User Manual
34 A User’s Guide to Garritan World Instruments
that make up part of the sound of shakuhachi are appreciated just as much as the note played.
e primary genres of shakuhachi music are: honkyoku (traditional solo), sankyoku (ensemble
with koto and shamisen) and shinkyoku (contemporary music composed for shakuhachi and
koto). Although the sect that originated this practice has disappeared, the shakuhachi has since
become the most popular Japanese wind instrument.
• Shamisenongaku: Music played with the Shamisen. Kabuki performances are often accompa-
nied by the shamisen.
• Min'yō: Japan also has a folk music tradition in which performers would play instruments to
accompany legend and story. Japanese folk songs included work songs, religious songs for gath-
erings (weddings, funerals, festivals, etc.), and children’s songs. In Min’yō, singers are often ac-
companied by the Shamisen, Taiko drums, Shakuhachi, Tsuzumi, Koto, or other instruments.
Okinawan folk music would often be accompanied by the sanshin. Japanese Puppet eater
also often had instrumental accompaniment.
• Taiko: e most popular musical form in Japan is the Taiko, which refers to the art of Japanese
drum ensembles. e Japanese Taiko Ensemble includes a variety of percussion instruments.
Taiko means “big drum” in Japanese. Taiko drums come in dierent sizes and some can be as
large as six feet (two meters) in diameter. Although Taiko originated hundreds of years ago (and
by some accounts as many as two thousand), they are more popular today than ever. ere are
reputedly over 8,000 Taiko groups in Japan alone, and a Taiko Ensemble movement has caught
on worldwide.
Western music has become very popular in recent years in Japan and has overshadowed traditional
music. Still, a revival of Japanese traditional music has been in vogue in recent years, not only in Japan
but throughout the world.
And not to be forgotten, another popular music craze in recent years has been Karaoke—a form of
entertainment in which amateur singers sing to well-known pop song instrumentals. Game music has
also seen explosive growth in recent years, and Japan has been in the forefront of this type of music.