Gift of a Koto

We are grateful to acknowledge a generous gift of a Japanese koto (13 string zither) from Mr. Ken Hornfeck. The instrument, a bit shorter than a full-sized cousin, is made from kiri (paulownia) and comes with a set of tuning bridges.

Koto probably originated in Tang China (Ch. guzheng). It was quickly adopted into Japanese gagaku (court music). Once considered to be a romantic instrument for the wealthy, it gained more popularity in the last 1300 years and is still played widely in traditional repertoire. EALL plans to have a public occasion in the spring that will feature music played on this instrument.