How is the koto used in a Japanese sankyoku ensemble?

In a Japanese sankyoku ensemble, the koto serves as a foundational instrument for chamber music, with the term sankyoku literally meaning "music for three." The standard instrumentation for this ensemble typically includes a koto player—who often performs vocals—alongside a performer on a three-stringed samisen lute and an end-blown shakuhachi flute.1

The koto’s role is central to the jiuta genre, which combines accompanied song with instrumental music by alternating between vocal sections (uta) and instrumental interludes (tegoto). In these performances, the instruments are arranged to ensure that the distinct timbre of each can be clearly heard, reflecting a Japanese chamber music ideal that prioritizes color separation over the blending of sounds. Historically, the ensemble sometimes featured a bowed variant of the samisen called the kokyū instead of the flute, and in later periods, a second, embellishing koto part known as danawase was often added to the instrumental interludes.12