Traditional Music

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 andShakuhachi.
• 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 Bunrakuperformances are accompanied by the shamisen.
• Minyo:
  Japanese folk songs.