AMICA ID:
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MMA_.1986.470.3
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Decorative Arts and Utilitarian Objects
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Creator Nationality:
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Asian; Far East Asian; Japanese
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Japanese
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Title:
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Koto
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Title Type:
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Object name
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View:
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Detail
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Creation Date:
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20th century
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Creation Start Date:
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1900
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Creation End Date:
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1999
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Materials and Techniques:
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Various woods, ivory, metal, nylon, tortoiseshell, abalone, lacquerwork
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Classification Term:
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Chordophone without neck
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Classification Term:
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Plucked zither
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Dimensions:
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L. 74 in. (187.9 cm); W. 11 in. (27.9 cm); D. 7 in. (17.8 cm)
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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New York, New York, USA
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ID Number:
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1986.470.3
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Credit Line:
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Gift of the Todes Family, 1986
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Rights:
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Context:
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Koto music was introduced into Japan during the Nara period (710-84). It developed in the court and gradually entered the home as a sign of good breeding for daughters of the rising commercial class as well as those of the nobility. Nylon stringing and plastic bridges and plectrums are now replacing the traditional materials-silk for strings and ivory for its movable bridges (ji) and plectrums (tsume). Paulonia remains the wood used for the body of the zither. The lacquerwork on the sides shows scenes from 'The Tale of Genji.' Prince Genji consoled himself by playing the koto. Japanese romantic stories often employ the literary device of discovering a missing heroine by hearing her koto music. |
Related Image Identifier Link:
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MMA_.mi1986.470.3.AV2.tif
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