Kinuta

砧 Kinuta – Michio Miyagi (1928)

“Kinuta” refers to a wooden block used for fulling cloth by rhythmic beating.  When Miyagi Michio was living in Korea he was fascinated by the rhythm and sounds of the kinuta, which are reflected in this composition, with the second koto creating and sustaining the rhythm that supports the melody played by the first koto, giving rise to an ongoing dialogue between the two instruments throughout the piece.