Traditional Music

Traditional Japanese music utilizing stringed instruments, flutes and drums has found expression through the centuries in ancient court music and traditional theater. Stringed instruments range from the large Koto with its movable bridge and 13 strings to the Shamisen, a banjo-like instrument used as an accompaniment in Kabuki plays and Bunraku puppet theater. The Shakuhachi is a bamboo flute without a reed, about 20 inches long and with a distinctive sound. Japanese Taiko drummers have captured the admiration of audiences around the world with their powerful performances of perfect unison. Other instruments include a vertical bamboo flute called the Sho and the Biwa, a kind of Japanese mandolin. Traditional Japanese music can be heard at festivals and performances of traditional Japanese theater.

Kabuki Noh Bunraku Traditional Music Sumo Martial Arts Baseball