Music

The Japanese musical tradition was formed by the 8th century. It included Buddhist music played in temples, court music and folk music that was linked to Shinto traditions. We can not speak about the division of secular and "spiritual" music at that time, since all music was part of a ritual. Even folk songs and elevated court poems (that were also sung) were a form of worshipping gods. We can also speak about direct adoptions from China and Korea (for example the court music genre gagaku).

The traditional Japanese musical instruments are diverse: among them are various bells (kin, rin, bonsyo), gongs (syoka, dora, kei), xylophones (syakubyosi, gyoban, mokugyo), string instruments (lutes biwa, gekkin, syamisen, zithers wagon and koto, bow instrument kokyu), drums tsudzumi and taiko, labial organs syo and hitiriki, flutes fue, syakuhati and hitoyogiri.

The development of the musical tradition was largely connected with the development of theater and dance traditions; dances accompanied by music were performed at the court, in theater performances and during festivals matsuri. Many Samurais and even Samurai dukes progressed in No theater music. During the Heian (794 – 1185) and Kamakura (1185 – 1333) periods several traditions of narrators appeared (biwa-hosi, heikyoku, kowaka-mai) who performed fragments of eposes accompanied by biwa lutes, and sometimes by tsutsumi drums. At the same music became an entertainment; in the Edo epoch a three-stringed syamisen connected with the so-called urban culture and the culture of “joyful quarters” became extremely popular. Performing popular melodies and songs, including those from Kabuki repertoire became an art of geishas and professional actors, but there were also a lot of amateurs in this genre, including those from the Samurai class who reached high level of perfection.

Beginning from the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) Japan familiarized itself with the world music traditions. Classical music, jazz, rock and pop music co-exist today with the traditional Japanese music. Many composers try to combine Japanese tradition with western music or with the traditional music of other peoples in their works. Many Japanese musicians can play “western” as well as Japanese instruments.

Musician. Japan. The Japanese. Late 19th cent.		Woman playing koto. Japan. The Japanese. Late 19th cent.		Musician with the drum “bayasi”. Japan. The Japanese.
Musicians. Japan. The Japanese, late 19th c.		Musician with the drum “bayasi”. Japan. The Japanese.		Musician with the flute “bayasi”. Japan. The Japanese.
Musician. Japan. The Japanese.		Musical instrumen "cocu:" (яп.) Japan. The Japanese. Kioto.		Pipe "ce:" Japan. The Japanese. Kioto.
Flute Japan. The Japanese. Kioto.