InJapan,music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern.[1] The word for "music" inJapanese is 音楽 (ongaku), combining thekanji 音on (sound) with the kanji 楽gaku (music, comfort).[2]Japan is the world's largest market for music on physical media[citation needed] and thesecond-largest overall music market, with a retail value of US$2.7 billion in 2017.[3]
The oldest forms of traditional Japanese music are:
both of which date to theNara (710–794) andHeian (794–1185) periods.[4]Gagaku classical music has been performed at the Imperial court since theHeian period.[5] Kagura-uta (神楽歌), Azuma-asobi (東遊) and Yamato-uta (大和歌) areindigenous repertories.Tōgaku (唐楽) allegedly resembles a ChineseTang dynasty (618–907) style;komagaku may have come from theKorean Peninsula.[citation needed]In addition, gagaku subdivides intokangen (管弦) (instrumental music) andbugaku (舞楽) (dance accompanied by gagaku).
Samurai listened to and performed these music activities, in their practices of enriching their lives and understanding.[6]
Thebiwa (琵琶 - Chinese:pipa), a form of short-neckedlute, was played by a group of itinerant performers (biwa hōshi). The root of Biwa music wasThe Tale of the Heike.[7] Biwa hōshi organized into a guild-like association. The biwa is Japan's traditional instrument.[citation needed]
Lafcadio Hearn related in his bookKwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things (1903) "Mimi-nashi Hoichi" (Hoichi the Earless), a Japanese ghost story about a blind biwa hōshi who performs "The Tale of the Heike".[7]
Blind women, known asgoze (瞽女), toured beginning in the medieval era, sang and played accompanying music on a lap drum.[citation needed] From the seventeenth century they often played thekoto or theshamisen. Goze organizations sprung up in many places, and existed until the 21st century inNiigata Prefecture.[citation needed]
Wadaiko, a Japanese drum, comes in various sizes and is used in variety of musical genres. It has become particularly popular in recent years as the central instrument of percussion ensembles whose repertory is based on a variety of folk- and festival-music of the past. Such taiko music is played by large drum ensembles calledkumi-daiko. Its origins remain uncertain, but can be traced to the 7th century, when a clay figure of a drummer documented its existence.Chinese influences followed, but the instrument and its music remained uniquely Japanese.[8] Taiko drums during this period were used during battle to intimidate the enemy and to communicate commands. Taiko continue to be used in the religious music ofBuddhism andShintō. In the past players were holy men who played only at special occasions and in small groups, but in time secular men (rarely women) also played the taiko in semi-religious festivals such as thebon dance.
Modern ensemble taiko was invented byDaihachi Oguchi in 1951.[9] Ajazz drummer, Oguchi incorporated his musical background into large ensembles of his design. His energetic style made his group popular throughout Japan, and made theHokuriku region a center for taiko music. Musical groups to arise from this wave of popularity includedOedo Sukeroku Taiko, founded bySeido Kobayashi. 1969 saw a group calledZa Ondekoza; Za Ondekoza gathered young performers who innovated a newroots revival taiko, which was used as a way of life in communallifestyles. During the 1970s the Japanese government allocated funds to preserve Japanese culture, and many community taiko groups formed. Later in the century, taiko groups spread across the world, especially to theUnited States. Thevideo gameTaiko no Tatsujin is based around taiko.
Japanese folk songs (min'yō) can be grouped and classified in many ways but it is often convenient to think of five main categories:
Inmin'yō, three-stringedlute known as theshamisen,taiko drums, and a bamboo flute calledshakuhachi typically accompany the singers.[10] Other instruments that could accompany include a transverseflute known as theshinobue, a bell known askane, a hand drum called thetsuzumi, and/or a 13-stringed zither known as thekoto. InOkinawa the main instrument is thesanshin. These are traditional Japanese instruments, but modern instrumentation, such aselectric guitars andsynthesizers, is also used in this day and age, whenenka singers cover traditionalmin'yō songs (enka being a Japanese music genre all its own).[11]
An ondo generally describes any folk song with a distinctive swing that may be heard as 2/4 timerhythm (though performers usually do not group beats). The typical folk song heard atObon festival dances is typically an ondo. A bushi ("melody" or "rhythm") is a song with a distinctive melody. The word is rarely used on its own, but is usually prefixed by a term referring to occupation, location, personal name or the like. Bon uta are songs forObon, the lantern festival of the dead.Komori uta arelullabies. The names of min'yo songs often include a descriptive term, usually at the end. For example: Tokyo Ondo, Kushimoto Bushi, Hokkai Bon Uta, and Itsuki no Komoriuta.
Many of these songs include extra stress on certain syllables as well as pitched shouts (kakegoe). Kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer but inmin'yō, they are often included as parts of choruses. There are manykakegoe, though they vary from region to region. In Okinawa Min'yō, for example, the common "ha iya sasa!" appears. In mainland Japan, however, "a yoisho!," "sate!," or "a sore!" are more common. Others include "a donto koi!," and "dokoisho!"
Recently aguild-based system known as theiemoto system has been in effect in some forms of min'yō. This system originally developed for transmitting classical genres such asnagauta, shakuhachi, or koto music, but since it proved profitable to teachers and was supported by students who wished to obtain certificates of proficiency. It continues to spread to genres such as min'yō,Tsugaru-jamisen and other forms of music that were traditionally transmitted more informally. Today some min'yō are passed on in such pseudo-family organizations and longapprenticeships are common.
Umui, religious songs,shima uta, dance songs, and, especiallykachāshī, lively celebratory music, were all popular on the island. Okinawan folk music differs from mainland Japanese folk music in several ways.
Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by thesanshin, whereas in mainland Japan theshamisen accompanies instead. Other Okinawan instruments include thesanba (which produce a clicking sound similar to that ofcastanets),taiko and a sharpfinger whistle calledyubi-bue (指笛).
Apentatonic scale is often used inmin'yō from the main islands of Japan. In this pentatonic scale thesubdominant andleading tone (scale degrees 4 and 7 of the Westernmajor scale) are omitted, resulting in a musical scale with nohalf steps between each note. (Do, Re, Mi, Sol, La insolfeggio, or scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6). Okinawan min'yō, however, uses scales that include the half-steps omitted in the aforementioned pentatonic scale, when analyzed in the Western discipline of music. In fact, the most common scale used in Okinawan min'yō includes scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.
After theMeiji Restoration introduced Western musical instruction, Shuji Isawa compiled songs like "Auld Lang Syne" for use in public education.[12] Two major forms of music that developed during this period wereshōka, which was composed to bring western music to schools, andgunka.[13]
As Japan moved towards representativedemocracy in the late 19th century, leaders hired singers to sell copies of songs that aired their messages, since the leaders themselves were usually prohibited from speaking in public.
The 1947 hit songTokyo Boogie-Woogie [ja] performed byShizuko Kasagi epitomized new-found optimism after the end of the war,[14] and Kayōkyoku became a major industry, especially after the arrival of superstarMisora Hibari,[15] once known as 'Baby Kasagi'. In the 1950s,tango and other kinds ofLatin music, especiallyCuban music, became very popular.[16][17] A distinctively Japanese form ofcha-cha-chá calleddodompa [ja] emerged in the 1960s.[18][19] Kayōkyoku became associated with traditional Japanese structures influenced byEnka. Famous enka singers includeHibari Misora,Saburo Kitajima,Ikuzo Yoshi and Haruo Minami.
Shuji Isawa (1851–1917) studied music atBridgewater Normal School andHarvard University and was an important figure in the development of Western-influenced Japanese music in theMeiji Era (1868–1912). On returning to Japan in 1879, Isawa formed the Ongaku-Torishirabe-Gakari (Music Investigation Agency), a national research center for Western music; it was later renamed theTokyo Music School (Tôkyô ongaku gakkô). In 1880, Isawa's American friend and teacher,Luther Whiting Mason, accepted a two-year appointment.Kosaku Yamada,Yoshinao Nakada, andToru Takemitsu are Japanese composers who have successively developed what is now known as Japanese Classical Music.[20]
Westernclassical music established a strong presence in Japan, making the country one of the most important markets for this music tradition.[21]Toru Takemitsu composed avant-garde music, contemporary classical music, and movie scoring.[22]
Besides traditionalsymphony orchestras, Japan is internationally prominent in the field ofwind bands.[23] TheAll-Japan Band Association is the governing body for wind band competitions in the country.
From the 1930s on (except duringWorld War II, when it was repressed as music of the enemy)[24][25] jazz maintained a strong presence in Japan.[26] The country is an important market for the music, and it is common that recordings unavailable in theUnited States or Europe are available there. A number of Japanese jazz musicians, such as June (born in Japan) andSadao Watanabe have a large fan base outside their native country.[citation needed]
J-pop, an abbreviation forJapanese pop is a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. J-pop has its roots in 1960spop androck music, such asthe Beatles, which 70s rock bands fused rock with Japanese music.[27] J-pop was further defined by Japanesenew wave bands such asSouthern All Stars andYellow Magic Orchestra in the late 1970s.[28] Eventually, J-pop replacedkayōkyoku ("Lyric Singing Music", a term for Japanese pop music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene.[29] The term was coined by the Japanese media to distinguish Japanese music from foreign music.
Japanese idol musical artists are a significant part of the market, withgirl groups andboy bands regularly topping thesingles chart. These include boy bandArashi, which had the best-selling singles of 2008 and 2009, and girl groupAKB48, which have had the best-selling singles each year of the 2010s.[citation needed] Since the end of the 2010s, more and moreidol groups have emerged. Their success is sometimes termed "Idol sengoku jidai" (アイドル戦国時代; lit. Idol war age).[30] In 2014, about 486,000 people attendedMomoiro Clover Z's live concerts, which was the highest record for female musicians in Japan for this year.[31] Since the Covid-19 pandemic, many idol groups have seen their sales plummet. For example, AKB48's physical sales have fallen from over a million copies sold per single to around 300,000, while groups such asNogizaka46,Sakurazaka46 orHinatazaka46 have seen a smaller drop, with average sales of 500,000 to 700,000 copies for their recent singles, making them the most trending Japanese idol groups of the 2020s.
City pop is the term for a style of Japanese pop music that arose during a period of rapid economic growth and technological development during the 1970s to 1980s. City pop was a uniquely Japanese take on adult-oriented American genres such asfunk,disco,jazz, AOR, andsoft rock, combining them with Japanese pop sensibilities[32][33] and then new Japanese technologies such aselectronic musical instruments, carcassette decks and theWalkman.[34]
City pop was largely pioneered byTatsuro Yamashita andHaruomi Hosono in the 1970s.[35] The genre is related to thetechno-pop music ofYellow Magic Orchestra, with both genres influencing each other during the 1970s to 1980s.[36][37]
Techno-kayō, also known assynth-pop or techno-pop, was pioneered byYellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) in 1978. They were pioneers in their use ofsynthesizers,samplers,sequencers,drum machines,computers, anddigital recording technology,[38][39][40] and effectively anticipated theelectro-pop boom of the 1980s.[41] They are credited with playing a key role in the development of severalelectronic music genres, including synth-pop,electro andtechno.[42]
YMO's success was followed by other popularnew wave and synth-pop bands such asP-Model,The Plastics andHikashu in the late 1970s. Many musicians who were known for pop music turned to techno productions during the late 1970s to 1980s, such as C-C-B andAkiko Yano. In the 1990s,Denki Groove formed and became mainstays of the Japaneseelectronica scene. Artists such asPolysics pay explicit homage to this era.Capsule'sYasutaka Nakata has been involved behind the scenes of popularelectropop actsPerfume andKyary Pamyu Pamyu, both of which had domestic and international success; Kyary in particular was dubbed the "Kawaii Harajuku Ambassador".
In 1984, American musicianMichael Jackson's albumThriller became the first album by a Western artist to sell over one million copies in JapaneseOricon charts history.[43] His style is cited as one of the models for Japanesedance music, leading the popularity ofAvex Group musicians and dancers.[citation needed]
In 1990,Avex Trax began to release theSuper Eurobeat series in Japan.Eurobeat in Japan led the popularity of group dance formPara Para. While Avex's artists such asEvery Little Thing andAyumi Hamasaki became popular in the 1990s, in the late 1990sHikaru Utada andMorning Musume emerged. Hikaru Utada's debut album,First Love, became the highest-selling album in Japan selling over 7 million copies, whileAyumi Hamasaki became Japan's top selling female and solo artist, and Morning Musume remains one of the most well-known girl groups in the Japanese pop music industry.
Kawaii Future Bass is a subgenre ofFuture Bass, with a generally upbeat sound and heavily inspired by Japanese culture, and often includes Japanese lyrics or references to anime or manga. It began to see success around 2015, mostly pioneered bySnail's House. Due to Japan's increasing influence in foreign countries, Kawaii Future Bass grew popular around the world.
Theme music for films,anime,tokusatsu (tokuson (特ソン)) anddorama are considered a separate music genre. While musicians and bands from all genres have recorded for Japanese television and film, several artists and groups have spent most of their careers performing theme songs and composingsoundtracks for visual media. Such artists includeMasato Shimon (current holder of the world record for most successful single in Japan for "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun"),[44]Ichirou Mizuki, all of the members ofJAM Project (i.e.Hironobu Kageyama who sung the openings forDengeki Sentai Changeman andDragon Ball Z),Akira Kushida, members ofProject.R,Isao Sasaki andMitsuko Horie. Notable composers of Japanese theme music includeJoe Hisaishi,Michiru Oshima,Yoko Kanno,Toshihiko Sahashi,Yuki Kajiura,Kōtarō Nakagawa,Shunsuke Kikuchi andYuki Hayashi.
When the firstelectronic games were sold, they had rudimentarysound chips with which to produce music. As the technology advanced, quality increased dramatically. The first game to take credit for its music wasXevious, also noteworthy (at that time) for its deeply constructed stories. One of the most important games in the history of the video game music isDragon Quest.Koichi Sugiyama, who composed for various anime and TV shows, includingCyborg 009 and a feature film ofGodzilla vs. Biollante, got involved in the project out of curiosity and proved that games can have serious soundtracks. Until his involvement, music and sounds were often neglected in the development of video games and programmers with little musical knowledge were forced to write the soundtracks as well. Undaunted by technological limits, Sugiyama worked with only 8-part polyphony to create a soundtrack that would not tire the player despite hours of gameplay.
A well-known author of game music isNobuo Uematsu. Uematsu's earlier compositions for the game series,Final Fantasy, onFamicom (Nintendo Entertainment System in America), were arranged for full orchestral score. In 2003, he took his rock-based tunes from their original MIDI format and createdthe Black Mages.Yasunori Mitsuda is the composer of music for such games asXenogears,Xenosaga Episode I,Chrono Cross, andChrono Trigger.Koji Kondo, the sound manager forNintendo, wrote themes forZelda andMario.Jun Senoue composed forSonic the Hedgehog. He also is the main guitarist ofCrush 40, which is known for creating the theme songs toSonic Adventure,Sonic Adventure 2,Sonic Heroes,Shadow the Hedgehog, andSonic and the Black Knight, as well as otherSonic games.Motoi Sakuraba composed theTales,Dark Souls,Eternal Sonata,Star Ocean,Valkyrie Profile,Golden Sun, and theBaten Kaitos games, as well as numerousMario sports games.Yuzo Koshiro composed electronic music-influenced soundtracks for games such asRevenge of Shinobi and theStreets of Rage series.
Pop singers such asHikaru Utada,Nana Mizuki andBoA sometimes sing for games.
In the 1960s, many Japaneserock bands were influenced by Western rock, along withAppalachian folk music,psychedelic rock,mod and similar genres: a phenomenon calledGroup Sounds (G.S.).John Lennon became one of the most popular Western musicians in Japan.[45] Late 1960s, Group Sounds bands such as The Tempters, the Tigers, the Golden Cups, the Spiders, the Jaguars, the Ox, the Village Singers, the Carnabeats, the Wild Ones,the Mops[46] were popular.[47] After the boom of Group Sounds came folk singer-songwriters.the Tigers was the most popular Group Sounds band in the era. Later, some of the members of the Tigers,the Tempters andthe Spiders formed the first JapanesesupergroupPyg.
Kenji Sawada and Kenichi Hagiwara started their solo career in the early 1970s along with rock bands such as the Power House, Blues Creation, and late 70shard rock bands like Murasaki, Condition Green, Bow Wow. Carol (led byEikichi Yazawa),RC Succession and Funny Company helped define the rock sound. In the late 70s, Creation and Char performedJeff Beck-style rock. Beginning in the late sixties, but mostly in the seventies, musicians mixed rock with American-style folk and pop elements, usually labelled folk rock because of their regular use of theacoustic guitar. This includes bands like Tulip, Banban, andGaro. Rock artists include an earlySouthern All Stars.
Japanese musicians began experimenting withelectronic rock in the 1970s. The most notable wasIsao Tomita, whose 1972 albumElectric Samurai: Switched on Rock featured electronicsynthesizer renditions of contemporary rock andpop songs.[48] Other early examples of electronic rock records includeInoue Yousui'sfolk rock andpop rock albumIce World (1973) andOsamu Kitajima'sprogressivepsychedelic rock albumBenzaiten (1974), both of which involved contributions from Haruomi Hosono,[49][50] who later started the electronic music group "Yellow Magic Band" (later known asYellow Magic Orchestra) in 1977.[51]
In the 1980s, Yutaka Ozaki was popular in young rock fans. Pop rock group such as C-C-B, Tokyo JAP, and Red Warriors gained hit songs.Boøwy inspiredalternative rock bands likeShonen Knife,the Pillows, andTama & Little Creatures as well as more experimental bands such asBoredoms and mainstream bands such asGlay. In 1980, Huruoma andRy Cooder, an American musician, collaborated on a rock album withShoukichi Kina, driving force behind the aforementioned Okinawan band Champloose. They were followed bySandii & the Sunsetz, who further mixed Japanese and Okinawan influences. Also during the 1980s, Japanese metal and rock bands gave birth to the movement known asvisual kei, represented during its history by bands likeX Japan,Buck-Tick,Luna Sea,Malice Mizer and many others, some of which experienced national, and international success in the latest years.
In the 1990s, Japanese rock musicians such asB'z,Mr. Children,L'Arc-en-Ciel,Glay,Southern All Stars,Judy and Mary,Tube,Spitz,Wands,T-Bolan,Field of View,Deen,Lindberg,Sharam Q,the Yellow Monkey,the Brilliant Green andDragon Ash achieved great commercial success.[citation needed] B'z is the #1 best selling act in Japanese music sinceOricon started to count,[citation needed] followed by Mr. Children.[citation needed] In the 1990s, pop songs were often used infilms,anime,television advertisement anddramatic programming, becoming some of Japan's best-sellers.[citation needed] The rise of disposable pop has been linked with the popularity ofkaraoke, leading to criticism that it isconsumerist:Kazufumi Miyazawa ofthe Boom said "I hate that buy, listen, and throw away and sing at a karaoke bar mentality." Of the visual kei bands,Luna Sea, whose members toned down their on-stage attire with on-going success, was very successful, whileMalice Mizer,La'cryma Christi,Shazna,Janne Da Arc, andFanatic Crisis also achieved commercial success in the late 1990s.[citation needed]
The rock bandSupercar, which was characterized as having "almost foundational importance to 21st century Japanese indie rock",[52] released its influential first album in 1998.[53] They remained active through 2005, with their later albums containing more electronic rock.[53]
The firstFuji Rock Festival opened in 1997.Rising Sun Rock Festival opened in 1999.Summer Sonic Festival andRock in Japan Festival opened in 2000. Though the rock scene in the 2000s was not as strong, bands such asBump of Chicken,Asian Kung–Fu Generation,One Ok Rock,Flow,Orange Range,Radwimps,Sambomaster,Remioromen,Uverworld andAqua Timez achieved success. Orange Range also ventured intohip hop. Established bands as B'z, Mr. Children, Glay, and L'Arc-en-Ciel continued to top charts, though B'z and Mr. Children are the only bands to maintain high sales through the years.
Japanese rock has a vibrant underground rock scene,[citation needed] best known internationally fornoise rock bands such asBoredoms andMelt Banana, as well asstoner rock bands such asBoris, psychedelic rock bands such asAcid Mothers Temple, and alternative acts such asShonen Knife (who were championed in the West byKurt Cobain),Pizzicato Five andthe Pillows (who gained international attention in 1999 for theFLCL soundtrack). More conventionalindie rock artists such asEastern Youth,the Band Apart andNumber Girl found some success in Japan[citation needed], but little recognition outside of their home country. Other notable international touring indie rock acts areMono andNisennenmondai.
Early examples of punk rock includeSS,the Star Club,the Stalin,INU [ja],Gaseneta [ja],Bomb Factory, Lizard (who were produced bythe Stranglers) andFriction (whose guitarist Reck played withTeenage Jesus and the Jerks before returning to Tokyo) andthe Blue Hearts. The early punk scene was filmed bySogo Ishii, who directed the 1982 filmBurst City featuring a cast of punk bands/musicians and also filmed videos for The Stalin. In the 1980s, hardcore bands such asGISM,Gauze, Confuse, Lip Cream and Systematic Death began appearing, some incorporatingcrossover elements.[citation needed] The independent scene also included a diverse number of alternative/post-punk/new wave artists such asAburadako,P-Model,Uchoten,Auto-Mod,Buck-Tick, Guernica andYapoos (both of which featuredJun Togawa), G-Schmitt, Totsuzen Danball andJagatara, along with noise/industrial bands such asHijokaidan andHanatarashi.
Ska-punk bands of the late nineties extending in the years 2000 include Shakalabbits and175R (pronounced "inago rider").
Japan is a successful market formetal bands. Notable examples areJudas Priest'sUnleashed in the East,Deep Purple'sMade in Japan,Iron Maiden'sMaiden Japan,Michael Schenker Group'sOne Night at Budokan andDream Theater'sLive at Budokan.
Japanese metal emerged in the late 1970s, pioneered by bands likeBow Wow, formed in 1975 by guitaristKyoji Yamamoto, andLoudness, formed in 1981 by guitaristAkira Takasaki. Contemporary bands likeEarthshaker,Anthem and44 Magnum released their debut albums only around the mid eighties. The first overseas live performances were by Bow Wow in 1978 inHong Kong, theMontreux Jazz Festival, and theReading Festival inEngland in 1982.[54] In 1983, Loudness toured United States and Europe. In 1985, the first Japanese metal act was signed to a major US label. Their albumsThunder in the East andLightning Strikes, released in 1985 and 1986, peaked at number 74 (while number 4 in homelandOricon chart), and number 64 in theBillboard 200 charts respectively.[55][56] Till the end of the eighties only two other bands,Ezo andDead End, released albums in the United States. In the eighties few bands had a female member, like the all-female bandShow-Ya fronted byKeiko Terada, andTerra Rosa with Kazue Akao on vocals. In September 1989, Show-Ya's albumOuterlimits was released, reaching #3 on the Oricon album chart.[57] Heavy metal bands reached their peak in the late 1980s and then many disbanded until the mid-1990s.
In 1982, some of the first Japaneseglam metal bands were formed, likeSeikima-II withKabuki-inspired makeup, andX Japan who pioneered the Japanese movement known asvisual kei, and became the best-selling metal band.[58] In 1985, Seikima-II's albumSeikima-II - Akuma ga Kitarite Heavy Metal was released and although it reached number 48 on the Oricon album chart, it exceeded 100,000 in sales, the first time for any Japanese metal band. Their albums charted regularly in the top ten until the mid-1990s. In April 1989, X Japan's second albumBlue Blood was released and went to number 6, and after 108 weeks on charts sold 712,000 copies.[59] Their third and best-selling albumJealousy was released in July 1991; it topped the charts and sold 1.11 million copies.[59] Two number one studio albums,Art of Life andDahlia, a singles compilationX Singles, all sold more than half a million,[60] ending up with thirteen top five singles before disbanding in 1997.[61]
Japanese metal came to global attention in 2014 with the success of "kawaii metal" bandBabymetal. They recorded viralYouTube hits like "Gimme Chocolate!!" as well as international performances including at the UK'sSonisphere Festival 2014 and Canada'sHeavy Montréal alongside the likes ofMetallica andSlayer. Babymetal was the opening act to five ofLady Gaga's concerts in herArtRave: The Artpop Ball 2014 tour.[62][63] Babymetal won numerous awards includingKerrang!'s The Spirit of Independence Award andMetal Hammer's Breakthrough Band Award.[64]
Japaneseextreme metal bands formed in the wake of the American and European wave, but did not get any bigger exposure until the 1990s, and the genre took underground form in Japan.[citation needed] The firstthrash metal bands formed in the early 1980s, likeUnited, whose music incorporatesdeath metal elements, andOutrage. United performed in Los Angeles at the metal festival "Foundations Forum" in September 1995 and released a few albums in North America. Formed in the mid-1980s,Doom played in the United States in October 1988 atCBGB, and was active until 2000 when it disbanded.
The first bands to playblack metal music wereSabbat, who is still active, andBellzlleb, who was active until the early 1990s. Other notable acts areSigh,Abigail, andGallhammer.
Doom metal also gained an audience in Japan. The two best-known Japanese doom metal acts areChurch of Misery andBoris: both gained considerable popularity outside the country.
In the 2000s, Japanese metalcore bands such as Tokyo'sCrystal Lake, Nagoya nativesColdrain andDeathgaze, Kobe'sFear, and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Osaka'sCrossfaith formed.
The first known Japanese group to experiment withhip-hop wasYellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) with the 1981 albumBGM. The album was significant to the early history of hip hop, particularly its introduction of theRoland TR-808drum machine.UnderMain Magazine describes the track "Music Plans" as where "the beginnings of that funky, electronic boom-bap vibe of hip-hop beats start to emerge" and the track "Rap Phenomenon" as "an auralAustralopithecus of electronic rap music." American hip hop pioneerAfrika Bambaataa cited the albumBGM as an influence, along with YMO's earlier work andRyuichi Sakamoto's 1980 soloelectro track "Riot in Lagos" fromB-2 Unit.[65][66] YMO and Sakamoto also had a significant influence on other key early American hip hop figures such asMantronix,[67]Duke Bootee,Whodini,Thomas Dolby, andTwilight 22.[68]
American hip-hop became popular in Japan during the late 1980s and has since continued to thrive. Up until then, the music world's belief was that "Japanese sentences were not capable of forming the rhyming effect that was contained in American rappers' songs."[69]
Different "families" of rappers perform on stage at agenba, or nightclub. A family is essentially a collection of rap groups that are usually headed by one of the more famous Tokyo acts, which also include proteges.[70] They are important because they are "the key to understanding stylistic differences between groups."[70] Hip-hop fans in the audience are in control of the club. They judge who is the winner in rap contests on stage. An example of this can be seen with the battle between rap artistsDabo (a major label artist) andKan (an indie artist). Kan challenged Dabo while Dabo was mid-performance. The event highlighted showed "the openness of the scene and the fluidity of boundaries in clubs."[71]
Grime is a British electronic genre[72][73] that emerged in the early 2000s derived fromUK garage andjungle,[74] and draws influence fromdancehall,ragga, andhip hop.[75] The style is typified by rapid, syncopatedbreakbeats, generally around 140bpm,[74][76] and often features an aggressive or jagged electronic sound.[77]Rapping is a significant element, and lyrics often revolve around gritty depictions of urban life.[78]
Grime elements were anticipated by the 1982 song "Bamboo Houses" byRyuichi Sakamoto andDavid Sylvian. According toFact magazine, it "accidentally predicted" grime, calling it "the earliest example of proto-grime" with elements such as a "gleaming synth lead, syncopated drumming and the type of vaguely Asian motif that would go on to define much of Wiley andJammer's early work" in the Sinogrime subgenre. The track has appeared onKode9’s DJ sets and was remixed by Boxed founder Slackk, becoming "a grime touchstone" according toFact.[79]
In 2004, Japanese DJ's began to play grime.[80] In 2008 that MC's, primarily fromOsaka, began to emerge. The MC's were inspired by British grime crewRoll Deep, and their mixtapeRules And Regulations. The Osaka MC's consisted of pioneers MC Dekishi, MC Duff and MC Tacquilacci.[81][82] MC Dekishi released the first ever Japanese grime mixtape in 2009, titled "Grime City Volume 1".[80] Osaka MC's are known for rapping extremely fast.[83] Another scene sprung up in the Tokyo region ofShibuya led by Carpainter, Double Clapperz, MC ONJUICY, PAKIN and Sakana Lavenda.[81]
In the late 1980s,roots bands likeShang Shang Typhoon andthe Boom became popular. Okinawan roots bands likeNenes andKina were also commercially and critically successful. This led to a second wave of Okinawan music, led by the sudden success ofRinken Band. Bands followed, including the comebacks of Champluse and Kina, as led by Kawachiya Kikusuimaru; very similar tokawachi ondo isTadamaru Sakuragawa'sgoshu ondo.
J-country is a form of J-pop that originated in the 1960s, during the international popularity ofWesterns.[84] Major companies such asNintendo andSony continue to produce country andWestern music within Japan.[85][86]
Music fromIndonesia,Jamaica and elsewhere were assimilated. Africansoukous and Latin music, likeOrquesta de la Luz (オルケスタ・デ・ラ・ルス), was popular as was Jamaicanreggae andska, exemplified by Mice Teeth,Mute Beat, La-ppisch, Home Grown and Ska Flames, Determinations, andTokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
Another recognized music form from Japan isnoise music, also known asJapanoise when referring to noise music made by Japanese artists. Some of the most prominent representatives of this form includeMerzbow,Masonna,Hanatarash, andThe Gerogerigegege. As befits the challenging nature of the music, some noise music performers have become notorious for their extreme on-stage antics including (but not limited to) physically injuring themselves, destroying their musical equipment, or damaging the venue they are playing at.
{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)[...] it was common for samurai to enjoy calligraphy, tea ceremony, poetry and music, and to study.
{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)Around the same time as FEN's broadcasts, jazz experienced a resurgence in popularity in Japan. It first became popular here during the late 1920s and '30s, but was banned during World War II, along with other non-German music from the West.
American jazz was banned during the war, but afterward, Japan leaped into jazz enthusiastically.
| Sovereign states |
|
|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
