Traditional Japanese Instruments and Music Genres

shamisen

A three-stringed traditional Japanese instrument played with a plectrum.

shakuhachi

A traditional Japanese bamboo flute used often in Zen meditation and Honkyoku music.

shinobue

A high-pitched Japanese transverse bamboo flute used in folk and festival music.

koto

A long zither-like string instrument played horizontally with movable bridges.

nōkan

A bamboo flute used in Nō theatre with a unique high-pitched tone.

taiko

A broad term for Japanese drums; used in festivals, rituals, and ensemble performances.

kakko

A small drum used in Gagaku.

shokō

A small gong used in Gagaku.

shō

A mouth organ used in Gagaku, producing cluster chords.

hichiriki

A double-reed instrument known for its haunting tone, used in Gagaku.

komabue

A small flute used in Gagaku music, originating from Korean influence.

ryuteki

A transverse bamboo flute used in Gagaku, representing the dragon's flight.

biwa

A short-necked wooden lute often used by traveling storytellers.

aerophones

Instruments that produce sound through vibrating air, like flutes and reed instruments.

chordophones

Instruments that produce sound through vibrating strings, like koto and shamisen.

membranophones

Instruments that produce sound via a stretched membrane, like taiko drums.

Nō Hayashi ensemble

Taiko, Ō-Tsuzumi, and Ko-Tsuzumi—traditional drums used in Nō theatre.

Takahashi Family

A renowned taiko drumming family.

Yoshida Brothers

Shamisen virtuosos known for fusing traditional and modern music.

Hibari Misora

A legendary singer of enka and popular post-war Japanese music.

Kyu Sakamoto

Singer of the international hit "Sukiyaki" in the 1960s.

Kan'ami and Zeami

Founders and major playwrights of Nō theatre.

Okuni

The creator of Kabuki theatre.

Yatsuhashi Kengyō

Known as the 'father of koto music.'

Kimio Eto

A koto player who popularized the instrument internationally.

Ikuta Kengyō

Developer of a new koto playing style; founder of Ikuta school.

Michio Miyagi

A 20th-century blind koto composer and innovator.

Midori Goto

A world-renowned Japanese-American violinist.

Shin'ichi Suzuki

Developer of the Suzuki method for teaching violin.

Shinpei Nakayama

Composer known for early ryūkōka music.

Keiko Nosaka

Performer known for the 20-string and 25-string koto.

Toru Takemitsu

A famous Japanese composer blending Western and Japanese styles.

Yuya Uchida

Rock musician and promoter of Western rock in Japan.

Namie Amuro

A Japanese pop icon and fashion leader from the 1990s-2010s.

SMAP

A popular Japanese boy band known for music, acting, and variety shows.

X Japan

A pioneering Visual Kei band blending metal and ballads.

Chemistry

A Japanese R&B duo known for soulful pop ballads.

cosplay

Dressing up as characters from anime, manga, or video games; part of fan culture.

Glay

A Japanese rock band associated with Visual Kei.

Malice Mizer

A Visual Kei band known for theatrical performances and Gothic style.

Hifana

A breakbeat duo blending electronic music and traditional Japanese elements.

Min'yō

Traditional Japanese folk songs.

Nō

Classical Japanese drama featuring masked performers and slow movements.

Kabuki

A colorful and dramatic form of Japanese theatre with stylized acting.

Gagaku

Ancient Japanese court music, often featuring wind and percussion instruments.

Danmono

A type of instrumental music for the koto in sectional form.

Sōkyoku

Koto solo or ensemble music, often vocal.

Sankyoku

A trio ensemble of koto, shamisen, and shakuhachi.

Shinkyoku (koto)

"New music" for the koto, often in a Western-influenced style.

Honkyoku (shakuhachi)

Traditional solo shakuhachi music with Zen Buddhist roots.

Nagauta (shamisen)

"Long song" style of music used in Kabuki theatre.

Ryūkōka

Early 20th-century Japanese popular music blending Western and Japanese styles.

Enka

A sentimental genre of popular music, rooted in traditional ballads.

Visual Kei

A music genre and fashion style characterized by flamboyant visuals and rock/metal music.

geisha

Female entertainers skilled in traditional Japanese arts.

bosama

Blind musicians who performed on the streets, often with the biwa.

Meiji Restoration

A political revolution in 1868 that restored imperial rule and modernized Japan.

komusō

Zen monks who played shakuhachi as spiritual practice.

Kabuki hanamichi

A raised walkway extending into the audience used for dramatic entrances/exits in Kabuki.

Nara Period (710-794 AD)

A time of cultural growth, marked by Buddhism and Chinese influence in music and art.

Heian Period (794-1185)

An era of refined court culture and the development of Japanese aesthetics.

syoko (shōkō)

A small gong used in Gagaku; may also refer to ceremonial uses.

mono no aware

A Japanese aesthetic of the bittersweet awareness of the impermanence of things.

Zen

A form of Japanese Buddhism emphasizing meditation and direct experience.

Shinto

Japan's indigenous religion focused on kami (spirits) and natural elements.

King Giddra

a Japanese hip hop group that started in 1993

Nō

form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century