Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
How much have you experienced the beauty of Japan’s traditional music passed down since ancient times? In gagaku and kagura dwell a solemn atmosphere and profound spirituality that modern music cannot offer.
Japan’s traditional music, handed down for over a thousand years, holds a universal appeal that resonates in our hearts.
In this article, we introduce a selection of exquisitely pure melodies from Japan’s classical music.
Their timbres may be unfamiliar to modern ears, but they will surely sink deep into your heart.
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[Japanese Traditional Music] Masterpieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Japanese Traditional Music (21–30)
Bugaku 'Ranryo-o' Ryuteki Solo
Ranryōō is a representative piece of Japanese gagaku (court music).
While it is performed in both kangen (instrumental ensemble) and dance contexts, there is also a version featuring a solo ryūteki (dragon flute).
It belongs to Tōgaku (music of Tang origin), in the ichikotsu mode, classified as a medium piece, with sections including Ha and a fast eight-beat pattern; it is counted in sixteen beats and is considered ancient repertoire.
There is also a dance (one dancer, a swift-running style), and its paired dance is Nasori.
The piece is said to depict the general Gao Changgong, Prince of Lanling of Northern Qi, who wore a fearsome mask in battle and defeated the Zhou army.
It is also known as a beautiful work retaining a Chinese flavor, said to have been brought to Japan by the Lin-yi (Linyi) monk Buttetzu (Futtesu).
For those interested in Japanese or Chinese gagaku, this ryūteki solo is a must-listen.
Miyajima / Itsukushima Shrine Peach Blossom Festival Bugaku dance “Soriko”
There is a piece called “Soriko,” representative of bugaku.
Soriko belongs to Komagaku, is in the Koma ichikotsu mode, is a short piece, and is a new piece of the right repertoire; it also includes a dance (performed by four dancers, classified as a bunbu).
At Shitennō-ji, the number of dancers is five.
The set piece includes percussion such as ichiko.
In the prelude, the komabue and hichiriki lead with an ito-joshi phrase.
The dancers wear layered court robes, crowns with coiled tassel cords (makie) and an old-style pendant (ogake), don abstract “zatsumen” masks depicting human faces, and dance holding a short rod called a hakusō.
Today, it is also performed at places such as Miyajima in Hiroshima Prefecture, for example at the Momoka Festival of Itsukushima Shrine, where you can experience its atmosphere.
[Japanese Traditional Music] Masterpieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Japanese Traditional Music (31–40)
Uhou Kanjōraku
Genjōraku is a piece of Tang music in the Tashikichō mode, a medium-length composition, classified under both the Right and Left repertoires, and an ancient piece that also includes a dance (a single dancer performing a rapid dance).
In the Right repertoire it uses the Hatarabyōshi with eighteen beats; in the Left repertoire it uses the Hayatada hachibyōshi, also with eighteen beats.
The dancer wears a sinister-looking mask, holds drumsticks, and performs a valiant dance capturing a wooden serpent.
Related program pieces include Battō, among others.
Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine New Year Festival: Genshi-sai with Bugaku 'Kotoraku'
On Miyajima, the sacred island floating in the Seto Inland Sea, various festivals and Shinto rituals are held throughout the year, and “Kotokuraku” is one of these events.
It features performances such as Koma-gaku, Koma Ichikotsu mode, short pieces, and bugaku dances (with six dancers).
The choreography humorously depicts the behavior of revelers at a banquet, including comical exits from the stage with unsteady, drunken steps, making it a lighthearted, comedic form of bugaku.
This dance is dedicated annually at the Genshisai (Festival of Beginnings) on January 3 at Itsukushima Shrine.
Today, in addition to seeing it in person, you can watch it via online live streams, making it accessible even to those far away.
If you’re interested in bugaku, consider viewing archived livestreams or attending a performance in person.
Hyojo Funan, solo ryuteki performance
Funan is a Tang-era court music piece in hyōjō mode, a medium-length composition in fast eight-beat meter, with fourteen beats per measure, classified as a new piece, and it has no accompanying dance.
“Funan” is the Chinese name for an ancient state established by the Khmer people in the 1st–2nd centuries in the southern Indochina Peninsula, in the lower Mekong River region.
It engaged in maritime trade in the South Seas and, influenced by Indian culture, prospered for a time, but in the mid-7th century it declined and perished under pressure from Chenla.
Three Movements of the Shaking Spear, 2016
“Furuboko Sansetsu” is the first dance performed when Bugaku is presented.
Its hallmark is the swinging of halberds to purify the stage, and it is danced by one performer from the Right and one from the Left.
In the first section, the Left-side dancer performs alone; in the second section, the Right-side dancer performs alone; and in the third section, both dancers perform together.
It is said to originate from the story that, in the fields outside the capital, King Wu of Zhou offered prayers to the gods of heaven and earth before his campaign to overthrow the Yin (Shang) dynasty.
Within gagaku, it plays a vital role, marking the beginning of the bugaku program.
Atsuta Shrine Bugaku Ritual: Shin Mokkan
This is the traditional gagaku piece “Shin Makka” performed at Atsuta Jingu Shrine in Atsuta Ward, Nagoya City.
It belongs to the Komagaku repertoire, in the ichikotsu mode, and is a short piece accompanied by Tang-style rhythms, hyoshi-juroku (sixteen-beat meter), and shinraku, with a dance performed by four dancers.
The program dance is Saibara-ō, and the performers wear special costumes for Shin Makka: they don Tang crowns adorned with decorations like dragonfly wings, hold shaku (ritual scepters), and wear a lower scabbard at the waist as they dance.
Distinctive features include unusual movements for bugaku, such as two dancers ascending the stage at a time, sitting in seiza and bowing twice, and lying down on their sides.
Revered almost on par with the Grand Shrine of Ise and receiving special treatment while affectionately known as “Atsuta-sama” or simply “Miya,” Atsuta Jingu hosts over 70 major festivals and rites each year, and “Shin Makka” continues to be handed down and performed even today.