Koto (箏)
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Wood, ivory, metal, silk
Dimensions
L. 69 3/8 × W. 22 3/16-9 1/2 × H. 3 3/8 × in. (176.2 × 56.4-24.2 ×8.5 cm)
Classification
Chordophone-Zither-plucked-long zither
Culture
Japanese
Department
Musical Instruments
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 1889
Accession Number
89.2.184
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Musical Instruments collection, this exquisite 19th-century Japanese *koto* (箏) exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of traditional Japanese music-making. Crafted from wood with accents of ivory, metal, and silk, the instrument measures an impressive 69 3/8 inches in length, tapering elegantly from 22 3/16 inches wide at the top to 9 1/2 inches at the base, and standing 3 3/8 inches high. As a chordophone-zither—a plucked long zither—it features strings stretched across a resonant soundboard, typically tuned with movable bridges and played using ivo...