate. Narrow end has pictorial lacquered decoration as well as marquetry; marquetry extends over the sides of the ends as well. Wider end has marquetry and inset tortoise shell lined with gold leaf. Two bundles of reserve string in a decorative pattern fixed to one end of the instrument. Grommets are sterling. Much use of ivory trim, including sound hole binding.
There is one set of thirteen detachable moveable wooden bridges with ivory tips; a red cloth cover; fourteen tsume (wood plectra) and wa (leather rings); three extra sets of strings, and two extra sets of tome. All of these accessories (except the cover) are in the closet on the right in room 58.
The gaku-so is played with three wooden plectra (tsume) which are attached to the thumb, middle and index fingers of the right hand by leather rings (wa). The instrument stands on two legs attached to the playing end; the other end rests directly on the floor.
The gaku-so is used in Gagaku court music (Togaku style only) and plays short, fixed rhythmic patterns within the colotomic structure of the music. It is not a melody instrument. It is played solo in various art and folk ensembles.
This instrument is in excellent shape overall. There is one open 12 cm crack following the grain on the back of the instrument between the sound hole and the edge of the playing end, which could be reinforced (both Gaku-so have this small crack). Top surface is extremely worn in soft areas of grain, but has not been filled. See diagram on accompanying card. This Gaku-so is wrapped in an hexagonal-patterned orange and gold cloth.
|
| Dimensions | Length 190.0 cm
Width 24.6 cm - 22.7 cm
Height
(narrow end) 9.2 cm
Height (middle) 14.5
cm
Height (playing end, including legs) 12.0 cm
Top
radius 26.3 cm
|
| Accessories | Red cloth cover; see Gaku-so 1 for list of accessories. |
| Condition | Good; top surface is extremely worn in soft areas of grain; gouges haven't been filled. |
| Digital Collection | Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Archive |
| Image No. | xac_011a.jpg |
| Contact Info | For further information contact: Archivist, University ofWashington Ethnomusicology Division, School of Music Box353450, Seattle, WA 98195; (206) 543-0974 |
| Copyright | This Musical Instrument database is intended for educational and instructional use; if you cite or download images or text, please acknowledge the University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives; downloading of audio and video examples is prohibited. |
| Repository | University of Washington Ethnomusicology Archives |
| Type | Image |
| Digital reproduction field | Photographed with digital camera (JPG image); processed
using Photoshop (resized to 550 pixels, quality level 5,
label added) |
