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Traditional Japanese music is thefolk ortraditional music ofJapan.Japan's Ministry of Education classifieshōgaku (邦楽,lit. 'Japanese music') as a category separate from other traditional forms of music, such asgagaku (court music) orshōmyō (Buddhist chanting), but mostethnomusicologists viewhōgaku, in a broad sense, as the form from which the others were derived.[1][failed verification] Outside ofethnomusicology, however,hōgaku usually refers to Japanese music from around the 17th to the mid-19th century.[2] Within this framework, there are three types of traditional music in Japan: theatrical, court music, and instrumental.
Japan has several theatrical forms of drama in which music plays a significant role. The main forms arekabuki andNoh.
Noh (能) ornōgaku (能楽) music is a type of theatrical music used in Noh theatre. Noh music is played by an instrumental ensemble calledhayashi-kata (囃子方). The instruments used are thetaiko (太鼓) stick drum, a large hourglass-shaped drum called theōtsuzumi (大鼓), a smaller hourglass-shaped drum called thekotsuzumi (小鼓), and a bamboo flute called thenohkan (能管). Thehayashi ensemble is performed along withyōkyoku, vocal music, in Noh theater.
Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a type of Japanesetheatre known for its highly stylized dancing and singing as well as the elaborate make-up worn by the predominately all-male cast. The first instances of kabuki used thehayashi from Noh performances. Later, kabuki began incorporating other instruments like theshamisen. Kabuki music can be divided into three categories:geza,shosa-ongaku, andki andtsuke.[3]
Geza includes music and sound effects played on stage, behind a black bamboo curtain called akuromisu.Geza music can be further subdivided into three types. The first type isuta or song.Uta is sung accompanied by ashamisen. Typically there are multipleuta singers singing together. The second type is calledaikata. It involvesshamisen music without any singing. The third type isnarimono.Narimono is played by small percussion instruments[4] besides theshamisen.
Shosa-ongaku encompasses music that is played on the stage and accompanies acting and dancing.Shosa-ongaku includes thetakemoto,nagauta,tokiwazu andkiyomoto music styles.takemoto accompanies acting.Nagauta,taena mo andkiyomoto accompany dancing inkabuki.Takemoto basically recites the parts of the play concerning scenery. The actors attempt to synchronize their lines with the rhythm oftakemoto—an effect known asito ni noru ('get onto strings').
Nagauta is one of the most commonly seen forms ofgeza. It involves singers, calledutakata, andshamisen players, calledshamisenkata. Theutakata are seated to the right of the stage dancers, and theshamisenkata are seated on the left of the stage. Theshamisenkata usehosozao (thin neck)shamisen which produce high pitched tones and are capable of producing delicate melodies.
Tokiwazu consists of reciters calledtayū andshamisenkata that usechuzao (medium-neck)shamisen.Tokiwazu is similar tokiyomoto music but is slower-paced and more solemn.Tokiwazu is also performed onstage.
Kiyomoto also consists oftayū andshamisenkata usingchuzao. However, inkiyomoto words and sentences full of emotion are recited in very high-pitched tones.
Ki andtsuke describe the distinctive sounds made by striking two square oak boards. When the two boards are struck together, they produce theki sound. When they are struck against a hardwood board, they produce thetsuke sound.
Gagaku (雅楽) is court music, and is the oldest traditional music inJapan. It was usually patronized by theImperial Court or the shrines and temples.Gagaku music includes songs, dances, and a mixture of otherAsian music.Gagaku has two styles; these are instrumental musickigaku (器楽) and vocal musicseigaku (声楽).
Since雅 means "elegance",gagaku literally means elegant music and generally refers to musical instruments and music theory imported into Japan fromChina andKorea from 500 to 600 CE.Gagaku is divided into two main categories: Old Music and New Music. Old Music refers to music and musical compositions from before the ChineseTang dynasty (618–906). New Music refers to music and compositions produced during or after Tang, including music brought from various regions of China and Korea.[5][6]
Old and New Music are further divided into the categories左楽 ("Music of the Left") and右楽 ("Music of the Right"). Music of the left左楽 is composed of唐楽 (music from Tang) and林邑楽 (music fromIndo-China). Music of the right右楽 is composed of高麗楽 (music from Korea).
Shōmyō (声明) is a kind ofBuddhist chanting ofsutrasyllabically ormelismatically set tomelodic phrasing, usually performed by a male chorus.Shōmyō came fromIndia, and it began in Japan in theNara period.Shōmyō is sunga capella by one or more Buddhistmonks.
The two characters (声 and明) translate literally as "voice" and "clear" respectively.Shōmyō is a translation of theSanskrit wordsabda-vidya, which means "the (linguistic) study of language".[10]
Jōruri (浄瑠璃) is narrative music using theshamisen (三味線). There are four mainjōruri styles. These are centuries-old traditions which continue today:
There are other fourjōruri styles which have largely died out.Katōbushi,icchuubushi andmiyazonobushi are old style. These styles are referred to asKokyoku (古曲) or "old music".Kokyoku also includedogiebushi (荻江節). It is notjōruri but is likenagauta.
Nagauta (長唄) is a style of music played using theshamisen. There are three styles ofnagauta: one for kabuki dance, one for kabuki plays (dialogue), and one for music unconnected with kabuki.
Ogiebushi (荻江節) is similar tonagauta. Ogie Royuu I (荻江露友) (died 1787) began to play this style, having first played in thenagauta style. He moved from playing this style to play in theogiebushi style. His rival was Fujita Kichiji (富士田吉治), anagauta singer in Edo. Ogie Royuu I had a beautiful but small voice. In a theater a voice with volume was important, so Ogie Royuu I stopped singing in the theater. Ogie Royuu I began to play in theYoshiwara (red-light district).Ogiebushi declined after 1818. Tamaya Yamazaburou (玉屋山三郎) composed newogiebushi pieces at the end of the Edo period. Yamazaburou was an owner of a parlor house in the red-light district of Yoshiwara. Yamazaburou knew music very well. Tamaya Yamazaburou's pieces are influenced byjiuta (地歌) music. Iijima Kizaemon (飯島喜左衛門) re-establishedogiebushi. Kizaemon changed his name to Ogie Royuu IV in 1876 or 1879. (It is not known if there was an Ogie Royuu II or Ogie Royuu III.)Ogiebushi is classified as a style of "old music" (古曲,Kokyoku). (Kyoku usually means a musical piece or musical number in modern Japanese.) Nowkokyoku isKatohbushi (河東節),Icchuubushi (一中節),Miyazonobushi (宮薗節) andOgiebushi (荻江節).Kokyoku is old music from the Edo period. Not many players performkokyoku and those who do are elderly; there are few young musicians playing this music.
Shakuhachi (尺八) music began in the Edo period. Buddhist monks played theshakuhachi as a substitute for a sutra. Sometimes theshakuhachi is played along with other instruments.
Sōkyoku (筝曲) uses the Japanesekoto (琴), which differs from the Chineseguzheng.[11][deprecated source] There are two well knownfamilies ofsōkyoku, which can be distinguished by the shape of theplectra used in playing.
Traditional Japanese musicians sometimes collaborate with modern Western musicians. Also, musicians create new styles of Japanese music influenced by the West but still use traditional musical instruments.
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