Page "Koto (instrument)" Paragraph 8

Perhaps the most important influence on the development of koto was Yatsuhashi Kengyo ( 1614 – 1685 ).

He was a gifted blind musician from Kyoto who changed the limited selection of six songs to a brand new style of koto music which he called kumi uta.

Yatsuhashi changed the Tsukushi goto tunings, which were based on gagaku ways of tuning ; and with this change, a new style of koto was born.

Yatsuhashi Kengyo is now known as the " Father of Modern Koto ".