Gagaku (Japanese Court Music)
Gagaku is Japanese court music developed with Japanese original ancient music and foreign music transmitted from old Asian countries. So it's been completed around 10th century, it's said that it is the best and oldest classical performing arts in the world. Roughly divided, there are two types of gagaku pieces, tohgaku and komagaku.
Type | Name | Description |
Wind | Ryuteki | Transverse flute for tohgaku |
Wind | Komabue | Transverse flute for komagaku |
Wind | Kagurabue | Transverse flute for kagurauta |
Wind | Sho | Free-reed flute made of 17 thin bamboo pipes |
Wind | Hichiriki | Double-reed flute that produces loud sound |
String | Gaku Biwa | Biwa for gagaku |
String | Gakuso | 13 strings koto for gagaku |
String | Wagon | 6 strings ancient koto for gagaku |
Percussion | Gaku Daiko | Flat drum hung from the stand for gagaku |
Percussion | Dadaiko (Kaen Daiko) | Huge drums decorated with flame-shaped flame |
Percussion | Shouko | Small gong hung from the stand for gagaku |
Percussion | Kakko | Small drum played with sticks for tohgaku |
Percussion | Sannotsuzumi | Small drum played with a stick for komagaku |
Percussion | Shakubyoshi | Wooden percussion made of two titual baton |