MUS 111 - Japan Study Guide

shamisen

- 3 string plucked lute

- originated in China

- developed by blind street minstrels (bosama)

- folk music instrument

- from Tsugaru north region

shakuhachi

- flute

- connected with kumoso

- Kinko Kurosawa created repertoire

- folk music instrument

shinobue

- flute

- high pitched sound

- folk music instrument

koto

- chordophone

- gagaku string

- 13 string plucked zither

- form like guzheng

- culturally related to qin

- high status, played in temple

- 17th century Yatsuhashi Kengyo connected it with entertainment

Nō Hayashi

- Ensemble with Taiko, Ō-Tsuzumi, Ko-Tsuzumi, and Nōkan.

- First 3 are drums.

- Nokan is lead flute.

taiko

- Barrel shaped drum used in different ensemble music.

kakko

- membranophone

- gagaku double-headed drum

shoko

- membranophone

- gagaku drum

- small bronze gong used in Buddhist and folk music

sho

- gagaku wind instrument

- aerophone

- introduced from China during Nara period

hichiriki

- gagaku aerophone

- double reed flute

- main melody instruments in gagaku

komabue

gagaku flute

ryuteki

- gagaku wind instrument

- flute

- represents dragon

- pitch lower than komabue

biwa

- gagaku strings

- chordophones

- short-necked fretted lute

- used in narrative storytelling

aerophones

sho, hichiriki, ryuteki, kagurabue, and komabue

chordophones

gagaku strings, biwa, and koto

membranophones

gagaku drums, taiko, kakko, and shoko

Takahashi and Family

- shamisen player

- played tsugaru (virtuoso style of shamisen playing) similar to rock

- performed "Kagoshima Han'ya Bushi"

- performed "Tsugaru Jongara Bushi"

Yoshida Brothers

young shamisen duo that made it popular

Hibari Misora

- Performed "Minatomachi Juusan Banchi"

- "Queen of Enka"

Kyu Sakamoto

- early j-pop

- Performed "Ue o muite aruko", I look up as I walk

- national hit

Kan'ami and Zeami

father and son playwrights closely connected with development of No

Okuni

- a miko (temple servant)

- dancer for Shinto shrine

- created Kabuki

Yatsuhashi Kengyo

- koto repertoire

- connected koto with entertainment

- composed "Ume-ga-e", On a Plum Branch

- composed "Rokudan No Shirabe"

Kimio Eto

blind Japanese musician who played the koto

Ikuta Kengyo

- started school of koto that began mixing koto with shamisen

- jiuta vocal pieces from Osaka-Kyoto area

Michio Miyagi

- modern koto

- grew up around international culture

- became blind, introduced 17 string koto

- composed "Haru No Umi", the Ocean of the Spring

Midori Goto

Japanese-born American violinist

Keiko Nosaka

- modern koto

- introduced 21 string koto

Toru Takemitsu

famous Japanese composer of western classical music

Yuya Uchida

pioneer of Japanese rock in 1960s

Namie Amuro

- J-pop and R&B singer

- considered the "Queen of J-Pop" or "Japanese Madonna" during the height of her career

- Performed "Can you celebrate"

SMAP

- boy band

- extremely successful

- credited for changing Japan entertainment and music

- performed "Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana", Flower Unlike Any In the World

Shin' ichi Suzuki

-western classical music, violin

- Suzuki method of teaching

- formally taught children to play instruments

X Japan

- first major independent rock group in Japan

- founded visual kei style

- performed "X"

Chemistry

- Japanese pop duo.

- performed "pieces of the dream"

- first single and top selling single in Japan that year with over 2 million copies

Glay

visual kei group

Cosplay

wearing costumes

Malice Mizer

famous visual kei group

Hifana

famous Hip Hop and DJ group

King Giddra

- pioneering hip hop group in Japan

- performed "Mimawasou", Let's Look Around

- song from debut album The Power From the Sky (1995)

- led by Zeebra

geisha

- 'person of the arts'

- hired to perform at parties

- gatherings held at tea houses

- trained in arts -- song, theatre, poetry, flower arranging, conversation

bosama

-blind street minstrels who went door to door

- developed shamisen

Meiji Restoration

- 1868-1912

- marked end of samurai class, returned power to emperor and new powerful merchant class, transformation from feudalist to capitalist society

-turned to west for new ideas

-integration of music into military and education systems

-beginning of modern japan

- looked outside borders for musical inspiration

komoso

- fraternity of beggar minstrels/zen buddhists/masterless samurai

- played shakuhachi

Kabuki hanamichi

- passageway extends through audience

Nara Period

- 710 - 794 AD.

- first indigenous writings on Japanese music, earliest forms of music began

- shift from clan-based to system to more formalized governmental one

- dynamic period of international influence from China and Korea

Heian Period

- 794 - 1185

- began developing local forms of art

- dynamic period

- began assimilating foreign music and developing them into distinct Japanese art forms

- gagaku evolved into separate classes

syoko

- idea of Confucianism

- classical idea that related to simple construction of instruments

- old cultures and systems should be respected and not changed

- ancient melodies have inherent beauty

mono no aware

- 'sensitivity to things'

- beauty is found in transience of things

- describes 'pathos', type of sadness, longing, or love

zen

- principles of self-control

- musicians must exercise principles of self-control and moderation

- Japanese Buddhism

shinto

- "way of gods" largest number of followers

- music is represented through range of repertoire called kagura that each have their own distinct function

min'yo

- folk song, 'rural song' 'vulgar music'

- no identifiable composer

- orally passed between generations

No

- dramatic form and style of performance

- built around solo or chorus singing

- all male actors

- utilize masks

- instruments: taiko, ko-tsuzumi, o-tsuzumi, nokan

Kabuki

- similar to no

- rely on face painting

- more detailed stage set up

- nagauta formalized it

gagaku

- proper or elegant music (imperial court music)

- from China - togaku

- from Korea - komagaku

Rooted in three primary repertoires:

- shinto religious music, pieces connected with China and Korea, various local genres

- jo-ha-kyu: slow intro, faster build up, fast conclusion

danmono

- purely instrumental pieces with several sections written solely for the koto

sokyoku

- solo koto repertoire with vocal accompaniment

sankyoku

- Sankyoku 'Three Compositions'

- genre of music for koto, shakuhachi, and shamisen

- Came at end of Edo period

- One or more of the instrumentalists will double as singers

Shinkyoku (koto)

- new koto pieces in 20th century

honkyoku (shakuhachi)

- solo pieces for shakuhachi

Nagauta (shamisen)

- narrative folk songs adapted for Kabuki theater

enka

- Japanese country music

- more conservative

- modern pop

visual kei

- type of performance

- consists of makeup, big hair, elaborate costumes

- made popular by X Japan