Sign in for a personalized experience.
Travel
Living
A-Z
Forum
Friends
Jobs
Shopping
Related Pages
Music
Arts and Crafts
Tradition

Survey: Music instruments
Kabuki
Bunraku
No
Enka
J-Pop

Related Questions
Traditional Japanese Music
 2 reactions, last updated 133 days ago

Survey
How would you rate your experiences staying at Japanese hotels/ryokan?
Very good
Good
Neither good nor bad
Bad
Very bad
Never stayed at one
see results
Other Surveys:
Budget for ryokan stay
Next trip to Japan
Improvements to Tourism
Financial Crisis
Ski Destination
Preferred way to stay at a ryokan
Purpose of visit
Most popular region
Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter
Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

Sponsored Listings
Japan - Order FREE Brochure!
About vacation plans and specialty travel.
Tour Packages
Guided and individual tour plans.
Car Rental
The cheapest rates in Japan!

Home - Arts and Crafts
Traditional Music

There are several types of traditional, Japanese music (hogaku). Some of the most important ones are listed below:
  • Gagaku:
    Ancient court music from China and Korea. It is the oldest type of Japanese, traditional music.

  • Biwagaku:
    Music played with the Biwa, a kind of guitar with four strings.

  • Nohgaku:
    Music played during Noh performances. It basically consists of a chorus, the Hayashi flute, the Tsuzumi drum, and other instruments.

  • Sokyoku:
    Music played with the Koto, a type of zither with 13 strings. Later also accompanied by Shamisen and Shakuhachi.

  • Shakuhachi:
    Music played with the Shakuhachi, a bamboo flute that is about 55 cm long. The name of the flute is its length expressed in shaku an old Japanese unit of length.

  • Shamisenongaku:
    Music played with the Shamisen, a kind of guitar with only three strings. Kabuki and Bunraku performances are accompanied by the shamisen.

  • Minyo:
    Japanese folk songs.

English Links
Japanese Music (University of Texas: International)
General information.
Rolling Thunder
About Japanese Taiko drums.
Shammy's Page
Everything about the Shamisen.
Japanese flutes
About Japanese flutes.
Koto (Yasue&Toru Homepage)
Everything about Koto.

Product Links
Tsugaru Shamisen

Koto Music of Japan

Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments
Book by William P. Malm
Tsugaru Shamisen
Audio CD by Chikuzan Takahashi
Shamisen
Audio CD by Various Artists
Koto Music of Japan
Audio CD by Various Artists
Lullaby For The Moon: Japanese Music For Koto And Shakuhachi
Audio CD by Various Artists
Shakuhachi Meditation Music
Audio CD by Stan Richardson
Gagaku & Beyond
Audio CD by Tokyo Gakuso and Tadaaki Ohno

Japanese Links
Gagaku Home Page
Everything about Gagaku.
Japanese flutes
About Japanese flutes.
Shammy's Page
Everything about the Shamisen.
Koto (Yasue&Toru Homepage)
Everything about Koto.

Asian-inspired
living room furniture

Copyright © 1996-2009 japan-guide.com All rights reserved - Last Page Update: June 9, 2002
home - site map - privacy policy - terms of use - contact - L‚ɂ‚¢‚Ä - advertising