Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music

Kume SongNEW!Mr. Kume

Gagaku Concert Celebrating the New Year: “Kokufu Kabū Kume-mai” (Gifu Prefecture Cultural and Artistic Activities Support Grant Program)

Rooted in the ancient Kume clan, this piece has long been performed at major Imperial ceremonies such as the Daijōe and the Toyonoakari no Sechie, accompanied by a valiant dance by four performers bearing swords.

Though the tradition once lapsed in the medieval period, it was later revived, and in modern times it has been recorded by the Tokyo Gakuso on the album “Columbia Japanese Classical Music Selection 20: Gagaku.” Set to accompaniment by gagaku instruments including the wagon, ryūteki, and hichiriki, the work features the chanting of ancient lyrics, embodying a solemn grandeur and vigor befitting celebrations of military victory.

When you wish to engage with the Japanese spirit or seek a sacred atmosphere, please lend it your ear.

Left-side dance “Seigaiha (Blue Ocean Waves)”NEW!Nisei Kiyomoto Umekichi

Left side: Seigaiha (blue ocean waves pattern)

A celebratory piece by Kiyomoto Umekichi II, a composer who inherited the Kiyomoto-bushi joruri tradition while infusing it with the fresh sensibilities of the Meiji era.

Premiered in 1897, the work is distinguished by lyrical landscape verses that weave together seas and place names from around Japan, mythology, and seasonal scenery.

Scored for shamisen with added flute and koto, its richly expressive melodic turns resonate with pleasing lyricism.

It has remained a staple of the Kiyomoto repertoire, performed at concerts and yose vaudeville theaters, and the boat-song-style development in the latter half is said to have been inspired by the Niigata Oiwake folk song.

It’s a recommended piece for anyone interested in exploring traditional Japanese music or savoring the atmosphere of wa (Japanese aesthetic).

Ying Qu ‘Bin Tatara’NEW!Akira Ifukube

Akira Ifukube, “Yokyoku ‘Bindatara’”

This is the work Eikyoku “Bindatara” by Akira Ifukube, one of Japan’s leading composers, known for composing the theme for Godzilla.

Although this piece is not pure gagaku, it is an original work crafted as musical art using traditional Japanese instruments performed in gagaku and bugaku.

It features a wide array of Japanese instruments, including shinobue and ryuteki flutes, Chikuzen biwa, Satsuma biwa, koto, and the 17-string koto.

It stands as a symbol of Japan’s traditions and culture that should be passed down, and it has become an important part of the repertoire for performers of traditional Japanese instruments.

Listening to the piece conveys the beauty of Japan.

Shonai Kagura, Oita PrefectureNEW!

31st Shonai Kagura Festival – Online

This kagura, handed down in Shōnai-machi, Yufu City, Ōita Prefecture, is a community-rooted performing art that has continued since the late Edo period.

It is characterized by vibrant musical accompaniment of drums and flutes, with powerful drum tones and rhythmic beats that captivate the audience.

In signature pieces such as “Slaying the Great Serpent,” the dance unfolds in a style that is heroic yet at times humorous, and together with its dazzling costumes, it heightens the festive atmosphere.

Regular performances are held annually from May through October, and it is said that a festival featuring the entire kagura troupe is also held in autumn.

Hiroshima Kagura: JinrinNEW!

Hiroshima Kagura Ikadzu Kagura Troupe Chiririn

A signature piece of Iwami Kagura and Hiroshima Kagura, this dramatic program tells the story of Emperor Chūai and his retainer Takamaro vanquishing fearsome demons.

The demons, depicted with wings on their backs and riding in on black clouds, are brought to life with some of the largest kagura masks and distinctive costumes, creating a stage presence that overwhelms the audience.

The performance begins with a spoken exchange between gods and demons, then unfolds into a fast-paced showdown featuring two deities and two demons—one of its key highlights.

As one of the core pieces frequently performed in regular programs across Hiroshima Prefecture, it captivates those seeking to experience the profound spirituality of Japanese traditional performing arts, with a compelling musical ensemble of drums, gongs, and flutes woven together with solemn kagura chants.

Bugaku: Bailu HachinrakuNEW!

Bugaku 'Bairo Hajinraku' (Court dance 'Bairo Hajinraku')

A valiant martial dance originating from Tang-dynasty military formations.

Four dancers wield swords, halberds, and shields, performing to the solemn strains of shō, hichiriki, and ryūteki—an awe-inspiring sight.

Set in the hyōjō mode, this piece is linked to legends that Prince Shōtoku performed it during his battle with Mononobe no Moriya to break the enemy lines, and that Minamoto no Yoshimitsu performed it seven times in succession during a campaign.

It is said to still be danced on specific memorial days at Shitennō-ji and Tōshōdai-ji.

If you wish to experience the depth of Japanese traditional performing arts or savor a majestic atmosphere, be sure to listen.

Dance of UrayasuNEW!Tadanori Tada

Kagura: The Dance of Urayasu

Composed by Tada Tomoasa, who served as director of the Imperial Household Ministry’s Music Department, this work was disseminated to shrines across Japan and was dedicated nationwide in November 1940 as part of the celebrations for the 2,600th anniversary of the imperial era.

Conceived on the basis of an imperial poem by Emperor Shōwa—“To heaven and earth, to the gods I pray, for a world unruffled like the morning-calm sea”—it expresses a wish for peace and tranquility through a solemn, two-part dance using a fan and bells.

Performed at a measured pace in harmony with gagaku instruments, the dance has been handed down as an offering before the kami and as a form of local folk performance, with traditions preserved in places such as Makkari Village in Hokkaidō.

If you have the chance to attend a shrine festival or annual rite, you may glimpse the spirit of Japan passed down across a millennium.