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Home - Arts and Crafts

Traditional Music

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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.

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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

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.

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