Music Culture in Japan - Report Example

Running Head: MCJ Music Culture in Japan Your name: Institution name: Introduction Japanese music includes a wide array of performers which has a distinct style both modern and traditional. In 2000, Japan ranked second after the United States in music market in the world, and most the market has been dominated by artists who are home based. When the country forcibly opened its ports to the rest of the world and its influences, it allowed for the first time since losing its door, access to outside culture particularly its music. From combining classical music with their own traditional music making lounge jazz even more insufferable, Japanese people have been able to take everything that have been thrown to them in the music world and, with a brush, completely marked it over as something very Japanese, or at least perceptibly Japanese from, well, an outsider's perspective. Japanese music models have been superimposed by Europeans ways. The reasons for this have been bound up with philosophy, sociology and cultural policy. What is clear in this research is that Western music has gained such a foothold that in popular parlance it has become synonymous with "music" in general. Nowadays, when Japanese want to refer to their traditional music, they are compelled to add the word “Japanese”, in order to avoid misunderstandings. In this research paper we will investigate ways in which Japanese culture have used music authenticate their local identities and the place of music in a national narrative of kokusaika (internationalization). Traditional Music Traditional music in Japan for many years have been referred to as Japan’s historical folk music. One characteristic that has defined traditional music for a long time has been its sparse rhythm. Regular chords are also absent in the traditional music. In traditional music, it is impossible for an individual to beat time to the music. All the rhythms in this kind of music are ma-based, and silence is usually an important part of the songs. The focus in almost all traditional music is on the flows in attempt that is able to mirror the behavior of nature. It is regular for Japanese traditional songs to start with a slow pace and to increase the speed as they progress. Then, they get slow again before transitioning into long and drawn out finishes. Traditional Japanese music can be categorized into three main types, theatrical, instrumental and court music. Kabuki is one type of theatrical music and can be subdivided into three categories. The first is kabuki music is Shimoza ongaku and is played for lower seats (kuromisu) below the theater stage. The second is Gidayubushi, which is similar to joruri music. Joruri is a type of narrative music that uses shamisen and has four styles. The last category of kabuki is noh. The hayashi-kata plays Noh music. They use kotsuzumi, fue, taiko, and otsuzumi instruments to make the sounds. The oldest traditional music in Japanese culture are gagaku, orchestral court music, and shomoyo or you could use Buddhist chanting, both of which date to the Heian and Nara periods. Gagaku was mostly performed at Imperial court since the Heian Period, and is divided into instrumental music (kangen) and bugaku; a dance which is accompanied by gagaku. Historically some a few of Japanese music originated from other countries. For example, Shomyo which has it origin from India and was brought to Japan during the country’s Nara period; Shomyo is a type of Buddhist song that is known for being a melody that is added to a sutra. In addition, shomyo is not accompanied with musical instruments but instead, this song was being sung by Buddist monks. Further, other folk music was strongly influenced by music from China. It is know that most of Japanese musical instruments first originated from Chinese culture and were brought to Japan. Such instruments include shakuhachi (flute), koto (stringed instrument) and wadaiko drums. Musical theater played a part of Japanese music culture, one such example is Noh which arose out of many popular Japanese traditions, and by 14th century Noh had developed into a highly refined art in the Japanese music culture. Noh was brought to its peak by Zeami (1363-1443 and Kan'ami (1333–1384). In particular Zeami provided the core of the Noh repertory and authored many treatises on the secrets of the Noh tradition. Folk Music In Japanese culture, folk songs (min'yō) can be categorized into four types: religious songs (such as sato kagura, a form of Shintoist music), work songs, songs used for gathering such as festivals (matsuri, especially Obon), funerals, weddings, and children songs (warabe uta). In minyo folk songs, singers are accompanied by the 3 stringed lute known as the taiko drums, shamisen and a flute made of bamboo which is known as shakuhachi. Other instruments that can be used in minyo folk songs are a bell known as kane, a transverse flute known as the shinobue, a hand drum called the tsuzumi. In Okinawa, the main musical instrument that is used is the sanshin; which is a traditional Japanese instruments, but blending are done by modern instrumentation such as synthesizers and electric guitars, when enka (Japanese music genre all its own) singers cover traditional min'yō songs. Terms that are often heard in traditional minyo songs are bushi, ondo, komori uta and bon uta. Komori uta are children's lullabies, a bushi is a song with a distinctive rhythm. In fact, it’s very name means "rhythm" or "time," and describes the ostinato pattern played throughout the song. A Bon uta, as the name describes, are songs for Obon, the lantern festival of the dead. And typical folk song heard at Obon festival dances will most likely be an ondo. Almost all of traditional Japanese folk songs include extra stress on certain syllables, as well as kakegoe (pitched shouts). Minyo are often included in song choruses, but kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer. In Japanese culture, there are many kakegoe but they vary from region to region. For example, in mainland Japan a person is more likely to hear "a sore!", "a yoisho!" or "sate!" others are "dokoisho!"In Okinawa Min'yō, for example, one will hear the common "ha iya sasa!” Art music Western art music has been a part of Japanese music culture for a short time. Much of western style music that has been composed by Japanese composers has been written through style that has imitated and adapted both nineteenth and twentieth century styles that are from Europe. It only in the mid twentieth century that some of the Japanese artists have tried to transform western art music to represent their own culture; they have begun to discover and develop their own music. Japanese art music which are successful represents a powerful-fertilization of aesthetics and musical characteristics from both West and East, and has been able to reflect many aspect of contemporary Japanese society. Modern Japanese art music is rooted in a psychology, national aesthetic, and culture that has been able to evolved over many years. In 1880, after Sakoku policy (no foreign influence), many aspect of western music making were borrowed, and the modernization of Japanese music in began. For many years, Jazz is one such example of western music that has always been very popular in Japan, and adopted in many Japanese way of life, so much that it was hidden underground during World War II (WWII) when nationalism was lawfully enforced. The effect of Japanese jazz cannot be pulled from its strings, and the obvious jazz influenced tunes have been referred to as “light music” for a long time. The Jazz music has been rapidly entrenched in urban mods, but for a long time it sparked outrage among those people who wanted to protect native aesthetic and social mores from jazz music influence. But as the curtain closed, most of Japanese people and cities have been able to embraced and promote Jazz music as an essential ingredient of their distinctive local aura. Most of people, which include municipalities, have been able to preserve and promote local identities of jazz music. Popular music Japanese popular (J-pop) music is a loosely defined musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japanese musical culture in the early 90’s. J-pop has its roots in 1960s music and was largely influenced by artists such as The Beatles and replaced kayōkyoku in Japanese music scene. The term J-pop was coined by the media in Japan to differentiate popular music from foreign music, and now refers to most Japanese popular music. The J-pop music scene has been revolutionalised over the years. The pop sounds of the late 50's became popular in the cities of Japan just after they revolutionised the United States music scene. In the early 60’s, it was the Rolling Stones and the Beatles who inspired many Pop artists in Japan, For example the Tigers and the Spiders. In the early 70’s, record industry overkill finished off the group band and saw the arrival of Idols and New Rock. According to James (2003), In J-pop, the west’s new culture politics of difference contrast with artistic projects that represent positive images of singular black representations, community. James (2003) further argue that this can be biased towards middle class norms, heterosexist. Instead, he commends those artists and writers who draw attention to the diversity of black struggles and lives. In J-pop, most of Japanese artists or rapper tries to address racism in the Japanese society through inspiration from the racial underpinnings of hi-hop. For example, an hip-hop artist in Japan by the name Mummy-D calls himself a “yellow b-boy”. By Japanese hi-hop artists aligning themselves with African American rap music, they have engaged themselves in what James (2003) call a new cultural politics of affiliation. It will misleading to suggest that Hip hop music in Japan is only, or even primary a vehicle that is being used for progressive change. Nowadays, hip hop music in Japan is receiving corporate support for those people who accommodate the marketing world’s fetishization of blackness as sensual, hip, and rebellious. J-hop is not only “cool” (kakkoii) but also “bad” (yabai). Over the years, J-hop has been seen as a sign of globalization that in addition to Disneyland, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. At the moment, Japanese culture boosts on its own self-styled J-pop artists, completely with platinum chains, gold teeth, and “ice” (diamonds). Actually Japanese hip hop culture is in fact imitation. but Hip hope artist are trying to create completely new things with in hip-hop, even for those artist who express a distaste for placing themselves in genres. J- Hop has been found to deal less with racism and more with the youths as compared to the United States, and this has been found due to demographic differences that exist between the two countries. According to Shuhei Hosokawa- a popular music scholar- he argues that black music in Japan has enable music artists to highlight racial problems that exist within the Japanese society. Although, the extent to which these issues are being addressed within the society varies by genre. Shuhei goes further to give example of Japanese artists over the years adopting black music and styles from blues to Jazz to doo-whop to hip-hop. The scholar note that in the early 60’s black has been “the color of resistance” among African Americans, and prefigure later alliances through rap. References Herd, J. (2003). Change and continuity in contemporary Japanese music: a search for a national Identity. London: Brown University Publisher. Read More

Historically some a few of Japanese music originated from other countries. For example, Shomyo which has it origin from India and was brought to Japan during the country’s Nara period; Shomyo is a type of Buddhist song that is known for being a melody that is added to a sutra. In addition, shomyo is not accompanied with musical instruments but instead, this song was being sung by Buddist monks. Further, other folk music was strongly influenced by music from China. It is know that most of Japanese musical instruments first originated from Chinese culture and were brought to Japan.

Such instruments include shakuhachi (flute), koto (stringed instrument) and wadaiko drums. Musical theater played a part of Japanese music culture, one such example is Noh which arose out of many popular Japanese traditions, and by 14th century Noh had developed into a highly refined art in the Japanese music culture. Noh was brought to its peak by Zeami (1363-1443 and Kan'ami (1333–1384). In particular Zeami provided the core of the Noh repertory and authored many treatises on the secrets of the Noh tradition.

Folk Music In Japanese culture, folk songs (min'yō) can be categorized into four types: religious songs (such as sato kagura, a form of Shintoist music), work songs, songs used for gathering such as festivals (matsuri, especially Obon), funerals, weddings, and children songs (warabe uta). In minyo folk songs, singers are accompanied by the 3 stringed lute known as the taiko drums, shamisen and a flute made of bamboo which is known as shakuhachi. Other instruments that can be used in minyo folk songs are a bell known as kane, a transverse flute known as the shinobue, a hand drum called the tsuzumi.

In Okinawa, the main musical instrument that is used is the sanshin; which is a traditional Japanese instruments, but blending are done by modern instrumentation such as synthesizers and electric guitars, when enka (Japanese music genre all its own) singers cover traditional min'yō songs. Terms that are often heard in traditional minyo songs are bushi, ondo, komori uta and bon uta. Komori uta are children's lullabies, a bushi is a song with a distinctive rhythm. In fact, it’s very name means "rhythm" or "time," and describes the ostinato pattern played throughout the song.

A Bon uta, as the name describes, are songs for Obon, the lantern festival of the dead. And typical folk song heard at Obon festival dances will most likely be an ondo. Almost all of traditional Japanese folk songs include extra stress on certain syllables, as well as kakegoe (pitched shouts). Minyo are often included in song choruses, but kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer. In Japanese culture, there are many kakegoe but they vary from region to region. For example, in mainland Japan a person is more likely to hear "a sore!

", "a yoisho!" or "sate!" others are "dokoisho!"In Okinawa Min'yō, for example, one will hear the common "ha iya sasa!” Art music Western art music has been a part of Japanese music culture for a short time. Much of western style music that has been composed by Japanese composers has been written through style that has imitated and adapted both nineteenth and twentieth century styles that are from Europe. It only in the mid twentieth century that some of the Japanese artists have tried to transform western art music to represent their own culture; they have begun to discover and develop their own music.

Japanese art music which are successful represents a powerful-fertilization of aesthetics and musical characteristics from both West and East, and has been able to reflect many aspect of contemporary Japanese society. Modern Japanese art music is rooted in a psychology, national aesthetic, and culture that has been able to evolved over many years. In 1880, after Sakoku policy (no foreign influence), many aspect of western music making were borrowed, and the modernization of Japanese music in began.

For many years, Jazz is one such example of western music that has always been very popular in Japan, and adopted in many Japanese way of life, so much that it was hidden underground during World War II (WWII) when nationalism was lawfully enforced.

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