{"id":3159,"date":"2019-10-21T15:30:19","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T21:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/?p=3159"},"modified":"2021-02-19T16:37:47","modified_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:37:47","slug":"japanese-court-music-and-dance-gagaku-and-bugaku","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/japanese-court-music-and-dance-gagaku-and-bugaku\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Court Music and Dance: Gagaku and Bugaku"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I&#8217;m taking a break from all this portfolio stuff to talk about something fun I got to do recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the past 2 years or so, I have been learning about Japan and Japanese culture. Going farther back, I&#8217;ve been interested in Asian cultures for many years, having joined Asia Society Texas many years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/japansociety.org\">Japan Society<\/a>, decided to dedicate some of it&#8217;s programming this year to have an imperial focus, in part due to the abdication of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2019\/04\/30\/718519712\/japanese-emperor-akihito-abdicates-throne-new-crown-prince-to-ascend\">Japanese Emperor Akihito<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Japanese society being what it is, there are many ceremonies and rituals when a new emperor ascends the throne. They involve, among other things, music. And the fun thing I go to do recently was attend a performance&nbsp;of Japanese&nbsp;court music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Reigakusha: Gagaku &amp; Bugaku\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3-or5I573D4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3>Gagaku<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-3159-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/45041.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/45041.mp3\">https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/45041.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\n\n\n<p>The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) provides the following description for Gagaku:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Gagaku, characterized by long, slow songs and dance-like movements, is the oldest of the Japanese traditional performing arts. It is performed at banquets and ceremonies in the Imperial Palace and in theatres throughout the country, and encompasses three distinct arts. The first, Kuniburi no Utamai, features ancient Japanese songs, partial accompaniment by harp and flute and simple choreography. The second consists of instrumental music (especially wind instruments) and a ceremonial dance developed on the Asian continent and subsequently adapted by Japanese artists. The third, Utamono, is danced to vocal music whose texts include Japanese folk songs and Chinese poems. Influenced by the politics and culture of different periods over its long evolution, Gagaku continues to be transmitted to apprentices by masters in the Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency, many of whom are the descendants of families with deep roots in the art. It is not only an important cultural tool in confirming Japanese identity and a crystallization of the history of Japanese society, but also a demonstration of how multiple cultural traditions can be fused into a unique heritage through constant recreation over time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s UNESCO video on Gagaku:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gagaku\" width=\"840\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5OA8HFUNfIk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Essentially Gagaku is the entire performance and Bagaku is the dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3>Gagaku Instruments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are 3 types of musical instruments: Wind, String, and Percussion. I&#8217;m not sure if all of these instruments are included in every Gagaku performance, but these were listed in my program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-3218 size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"798\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0991-e1571688872233-798x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Program insert showing different types of instruments\" class=\"wp-image-3218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0991-e1571688872233-798x1024.jpg 798w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0991-e1571688872233-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0991-e1571688872233-768x985.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0991-e1571688872233.jpg 1138w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>Program insert showing different types of instruments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4>Wind Instruments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>These are the wind instruments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Ry\u00fbteki<\/li><li>Komabue<\/li><li>Kagurabue<\/li><li>Hichiriki<\/li><li>Sh\u00f4<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Gagaku translates to &#8220;elegant music&#8221; and that&#8217;s probably the best way to describe the sound of the&nbsp;Sh\u00f4. You&#8217;d probably recognize the&nbsp;sound if you heard it. It&#8217;s a &#8220;mouth-organ&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I was watching the performance, the sh\u00f4 players rotated their instruments over some kind of urn. I thought it was something to catch extra moisture, like spit-valves in trombones. I learned from the video below that the sh\u00f4 has wax inside where the mouthpiece is located and these urns have small pieces of coal in them, which the musicians rotate the&nbsp;sh\u00f4 over to heat up the wax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gagaku: Wind Instruments\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QRZ1eNlzhoA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4>&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4>String Instruments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>S\u00f4 (Gakus\u00f4)<\/li><li>Biwa<\/li><li>Wagon (yamato-goto)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/6\/6e\/Gifujyou5848.JPG\"><img src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/6\/6e\/Gifujyou5848.JPG\" alt=\"Biwa, string instrument\"\/><\/a><figcaption>Biwa, string instrument<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gakus\u00f4 is a type of Koto, which is a 13-string instrument and&nbsp;is the national instrument of Japan. Modern kotos are derived from the gakus\u00f4 used in Gagaku performances. I couldn&#8217;t find a great photo, but <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Koto_(instrument)\">the wikipedia article<\/a>&nbsp;where I found this info&nbsp;is interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Yamatogoto\"> yamatogoto, or wagon<\/a>, is another type of Koto. But it usually has only 6 strings or so. It&#8217;s also considered fully native to Japan, unlike the other types of Koto which were imported from China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-3226 size-large\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3226\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0999-e1571688932935.jpg 1632w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption>The wagon is on the left side.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image wp-image-3219 size-large\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0992-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0992-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0992-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0992-1200x1600.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0992.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 984px) 61vw, (max-width: 1362px) 45vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption>The biwa is on the right side.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4>&nbsp;<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h4>Percussion Instruments<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Sh\u00f4ko<\/li><li>Taiko (tsuridaiko)<\/li><li>Kakko<\/li><li>San-no-tsuzumi<\/li><li>Shakuby\u00f4shi<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/hikone-castle-museum.jp\/en\/collection\/905.html#targetText=The%20shoko%20is%20a%20dish,a%20very%20rare%20dated%20example.\">Sh\u00f4ko<\/a> is a kind of small, metal gong that sounds like someone tapping a iron\/stainless steel skillet with a drumstick. The taiko is a kind of large, hanging drum. It&#8217;s struck with big, padded mallets. The kakko is a double-headed drum that&#8217;s beated with skinny drumsticks. (Shakubyoshi look like 2 wooden sticks. To be honest, I don&#8217;t remember these but maybe I was watching something else.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1224\" height=\"1632\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3225\" class=\"wp-image-3225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998.jpg 1224w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0998-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1224\" height=\"1632\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3224\" class=\"wp-image-3224\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997.jpg 1224w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0997-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1224\" height=\"1632\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3223\" class=\"wp-image-3223\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996.jpg 1224w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0996-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1224\" height=\"1632\" src=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"3220\" class=\"wp-image-3220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993.jpg 1224w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_0993-1200x1600.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These are photos I took after the performance. The theater lights helped them turn out really well! \ud83d\ude42<i class=\"em em-slightly_smiling_face\"><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2>Bugaku<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our program didn&#8217;t include much information about the dancing portion, but UNESCO comes through again. Here&#8217;s a video that goes much more into the dance portion of Bugaku.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dainichido Bugaku\" width=\"840\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nPzFRqB-h8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>When I was there listening, I felt like I had been transported into a Kurasawa film. In particular, &#8220;Dreams&#8221; from 1990. And specifically, the scene in the peach orchard when all the dolls come alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I love this movie a lot but I have found throughout the years that this particular scene is very difficult to find online (for free).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bPHsu5NaVfM?start=5\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the trailer for the movie is available. The only problem is that it&#8217;s set to Vivaldi&#8217;s The Four Seasons, <em>Invierno<\/em> and&nbsp;<em>La Primavera<\/em>. (Violin Concerto in E Major, Op. 8, No. 1, RV 269, &#8220;Spring&#8221;: I. Allegro; and Concerto No. 4 in&nbsp;<a title=\"F minor\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/F_minor\">F minor<\/a>, Op. 8, RV 297,&nbsp;&#8220;Winter&#8221;: III. Allegro.) It&#8217;s not bad music, but it&#8217;s not Japanese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"style-scope ytd-metadata-row-renderer\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyway, if you are looking for more information on Gagaku and Bugaku, here&#8217;s some information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bugaku<\/li><li>https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gagaku<\/li><li>https:\/\/ich.unesco.org\/en\/RL\/gagaku-00265<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m taking a break from all this portfolio stuff to talk about something fun I got to do recently. Over the past 2 years or so, I have been learning about Japan and Japanese culture. Going farther back, I&#8217;ve been interested in Asian cultures for many years, having joined Asia Society Texas many years ago. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/japanese-court-music-and-dance-gagaku-and-bugaku\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Japanese Court Music and Dance: Gagaku and Bugaku&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,80],"tags":[335,298,311,201,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3159"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3159"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4602,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3159\/revisions\/4602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alliwalk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}