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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.

Playlist

Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
show_chartTitlePlaylistOne point
1eastGagaku ‘Etenraku’Hidemaro KonoeThe orchestral version of “Etenraku” by Hidemaro Konoe is
2eastBugaku “Gojōraku Ichigu”A majestic classical Japanese musical masterpiece dating back to the Tang dynasty
3eastBallet Music “Bugaku”Toshiro MayuzumiToshiro Mayuzumi's Ballet Music 'Bugaku': A Fusion of Gagaku and the West
4eastDaikagura Variety Act: Umbrella PerformanceTraditional umbrella acrobatics are a performing art presented at shrines and yose (vaudeville theaters).
5eastIwami Kagura, Shimane PrefectureIwami Kagura: a traditional performing art that recreates the mythological world
6eastHiroshima Prefecture: Hiroshima Kagura Quick Costume ChangeKagura in which costume and mask changes happen in an instant
7eastNaso-riA renowned Gagaku piece that depicts the dance of a dragon
8eastKume SongMr. KumeThe solemn gagaku melodies handed down by the Kume clan
9eastLeft-side dance “Seigaiha (Blue Ocean Waves)”Nisei Kiyomoto UmekichiLandscape Chant by Kiyomoto Umekichi: A Fusion of Tradition and New Sensibilities
10eastYing melody “Bintatara”Akira IfukubeThe beauty of Japanese music woven with traditional instruments
11eastShonai Kagura, Oita PrefectureThe dynamic energy of drums and flutes in Yufu City’s traditional Kagura
12eastHiroshima Kagura: JinrinEmperor Chūai and Takamaro’s Demon-Slaying Kagura (Sacred Dance)
13eastBugaku: Bailu HachinrakuThe tradition of martial dances originating from Tang-era military formation dances
14eastDance of UrayasuTadanori TadaKagura dance praying for peace, the spirituality of Japan
15eastGagaku SakuraTeruo NozuReimagining Gagaku’s tradition through modern technology
16eastEtenraku ImayōEmperor Wen
Etenraku ImayōEmperor Wen
A representative piece of gagaku: scenes of spring and traditional beauty
17eastEtenrakuEmperor WenA famous gagaku piece that represents Japan
18eastBanzairakuEmpress Wu ZetianManzairaku, a representative gagaku piece of Tang music
19eastHyōjō Kōjōkyū Ryūteki SoloJungjongRepresentative pieces of Tang music and gagaku introduced to Japan
20eastBugaku: BailuBanroudokuGagaku of Tang music and martial dances transmitted from Vietnam
21eastTaishoku-chō Chōkeiko Ryūteki SoloMinamoto no HiromasaAn orchestral piece that concludes Tang music
22eastHyojo Goshōraku-kyū Ryūteki SoloTaizongA Tang-music piece that maps the Five Confucian Virtues onto a musical scale
23eastBugaku (Japanese court dance and music)The Eight Immortals is a traditional performing art of Goryeo music, dance, and rhythm.
24eastGagaku, Hyoujou (Basic Tone): ‘Sōboren’ (Yearning for One’s Beloved)Lady Kogō (Kogō no Tsubone)A classical piece of Tang music, a legendary composition of Emperor Takakura
25eastHeichō: Wang Zhaojun – Ryūteki SoloEmperor YuanWang Zhaojun was a beauty of the Han dynasty, known in tradition through the shakuhachi.
26eastKagura Dance “Azuma Asobi” at Ise Grand ShrineTōasobi is a type of gagaku, a native Japanese song-and-dance performance.
27eastTaishoku-chō Taheiraku Kyū, Ryūteki SoloA gagaku piece of Tang music that praises a military commander
28eastTaisyoku Onshu 〜 Keihairaku, AllegroThe horn scale discovered in Dunhuang, reconstructed in Japanese gagaku
29eastBugaku ‘Ranryo-o’ Ryuteki SoloA gagaku masterpiece: Ranryōō, solo performance on the ryūteki (dragon flute)
30eastMiyajima / Itsukushima Shrine Peach Blossom Festival Bugaku dance “Soriko”Sorigoku is a traditional dance of Gorye and music
31eastUhou KanjōrakuDance of Tang music: drumsticks and serpent, dancing gallantly
32eastMiyajima Itsukushima Shrine New Year Festival: Genshi-sai with Bugaku ‘Kotoraku’Hotokuraku performed at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima
33eastHyojo Funan, solo ryuteki performanceFunan was an ancient state in the Mekong River basin.
34eastThree Movements of the Shaking Spear, 2016The Spear Dance that announces the start of bugaku
35eastAtsuta Shrine Bugaku Ritual: Shin MokkanTraditional Gagaku dedicated at Atsuta Shrine
36eastGagaku, Hyōjō mode: Etenraku Zanraku (three reprises)Performance techniques that highlight the distinctive qualities of the koto in gagaku
37eastBugaku, Left Dance: Haruniwa no HanaDance music of Tang-style court music performed at the spring seasonal festival
38eastBugaku KiyotokuIn the Koma-gaku dance, they perform wearing masks and costumes.
39eastBugaku ‘Rakuson’ at Asama TaishaA form of bugaku that depicts the dance of a dragon.
40eastHeijo Mode Keiun Music Ryuteki SoloZhang WenshouKeiunraku is a piece of Tang music with no accompanying dance.
41eastHyōjō Urahitogaku Ryūteki SoloTeiyu LeeCourt Tang music dance piece, the legendary music for warding off bees
42eastButterfly Raku Express, thrice repeatedFujiwara no TadafusaKo-ryōgaku’s Kochōraku is a dance piece from the Heian period.
43eastHyōjō Keitoku Ryūteki SoloA Tang-dynasty court music piece praising the five virtues of the rooster
44eastHyōjō: Hayashi Song, Ryūteki Sololate springA type of Tang music: music of Koma (Goguryeo) origin without accompanying dance
45eastThe Offering Bugaku at Hokke-ji: “Ganzhou”XuanzongTang music 'Ganzhou' is a tradition of music and dance.
46eastSumiyoshi Taisha Unoha Ritual: Polo-like Court Music (Dakyūgaku)Yellow EmperorA traditional Tang-style court dance of striking a ball