Art of the Koto Nanae Yosmimura The Art Of The Koto Vol. The families of the military and merchant classes sponsored artists and musicians in Edo and encouraged them to travel throughout the country spreading art and culture. The style of koto playing that arose from the Tokugawa period is known as the Ikuta School after a master koto player of the day, Kengyo Ikuta. The piece is simple and symmetrical. It achieves its main tension during an increase in tempo that occurs in the fourth section.
Tension is achieved by slight modulations in the main theme from section to section.
The CD's excellent liner notes provide a Japanese transliteration, a translation and an explanation of how the koto part underscores the mood of the text. This is a particularly sophisticated piece in which the pitch of a number of strings of the lower koto is altered partway through the third section and then returned to the original before a virtuoso climax in the last section. The text, which dates back to the 10th century, sings the praises of an ancient lord of Shionoyama. This CD is the first of a projected three volume series of the classical koto repertoire. Although this writer is not an expert, the repertoire selection, playing and detailed liner notes are impressive.