Festival hayashi music is indispensable to Japanese festivals.
It’s music performed with traditional Japanese instruments—such as taiko drums, flutes, and small gongs—sounds that every Japanese person has likely heard somewhere.
Classified as pure traditional Japanese music, festival hayashi has long been performed and cherished at festivals across the country.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide variety of such local festival hayashi!
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"Japanese Traditions" Japanese Festival Music of Traditional Japanese Music (1–10)
Edo Festival Hayashi
Edo festival hayashi, which could be called the very symbol of Tokyo’s festivals, has an impressively long history, dating back to the era of Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Edo shogunate.
Edo festival hayashi has a fixed structure, much like a suite.
The performers are called hayashikata, and their distinctive costume consists of a hanten jacket and white tabi socks.
Sahara Bayashi
Sahara-bayashi is one of Japan’s famous festival music traditions, alongside Kanda-bayashi and Kyoto Gion-bayashi.
It is performed at festivals such as the Sawara Grand Festival in Katori City, Chiba Prefecture.
During the Sawara Grand Festival, the musicians, called the Geza-ren, ride on the festival floats (dashi) and perform, so in the Sawara area the festival music is also referred to as “Geza.” There are dozens of pieces in the repertoire, ranging from leisurely tunes to lively ones.
Tenjin Bayashi
Tenjin Bayashi, passed down in the Tsumaari region of Niigata Prefecture, is known as a representative festival tune that embodies Japan’s traditions and culture.
Originally said to be a celebratory song praying for a bountiful rice harvest, it features in its lyrics seeds long considered auspicious: daikon (radish) seed, buckwheat seed, and taro seed.
The vibrant rhythm woven by the powerful thud of drums and the timbre of flutes stirs the listener’s heart and further heightens the spirit of the festival.
Gion Festival Music
Gion-bayashi is performed with flutes, drums, and bells on top of the festival floats (yama and hoko) during the Gion Festival at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.
You see various hoko floats in the Gion Festival, and the music played atop those floats is this Gion-bayashi.
For many people in Kyoto, hearing that tune evokes the feeling of summer.
It conveys a sense of the sacred while heightening the festive atmosphere, and it is considered one of the three great hayashi ensemble traditions of Japan.
Asakusa Sanja Festival Hayashi
Sanja-bayashi was created when, in 1970, people set out to develop festival music unique to the Sanja Festival, different from the traditional Edo-bayashi.
You can hear music as splendid as Edo-bayashi.
It begins with Michiyuki, performed only with shinobue flute and shime-daiko drum, and is structured into Ichinomiya, Ninomiya, and Sannomiya.
Listeners are intoxicated by the magnificent performance that heightens the festival’s excitement.
foolish festivity music
This uniquely named “Baka-bayashi” leaves a strong impression.
One explanation for the name is that the dancers wear slightly comical masks—like Hyottoko and Okame—while they perform.
It’s also said the name may have evolved from earlier terms such as “Waka-bayashi” or “Waka-bayashi” (poem ensemble).
Another hallmark is the performance of many pieces using instruments like drums, flutes, and kane (hand gongs).
Beyond the festive brilliance of the hayashi ensemble itself, what really catches the eye is the vigorous dancing of the masked performers.
As the music swells, the dance grows ever more intense—something best enjoyed together with the lively, rhythmic hayashi.
Kanda-bayashi (Kanda Festival music)
The Kanda-style festival music had been on hiatus since 1959.
However, in January 1979, “Kanda-bayashi” was revived.
Today, elementary and junior high school students are at the heart of the activities, enlivening the festival music.
This traditional festival music continues to be carefully passed down.