Japanese Masterpieces for the Koto (Full Album)

Another Lyrichord tape, this time from the ’Master Musicians of Ikuta-Ryu’, no actual names. This one probably comes from the early to mid 70’s. Side 1: 1. 0:00 Sakura 2. 3:06 Soran-Bushi 3. 4:19 Kuroda-Bushi 4. 6:39 Niwa No Sanshu No Ki 5. 8:39 Utsukushiki Ten-Nen Side 2: 1. 17:47 Banshu 2. 24:16 Kyo No Insho (A & B) 3. 32:03 Two Reikin Improvisations “Koto music is divided into two distinct types. There is a kind which accompanies singing and another which is solely instrumental. The oldest known form of vocal koto music was called ’Kumiata’, which was a group of short poems set to music to be sung in a given order. In the later koto music that developed from this, each poem was called a step or ’dan’. The term ’dan’ is therefore basic to all discussions of koto music forms (’Ichidan’, for example, means one step or poem; ’Midan’, two steps. ’Rokudan’ refers to six steps; ’Kudan’, to nine.)