KOTO (ENGLISH)
The origin of what we call Koto (箏) today began in China, and was imported into Japan in the 8th century. During the Nara (710-784) and Heian (794-1185) periods, the word, Koto, meant all the string instruments, including the Biwa no Koto (琵琶、four string lute), Kin (琴、seven string zither), and So no Koto (箏、13 string zither or jusangen). Today, when we say Koto, it refers to the So no Koto, 13 string zither. Koto had gradually became a popular instrument in 1950s, as it had originally played by the middle and upper classes. In 1990, 1.6 % of populations of Japanese people practiced Koto in their home.