Lovely nursery rhymes, folk songs, and children's songs

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

Representative, Elysion Philharmonic Orchestrasai-kisaragi
Heisei College of Music, Composition Course. Studied composition and conducting under Keizo Ideta, piano under Chinami Kira, and arts management under Takuma Konishi. With a focus on community and music, I work to revitalize my hometown of Saga Prefecture. While performing as a double bassist with wind ensembles and orchestras across Kyushu, I participated on double bass in the “Orchestra Without Borders” orchestra camp of the professional game and anime music ensemble Eminence Orchestra, held in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture in September 2012. During CAPCOM’s Kyushu Tour in 2016, I not only performed as an orchestra member but also served on the production staff. I currently serve as the managing representative for the game and anime performance groups Elysion Philharmonic Orchestra (Saga Prefecture) and Fukuoka Game Music Wind Orchestra (Fukuoka Prefecture), and handle conducting, arranging, and public relations.

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.

[Traditional Japanese Music] Masterpieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music (41–50)

Hyōjō Keitoku Ryūteki Solo

Keitoku: Hichiriki and Ryūteki

Hyōjō Keitoku Ryūteki Solo

Keitoku is a Tang-music piece in the hyōjō mode, a short composition in fast quadruple meter, with ten-beat cycles, categorized as a new piece, and it has no dance.

It is also written as Keitoku or Keidoku.

One theory holds that it was composed to honor the five virtues attributed to the rooster—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and fidelity.

Another suggests it was created to commemorate the joy of conquering the southern country of Keitō (Rooster-Head) during the Han dynasty.

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Hyōjō: Hayashi Song, Ryūteki Sololate spring

Hayashigoe in the hyōjō (Heijō) mode

Hyojo Hayauta: Ryuteki Solo, Early Spring

Ringa is a Tang-music piece in the heijō mode, a short composition in fast eight-beat meter, counted as Hyōshi 11, and a new piece; it has no dance.

It is also written as Rinka or Ringa (using the characters for “Rin River” or “Rin Congratulations”).

The accompanying bugaku is in the Koma repertoire, in the Koma heijō mode; the dance is a bunbu (civil dance) performed by four dancers.

There are two theories about its composition: one that Shimoharu, a flute master from Koma, created it during the reign of Emperor Saga, and another that Tamate Kintaka composed it.

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The Offering Bugaku at Hokke-ji: “Ganzhou”Xuanzong

The Offering Bugaku at Hokke-ji: “Ganzhou”

Hokke-ji Dedication Bugaku “Ganshu”: Emperor Xuanzong

“Ganzhō (Kanshū)” is a Tang-dynasty piece in the hyōjō mode, classified as a quasi-long piece (jun-daikyoku), in an extended four-beat meter (en-yon-byōshi), with a fourteen-beat hyōshi cycle; it is a shin-gaku (new piece) and also has a dance (performed by four dancers).

There is a place called Ganzhou in Gansu Province, China.

In thickets of dense bamboo known as amadake, venomous snakes, newts, and insects lived at the roots, making it difficult to cut the bamboo.

However, it was said that if one performed Ganzhō, boarded a boat, and cut the bamboo, the music would sound like the cry of the Golden-Winged Bird and would cause no harm to people.

It is also said that when Emperor Xuanzong visited Mount Qingcheng with the Empress Dowager, he saw the court ladies’ garments fluttering in the wind and made this into a dance.

Even today, its spirit can be glimpsed in performances of the dance at places such as Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Prefecture and Hokke-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture.

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Sumiyoshi Taisha Unoha Ritual: Polo-like Court Music (Dakyūgaku)Yellow Emperor

Sumiyoshi Taisha Uzunoha Ritual, 2014.5.8, Dakyū Music

Sumiyoshi Taisha Unoha Shinto Rite: Kemari Music, Yellow Emperor

Tagyūraku is a piece in the Tang-music repertoire (tōgaku), in the Taishikichō mode, classified as a medium-length piece with the Enpachi rhythm pattern, eleven-beat meter, and is a relatively new composition that also has a dance for four performers.

Its corresponding dance is Komaboko.

Dancers hold gitchō (ball clubs) in their hands, and the choreography depicts striking a ball.

Although it seems to imitate a ball-striking contest, the movements of the dance are very slow.

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In conclusion

The many graceful tones woven by Japan’s traditional music, such as gagaku and bugaku.

The timbres of Japanese instruments, nurtured over more than 1,300 years of history, have been passed down and continue to resonate deeply with those of us living today.

Perhaps the spirit of the Japanese people dwells in the classical sounds played by kagura and traditional instruments.

By encountering the feelings of our predecessors that live on in traditional pieces, we can sense a richness of expression and spirituality that continues to shine as the very essence of Japan’s traditional music.

Why not take this opportunity to explore the world of gagaku and kagura, imbued with the Japanese heart and sense of beauty?