(surname Etō, born 1924 in Ōita – died 24 December 2012) was a blind Japanese musician who played the ''

koto Koto may refer to: * Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group * Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument * Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana * Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women * K ...

''. He began musical training at the age of eight with the renowned master

Michio Miyagi was a Japanese musician, famous for his '' koto'' playing. He was born in Kobe. He lost his sight in 1902, when he was 8 years old, and started his study in koto under the guidance of Nakajima Kengyo II, dedicating the rest of his life to th ...

. When he was eleven, he composed his first work and by the age of sixteen, he had received three consecutive grand prizes as an artist and composer from the national ministry and guild. Eto moved to the United States in the 1950s intending to popularize the koto in the Western world. By the mid-1960s, he became a well-known figure in United States music recitals and concerts. He worked most notably with the American composer Henry Cowell on his Concerto for Koto and Orchestra, on which Eto was a soloist playing alongside the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra and his appear ...

at the Philadelphia Academy of Music in December 1964.

Albums

*''Sound Of The Koto'' (1958) *''Koto Music'' (

World Pacific Records Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is o ...

, 1959) *'' Koto & Flute'' (World Pacific Records, 1960) with

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

*''Art Of The Koto'' ( Elektra Records, 1962) *''Koto Master'' (World Pacific Records, 1963) *''Sound Of The Koto'' (compilation,

él Records él is an English independent record label based in London that was founded by Mike Alway, later becoming a subsidiary of Cherry Red Records. Their musicians were characterized by a strong English sensibility, as well as the French influence ...

, 2013)

References

* *

External links

Kimio Eto page
1924 births 2012 deaths Blind musicians Japanese male musicians Japanese musicians Koto players Place of birth missing {{japan-musician-stub

Albums

See also

References

External links