John Goulter 15077021 Sociology Excursion Make Up Report

This report will focus on the Meiji Era Traditional Japanese music such as

Gagaku, Kabuki, Shakuhachi, folk styles and any changes that happened to the music

due　to westernization of Japan during this era.

Firstly　before starting any discussion on Japanese music it is important to describe　

what we mean by Japanese music. An endeavor such as this is quite　difficult as　

Japanese music has a wide and varied past. Discussions can range from exploring the

music of the native people of Hokkaido or Okinawa; to the music played on mainly

imported instruments from China; or even the folk songs passed down before Japan had

any other influence from other countries.

For the purpose of this report I will focus on the popular styles of music played in the

Meiji Era and today in Japan. I will first define what the Japanese music was before the

westernization of Japan. Then I will explore, what the westernization of Japan meant for

its musical styles and outline the impacts this process has had on those musical styles.

There are eight main genres of traditional music in Japan.

1. Gagaku (lit: elegant music) is the oldest surviving music in japan.

Established around 1200 years ago coming from various influences and sources coming

from Japanese folk songs and Chinese court music. (Traditional Japanese Music, 2015)

2.  Shoumyou (Buddhist Chanting) though introduced to Japan in around

552, the preservation of the music dates to Japanese priests Saichou and Kuukai during

the Heian period.

3.   Jishin Biwa is Buddhist chanting accompanied by the Biwa. The Biwa

was originally only used in Gagaku settings but began to accompany Buddhist

chanting during the Heian period.

4.   Noh is essentially a theatrical art but its music is one of the most important genres of

traditional Japanese music. The music drew together with acting and literature into one

fine art form where they would be hard to tell apart.

5.   Koto music is also used in Gagaku but also has a large solo and

accompaniment repertoire. Many styles some with small differences and some with　big

differences emerged through time.

6.   Kabuki and Bunraku is also music for a theatrical purpose but played

on the shamisen. It is capable of emitting many moods depending on how it is

played which suits its purpose. (Goodwin, 2015)

7.   Shakuhachi is an end blown flute with four holes, despite its simple　design it is

capable of making every tone in the western scale. Used originally　for religious

purpose by wandering monks it has now expanded to duet and solo　repertoire.

8.  Japanese folk music like every country is used for storytelling, 　religious songs,

celebrations, work songs and family songs. (Kishibe, 1984.)

Now all of these styles in different areas of Japan from Hokkaido to Okinawa have their

own specific styles and unique variety of instruments. During the 6-9th century Japan

experienced a huge surge of Chinese culture; in that period many Chinese instruments

were imported and the Japanese people took to them and made them uniquely

Japanese.

Add something here connecting things

For example the Shou: a free reed instrument modeled after the Chinese Sheng. The

Shou is mainly used in Gagaku as a harmony device while the Sheng has been used

both as a harmony device and a solo instrument. More recently the Shou has been

made by modern composers into a solo and duo instrument, likewise the Sheng has

been remodeled and given more abilities to play harmony parts. This example

demonstrates how Japan has managed to uniquely repurpose the original Chinese

instrument to suit the Japanese music style. Similar examples are evident with the

Chinese Guzheng and the Japanese Koto.

As outlined there is a vast range of Japanese music styles and instruments which may

not have originally been from Japan but that have been adapted and molded to suit

Japanese music. So now how did the westernization of japan during the MejiiMeiji era

affect the Japanese music now centuries old?

The differences between the theory of Japanese music and western music is vast. For

brief examples, western music changes key, sometime frequently while Japanese music

normally maintains a single key. Western music has a mathematical formula used for

certain instruments (i.e. piano, guitar) while Japanese music is mainly based of nature.

Western music has a complex notation system while Japanese music tends to keep it

simple. (Tokita and Hughes, 2008)

So when western music and instruments first arrived in Japan it would have been a

surprise to many people’s ears to hear some of the sounds coming out of a piano and

slightly out of tune sounds that these news instruments brought(I mean out of tune by 3-

12 cents, please keep in mind while the difference is almost nothing but to ears used to

just intonation for hundreds of years it may sound a little weird to say the least).

Ok so now to the good stuff, what did western music do to Japanese traditional music?

My thought is nothing major at least to the existing styles. We can still see these styles

today as they were hundreds of years ago. Gagaku has remained mostly unchanged for

a long time with small changes to instrumentation with a sparser, slower texture and

pace has becoming the norm. Shakuhachi and Kabuki music remains the same, no new

additions or adjustments to the instruments.

The only 　thing that you cannot account for is Japanese musicians hearing western

music 　and changing their own styles so slightly though first I doubt they would in a　

professional setting because of the tradition that they are holding up. They　may

experiment with different things outside of their paid roles.

Secondly this would be very hard to prove years ago when western music was harder to

come by compared to today where one can access Wagner’s Ring trilogy on the internet

for free.

Therefore I believe that the main change to Japanese music was the education system,

the blending of west and east into new styles via use of new western instruments

techniques and instruments.

During the Meiji era a major reform to education in Japan happened, the Japanese

government tried to remold the Samurai based education of the Edo period was

removed and the Meiji leaders introduced a public schooling system to help Japan catch

up with the West. Scholars were sent aboard to study foreign education systems and

foreign experts were invited over to teach. (Eppstein, 1994).

Though Confucian ethics were replaced with western textbooks after 10 -15 years

American educational idea were being more closely looked at and more traditional

approaches like Shinto and Confucian ideals were once again stressed.

The public schooling music education was placed into the hands of Isawa Shuuji and

Luther Whiting Mason. In 1880 Mason went to help form a curriculum for music, there

was much talk about combining east and west into one system, the results are quite a bit

less than that. It was given almost a complete western orientation from the sheet music,

tonal systems, songs and instruments. (Malm, 2015).

While traditional Japanese instruments were almost forgotten by the new education

system those that were introduced were introduced with western notation which did the

styles no justice with its notation.

The first songbook used, Shouugaku Shouukashuu (1881), contained western songs

with Japanese words and pieces compassed by Mason. The main source of these songs

were from American song books. These were quickly replaced by more popular military

music (Gunka), which the children were more aware of (Sumikawa, 2015). Because

of this focus on western music much of the traditional music to most of the Japanese

population is now unknown. (Please see Post script after references)

The main styles that have emerged from this western influx of are Shin hougagaku,

Gendai hougaku and Enka.

Enka uses traditional or romanticized aspects of Japanese culture; Enka singers, usually

wear Japanese formal attire. Though the (theme) is Japanese in style, the melodies

harmonies and instruments used are normally western although Shakuhachi and

shamisen have also be known to be used. (Lande, 2007)

 

Shin hougaku (new western music) is an attempt at playing Japanese instruments while

incorporating western musical elements such as different tunings, techniques, tonal

systems, and sometimes playing with western instruments. For example a koto may use

a diatonic 7 tone system as compared to the normal pentatonic system. (Lande,

2007)

Gendai hougaku is the current idea of traditional Japanese music. It refers to music after

the war where the sense of Japanese tone and performance were re-recognized.

(Lande, 2007)

The first composer to incorporate western and eastern styles into one composition was

Miyagi Michio (1894–1956), a blind koto teacher who was at 18 appointed Kengyo which

is the highest rank for a koto player; he also invented, a 17 string bass koto and a 80

string koto, improved existing instruments and wrote over 500 pieces in traditional and

new styles. (AllMusic,2015)

Another major artist who has used both western and Japanese music styles and

instruments to the full potential is Joe Hisaishi. He successfully blends Japanese style

melodies and folk song styles with western orchestras. Born in 1950 his style is a

representation of the music education system and being raised in japan with the

Japanese culture. He mainly composed for films, his most well-known collaboration is

with Ghilbli Studio and Hayao Miyazaki where they make animated films based off

Japanese folk talks and themes. (English.cri.cn, 2015)

So here we can see that the westernization of japan during the Mejii era had major

effects on the music we hear today but that it did not have a major change on any

existing style as they still exist and like most folk and tradition style of most countries

they stay within the groups and people who make them their lives.

Though I do believe that the introduction or more to say focus on western music as

compared to the traditional arts in schools was not a good thing. As I explain more in the

post script most young Japanese people would be hard strung to name 3 Gagaku

instruments without being shown pictures or kanji. Compared with western instruments

and music culture most high school students (Japanese or Western) can name 10

instruments from an orchestra and name their favorite band members instruments.

They are not using pianos in Gagaku performances, shamisen do not have frets as

western guitars do and the tuning of the Shakuhachi has not been changed to fit with

equal temperament. There is wide variety of genres in Japanese music spawning from a

western introduction to music. All I can say is that I hope that we do not lose the

traditional music of Japan just to the experts and musical families that hold it dear.

References

AllMusic, (2015). Michio Miyagi | Biography & History | AllMusic. [online] Available at:

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/michio-miyagi-mn0002174814/biography [Accessed 19

Oct. 2015].

English.cri.cn, (2015). Composer Joe Hisaishi's Biography. [online] Available at:

http://english.cri.cn/6666/2010/06/22/2483s578223.htm [Accessed 19 Oct. 2015].

Eppstein, U. (1994). The beginnings of Western music in Meiji era Japan. Lewiston,

N.Y.: E. Mellen Press.

Goodwin, W. (2015). asiantheatre - Musical Instruments of Kabuki by Will Goodwin.

[online] Asiantheatre.wikispaces.com. Available at:

https://asiantheatre.wikispaces.com/Musical+Instruments+of+Kabuki+by+Will+Goodwin

[Accessed 19 Oct. 2015].

Kishibe, S. (1984). The traditional music of Japan.

Lande, L. (2007). Innovating musical tradition in Japan.

Malm, W. (2015). Japanese music :: The Meiji period and subsequent music. [online]

Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at:

http://global.britannica.com/art/Japanese-music/The-Meiji-period-and-subsequent-music

[Accessed 19 Oct. 2015].

Matsue, J. (n.d.). Focus.

Sumikawa, S. (2015). [online] Available at:

http://www.lehigh.edu/~rfw1/courses/1999/spring/ir163/Papers/pdf/shs3.pdf [Accessed

19 Oct. 2015].

Tokita, A. and Hughes, D. (2008). The Ashgate research companion to Japanese music.

Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate.

Traditional Japanese Music, (2015). Gagaku. [online] Available at:

http://faculty.cascadia.edu/gstrand/MUS250/Resources/Japanese%20Gagaku

%20Music.pdf [Accessed 19 Oct. 2015].

Post script.

During my stay here in japan I have spoken to many people old and young, often during

the conversations they ask why I am in Japan, I answer to study music, especially

traditional music. They will be surprised normally and ask for more details, I then say a

few instruments or genres of traditional music. Most of the time when I say Gagaku,

Shou or folk music styles are my interest they are shocked and often are unaware of

what I am talking about.

I know that this is not proper documented research though I feel it adds to my case that

during westernization of japan the overt focus on western music has had dire

consequences throughout the culture of Japan. I have meet some people who knew

about what I talked about but even then their knowledge is quite limited. The main

knowledgeable people that I have meet have been families of musicians, instrument

makers or repairers.

Another note is that while writing this paper I spent a lot of time in the Communication

plaza consequently many friends asked what I was doing. I told them what I was doing

and decided to test their knowledge about traditional Japanese music in an informal way.

Out of 25 friends I asked if they knew what Gagaku was 0 knew. Around 6-7

Out of 25 friends I asked if they knew what a Shou was 1 knew. Around 5 knew what I

was speaking about after I showed them I picture of the instrument and the rest did not

know even after I showed them a picture and they had no knowledge that it was a

Japanese instrument.

While this is a small sample size and limited questions, it does contain people from 1st-

4th years which shows that multiple ages and have limited knowledge about their

traditional musics.

I don’t not believe this to be the case just in japan, while living in India to study music

many young people I spoke to were quite uneducated on their own traditional music and

simply quite uninterested.