Japanese music

Presented By:

JAPANESE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Shamisen

Koto

Shakuhachi

Biwa

Kozutsumi

Shakuhachi ( )

o Shakuhachi (i shaku ha sun) means 1.8 feet, the length of the classical flute. o At 8th century Egypt => India&China => Japan o At 13th century becomes Fuke sect of Buddhism. o Initially, usually used by komuso("Priests of Emptiness and Nothingness")

Kozutsumi ( )

o Existed during 7th century, originally from China/India o Kozutsumi (Shoulder Hand Drum) o Shoulder type of tsuzumi (Hour-glass shaped hand drum) o Found in themusicofNoh andKabukitheatres

Biwa ( )

History:

Came to Japan in the 7th Century

Evolved from the instrument pipa Asia) (derive from similar Western instrument from

Types of Biwa: o Classic biwa o Middle and Edo biwa o Modern biwa

Classic Biwa
Gagaku-biwa
o A large and heavy biwa with four string and four frets used exclusively for gagaku.
Gogen-biwa
o Can be seen in paintings of court orchestras and was used in the context of gagaku o Removed with the reforms and standardizations made to the court orchestra during the late 10th Century o Also disappear in the Chinese court orchestras.

Classic Biwa
Moso-biwa
o A biwa with four stings o Used to play buddhist mantra and songs. o Similar in shape to the chikuzen-biwa, but with a much more narrow body.

Middle and Edo biwa

Heike-biwa
o With four strings and five frets. o Used to play Heike Monogatari. o Its plectrum is slightly larger than gagaku-biwa but smaller than chikuzen-biwa.

Satsuma-biwa
o With four strings and four frets. o Popular during the Edo Period in Satsuma Province (Kagoshima) o The frets are raised 4 centimeter from the neck allowing notes to be bent several steps higher

Modern Biwa
Chikuzen-biwa
o With four or five strings and four or five frets. o Popular in the Meiji Period. o Five string version mostly used by contemporary performers. o Its plectrum is much smaller than Satsuma biwa.

Nishiki-biwa
o o With five strings and five frets Its plectrum is the same as Satsuma biwa

Koto ( )

History : o The ancestor of the koto was the Chinese zheng. o Introduced to Japan in the 7th and 8th century. o The first version had five strings then increased to 7 strings. o In the early Nara Period, it is increased to 12 strings then to 13 strings

Shamisen ( )

o Shamisen or known as Samisen or Sangen o Is a three-stringed instrument

musical called bachi.

played with a plectrum

Raw material for the instruments

Raw material for Shakuhachi

o Madak Bamboo or o Torachiku Bamboo

Raw material for Biwa

o o o o Rosewood or mulberry Chestnut Boxwood or sandalwood Strings made of silk

Raw material for Koto

o Paulownia wood o String made of silk o Plectrum made of ivory called as koto-Zume o Bridge called kotoji made of wood and animal bones such as whalebone o In recent years, kotoji become plastic kotoji which is made from ivory.

Raw material for Shamisen

o Most prized wood for shamisen is koki is a very hard imported kind of rosewood. o Dog or cat skin o Bridge or koma made from ivory, water buffalo horn, whalebone, bamboo and ebony. o String is made from silk.

Raw material for Kozutsumi

o body of the instrument is made of cherry and is 25 to 27 cm. long. o cup shaped parts have an external diameter of 10 cm. and an interior diameter of 8 cm. o skins are horse skin and are 20 cm. in diameter. o external edge is black and there are six holes. o two skins are tied to the body with a long linen cord called the "tate shirabe," which is 4.5 m. long .

INSTRUMENTS AND ITS EVENT

INSTRUMENTS AND ITS EVENT

Shakuhachi and Shamisen is use in bunraku (puppet show)

INSTRUMENTS AND ITS EVENT

Biwa is use in narrative story telling

INSTRUMENTS AND ITS EVENT

Kozutsumi is use in kabuki Japanese Dance Drama - perform in Japanese Theatre

INSTRUMENTS AND ITS EVENT

Koto is usually perform in solo performance. Sometimes performed together with shamisen and shakuhachi

Shakuhachi + Koto VIDEO PRESENTATI ON Shamisen

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