Yatsuhashi Kengyo facts for kids

Yatsuhashi Kengyō (八橋 検校; 1614–1685) was a famous Japanese musician and composer. He lived in Kyoto, Japan. The name Kengyō was a special title. It was given to very talented blind musicians.

Yatsuhashi was born and died in Japan. He first played the shamisen, which is a stringed instrument. Later, he learned to play the koto. He learned it from a musician who played for the Japanese court.

The koto was once only played for royalty and nobles. But Yatsuhashi was the first to teach it to everyone. Because of this, he is known as the "Father of Modern Koto."

Yatsuhashi's Musical Innovations

Yatsuhashi created a new style of koto music. He called it kumi uta. Before him, there were only a few koto pieces. He changed that by making many new ones.

He also changed the way the koto was tuned. These tunings were called Tsukushi goto. They were based on older court music called gagaku. By changing these tunings, he helped create a whole new sound for the koto.

Yatsuhashi also brought new musical scales to the koto. He adapted the Hirajoshi scale and the Insen scale. These scales were originally used for the shamisen.

Famous Compositions

Yatsuhashi is also known for composing a very important koto solo piece. It is called Rokudan-no-shirabe (六段の調). This means "Music of Six Steps." Even though he is credited with it, some people think he might not have composed it himself.