Koto also appears in the "Genji Monogatari" (The Tale of Genji), but it is obvious that 'Kin (琴) no Koto' became obsolete fairly early because only a small number of players of 'Kin (琴) no Koto' appear in the story, which is believed to have depicted the period ruled by the three emperors from Emperor Daigo to Emperor Murakami (the ninth and tenth centuries).
また『源氏物語』にも登場するが、醍醐天皇～村上天皇の治世がモデルと推測される作中世界においても「琴のこと」の奏者は少数しか登場しないなど、早くに廃れていたことが解る。