O-Tone No Nagare Ne Sote (Along The Grand Tone River) - Koto Ensemble Of The Ikuta School

Album: Japanese Koto Orchestra: Five Kotos, Hoteki, Shamisen 

And Shakuhachi (Lyrichord - LYRCD 7167)

O-Tone No Nagare Ne Sote (大利根の流れに沿うて Along The Grand Tone River) is a composition of Tsuyoshi Sakamoto and requires five kotos, hoteki, shamisen and shakuhachi. This piece is rarely played because of the great difficulty of assembling the necessary music talent. 

However, it is regarded as an outstanding example of koto music, and has no peer in sumptuous sonorities and excitement . The Tone is a river leading to the Sea of Japan and includes many short musical elements from Japanese folk songs. The 17-string koto acts as the undercurrent of the music, and the flute (hotei) stands out to convey the peaceful atmosphere to the listener. 18-stringed kotos are used as percussive sounds, while the shamisen stresses the gentler aspects to relieve the tension in accordance to tradition.