Traditional music
As is the case everywhere, Japan's musical tradition has been shaped by history. Buddhism was introduced to the country during the Asuka period (592-628), and masked ritual dances were associated with it. As a vehicle for the transmission of wisdom, music was king, and Emperor Mommu (697-707) even established a Ministry of Music: Gagaku-ryō. During the artistically brilliant Nara period (710-793), not only did Chinese music (from the Tang dynasty) penetrate the country en masse, but also music from India, Persia and Central Asia.
It was at this time that gagaku became official in the country. Court music, also practiced in temples, gagaku quickly gained favor with aristocrats and civil servants through the introduction of Buddhist shōmyō chanting, originally from India. It is in shōmyō, chant and liturgy, that a fundamental unity is formed: the melodic cell. During the Kamakura era (1185-1333), a period of religious renewal, the art of the biwa (four-stringed lute) developed alongside Buddhist chanting, reinforced by the development of the Shingon and Tendai sects. The High Middle Ages (11th-16th centuries) saw the blossoming of so-called "rustic" music(dengaku, composed mainly of music and dance) and "sparse" music(sangaku, much more playful, with jokes, imitations, hallucinatory effects and puppets). Japanese music really took off during the Edo period, with the arrival of the shamisen (plucked string instrument) in 1562. At this time, a unity of instruments developed, with the koto, the horizontal harp, the biwa lute and the bamboo shakuhachi flute, of Chinese origin. While koto music known as sōkyoku developed in Kyūshū, songs accompanied by the shamisen - the ji-uta- flourished in Kansai. When the latter became an accompaniment for kabuki, it changed its name to nagauta . From this period, all modern Japanese musical genres have retained their elastic tempos.
To listen to traditional Japanese music, it's a good idea to turn to albums by the Yoshida brothers (Yoshida Kyōdai), a shamisen duo. Very popular in the country, their albums mix traditional tunes with their own compositions (inspired by Japanese folklore). Otherwise, in Tokyo, many theaters in the Ginza district regularly feature traditional music. That said, a real opportunity to sample all the flavours of Japanese musical tradition in one go is to attend a matsuri. Rich in music, these popular festivals, often organized around Shintō shrines or Buddhist temples, are celebrated all over the country, mainly during the summer. In Tokyo, there's Hina Matsuri on March 3, a doll festival, and Hana Matsuri on April 8, a flower festival commemorating the birth of Buddha. In Kyoto, Aoi Matsuri, on May 15, is a rose festival, while Gion Matsuri, lasting the whole month of July, is inspired by a 9th-century rite to combat the plague. Absolutely gigantic, with float parades, it is the equivalent of Tokyo's Kanda Matsuri festival.
Classical music
150 years after its introduction to the country, classical music - in the Western sense of the word - is still in perfect love with the Japanese. Introduced at the start of the Meiji era (1868-1912) - a period of modernization and opening up of the country - the genre owes a great deal to Shuji Isawa (1851-1917), an observer sent to the United States to study the teaching, practice and dissemination of music. On his return, and at his instigation, the Meiji government took the radical step of making instruction in Western music compulsory in primary and secondary schools. The American occupation at the end of the Second World War (1945-1952) was another event contributing to the spread of classical music in the country.
Today, as early as elementary school, children are taught music, a subject as important as mathematics or history. In fact, most schools have their own orchestras. But there's no doubt that the reason for Japan's fantastic classical boom is the country's economic miracle of the 1960s. Since then, the country has been a popular destination for the biggest international names, attracted by the quality of its venues and the generosity of its audiences. That said, while Japan is still one of the world's most dynamic streaming markets, Japanese orchestras, while excellent, are struggling to establish international reputations and export themselves.
In addition to Toru Takemitsu, often rightly referred to as the leader of Japanese classical music, the list of composers excelling in the field is long. These include Teizō Matsumura, whose work was influenced by Ravel and Stravinsky, Toshio Hosokawa, who thought of his compositions as "sound calligraphy", Yasushi Akutagawa, who was close to Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aram Khachaturian, who was the only Japanese composer whose works were officially published in the Soviet Union at the time. The country also boasts a giant of the conducting world, Seiji Ozawa, leader of the Japanese school and one of the greatest specialists of 20th-century French music. Following in his footsteps is Kazushi Ōno, known in France for conducting the Opéra national de Lyon orchestra in 2008/2009.
When you love it, you don't count. And the country loves classical music so much that in its capital alone, there are sixteen professional orchestras (thirty-three in the country) and five large halls with over 2,000 seats. And while quality is everywhere, with perfect acoustics in every hall, some institutions stand out from the crowd. This is particularly true of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the best in the country (by all accounts), whose prestige continues to be fueled by the excellent Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi. The ensemble performs at NHK Hall, Suntory Hall and Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Lesser-rated but also very good, the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Briton Jonathan Nott, performs in the huge performing arts building that is the New Tokyo National Theater (whose sleek design is the work of architect Takahiko Yanagisawa). A number of prestigious classical music ensembles perform on the stages of the Tōkyō International Forum, as well as at the Tōkyō Metropolitan Art Space in the Ikebukuro district, an avant-garde space with concert halls.
J-Pop
In the land of the rising sun, all modern Western styles seem to have found their translation. Rap, rock, pop, variety... Japanese music has assimilated many genres into the country's codes. A ubiquitous soundtrack in Tokyo, Japanese music is often confused with J-pop, a musical genre that became dominant in the late 1990s and refers to the large number of girl and boy bands performing in Japan. It follows on from 1980s city pop, a typically Japanese blend of disco-funk, and 1990s shibuya-kei, a kitschy fusion of Western sixties pop (Beach Boys, Phil Spector and Serge Gainsbourg) and local variety. Today, the genre is invariably a gold mine, driven by groups like AKB48, a 130-member (!) collective that has sold over sixty million albums in Japan, or Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, a local Lady Gaga intimately linked to the kawaii aesthetic and Tokyo's Harajuku district. Tokyo's youth district par excellence, Harajuku is the cradle and meeting point of J-pop culture. Once the cradle of the counter-culture, it's still bustling, but today more eccentric than anti-conformist. Another Tokyo, a must-see.
Dance and theater
Music, dance and theater are often one and the same in Japanese tradition, with each art playing an important role in the other. On the whole, Japanese theater refers back to the great Shintō myths and age-old legends. This is particularly evident in kagura, the oldest form of theatrical dance (and ritual dance) in Japan. Translatable and understandable as "sacred ritualization of a place", kagura is often performed on the occasion of matsuri or seasonal rites. They feature myths or historical events, and every shrine, local or national, has its own variant. There are imperial kaguras, or mi-kaguras, dating from the 9th century; watered-down dances performed by temple maids, known as miko-kagura or miko-mai; and rustic dances called sato-kagura or ta-mai, imitating farm chores. Overall, kagura are propitiatory and purifying dance rituals. They are performed to ward off epidemics and fire, and to ensure good harvests.
Gigaku may have been introduced to Japan in the 7th century, during the Asuka period. Originally accompanying Buddhist rites, it consists of a parade of dancers wearing huge masks, during ritual dances performed at the temple, and sometimes accompanied by mimes to entertain the audience.
Although nō has retained distant links with the Buddhist religion and Shintō rites, it is first and foremost a secular dance. While some claim that the dance's roots lie in Tibet or China, it would appear to be descended from kagura. A costumed and masked lyrical drama dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, nō is characterized by its minimalist, codified and symbolic acting, which does not tell a plot but expresses an emotion or atmosphere. A highly singular form of dramatic art, nōwas one of the first to be included on UNESCO's list of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2008. The repertoire currently numbers some 250 pieces.
As interludes that pull the spectator out of the motionless trance into which the nō has plunged him, kyōgen ("antics" or "farces") are often disparaged and relegated to the register of minor arts. And yet. Performed with great talent, these kinds of short sketches serve to highlight the burlesque situations of everyday life.
Meaning "exuberant and marginal", kabuki undoubtedly originally referred to avant-garde theater. An epic form of traditional drama, kabuki illustrates historical events or moral conflicts. Actors speak in monotone voices, accompanied by traditional instruments such as the shamisen. Kabuki is the most popular form of traditional theater today (audience level). Actors enjoy great renown and often appear in films or on television.
The latest and most popular form of Japanese theater, bunraku is performed with large puppets, manipulated by three manipulators while a single narrator plays all the roles.
You can't really visit Tokyo without stopping off at one of its traditional theaters. The Kanze No Gaku-Do Theater is one of the best places to see nō in the Shibuya district. A special moment to admire actors, their masks and their most beautiful kimonos. Another beautiful place, with its cypress wood stage and gardens, the National Theater of Nō (Kokuritsu Nohgaku-Do) also offers an exhibition hall with a collection of masks and costumes. In Kyoto, the touristy Gion Corner theater offers, from March to November, a 50-minute medley of traditional arts, from ikebana and tea ceremony to kyōmai (Kyōto dance) and kyōgen, bunraku and gagaku. Less authentic but more panoramic.
