Vintage Japanese 13-String Koto Kiri Wood Zither Crane Brocade 72″L

Vintage Japanese 13-String Koto (箏): Kiri Wood Zither with Crane Brocade Tail Cover

(refer to the koto in the center of the first photo for this listing)

Japan, Showa period, mid-20th century

Dimensions: 72″L × 12″W (182 × 30 cm), standard koto size; not directly measured

This is a Japanese koto (箏), a 13-string zither carved from a single length of kiri (paulownia) wood, its soundboard showing a dramatic flame-grain pattern. The head (ryūzu) end has white silk string loops over a carved, ivory-style bridge saddle (ryūkaku), and the tail (ryūbi) end is wrapped in red silk brocade woven with cranes among clouds.

The koto has been Japan's principal court and chamber zither since the Nara period, its long paulownia body carved and tuned to proportions that have changed little for centuries. Strings are tuned over individual movable bridges (ji) (not included with this listing), traditionally ivory and now more often plastic or wood.

Form: Japanese koto (箏), 13-string zither
Construction or Decoration: Kiri (paulownia) wood body with flame-grain soundboard; carved ryūkaku bridge saddle at the head, silk string loops, red silk brocade crane-and-cloud tail cover
Mark:
Period: Japan, Showa period, mid-20th century
Dimensions: 72″L × 12″W (182 × 30 cm), standard koto size; not directly measured
Weight:
Condition: Wood shows an attractive, even patina with no cracks or losses noted in photos. Movable bridges (ji) are not included