kouta

is a type of traditional Japanese music that originated in the red-light districts of Edo period (1603–1868) Japan, before developing further and experiencing wider popularity in the geisha districts that succeeded many red-light districts. Originally popularised by geisha as an alternative to, are typically no longer than 3 minutes in length, are played on the , and are generally accompanied by singing and traditional dance. History The Japanese term has been used for a number of inconsistent musical styles throughout Japanese history, though the term is used in the modern day exclusively to refer to the style of short, informal songs first developed in the late Edo period (1603–1867) and popularised in the early Meiji period (1868–1912). During the Heian period, the term was broadly applied to court songs performed by women such as and . This term was used in contrast to the performed by male court musicians. In later centuries, compilations of short, lyrical songs known as were published; the first of these, entitled , was published in 1518. The term was also used in Noh theatre, and accompanied early forms of kabuki performance, both male and female, performed with the , which had been introduced to Japan in 1600, and had begun to accompany played for kabuki by 1650. By 1740, this style of music used for kabuki – referred to broadly as – had evolved into the style, short songs being too short to carry the now-longer dances of theatrical performances.