Japanese culture and the koto

[risingdreams]

I'd like to know about what Japan thinks about koto players. As in, it seems like most koto players are female, so would a male koto player face prejudice? Be considered strange?

And I read somewhere the koto is considered something a girl from a traditional Japanese family would know how to play.

Setting: Present-time Japan. It's a Dangan Ronpa

Comments

[mimerki]

Koto-playing is also a traditional occupation for blind men, if that helps you any.

[anonymous]

In the modern day, koto players tend to be female, but not exclusively so. I think that a teenage boy koto player might get some teasing but it wouldn't be thought of as extremely unusual. Historically koto players and teachers were men, and there are some very well known composers/players such as Tadao Sawai and Michio Miyagi.

[risingdreams]

One wonders how would people react to a blind koto player at this day and age. And the boy's family, depending wheter he's blind or not.

[anonymous]

Miyagi, who composed during the 20th century, was blind, and while searching I found an example from 1998 of a blind, 16 year old (and male) koto player who had won an international music contest. I wouldn't be surprised if there's still a strong association in people's minds today.

[lilacsigil]

I would expect a girl from a traditional family to be involved in some traditional art or craft, but not necessarily any particular one. So I wouldn't expect her to play the koto, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did.

A male koto player would be a novelty, yes, but I expect that he would be treated pretty seriously by other koto players and musicians - he's obviously dedicated to traditional music to have chosen it and to persist with it.

[calcitrix]

Out of curiosity, I searched for "Koto" on YouTube. I could tell that most of the videos with men were older, but there was an 8 piece ensemble with three men, and two of them looked to be teenagers.

[randomstasis]

There are several men listed here; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Koto_players
and several men playing in the group photos here http://www.letsplaykoto.com/