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| Instrument Title | Gaku-so 1 |
| Instrument ID | 10.00 |
| 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. Silk with gold thread attached to ends of strings on one end, with a toroise-shell line with gold leaf layer over the wood on that end. The other end has a rectuangular inlaid marquetry section, bluish colored. There are two bundles of reserve string in a decorative pattern fixed to one end of the instrument.
Much rosewood and ivory decoration on ends and on legs. The soundholes are bound with ivory, rosewood, and maple and/or cherry. There is one set of thirteen detachable moveable wooden bridges with ivory tips; fourteen tsume (wood plectra) and wa (learther rings); three extra sets of strings, and two extra sets of tome. All of these accessories 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.
The 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). See diagram on accompanying card. This gaku-so is wrapped in an orange, red and gold cover. |
| 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 | Orange & gold cloth cover; 1 set of 13 wooden bridges with ivory tips; 14 tsume & wa; 3 extra sets of strings; 2 extra sets of tome. |
| Condition | Excellent except for one open crack of 12 cm following grain in back from end to sound hole. |
| Digital Collection | Ethnomusicology Musical Instrument Archive |
| Image No. | xac_010a.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) |
