Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music

How much have you experienced the beauty of Japan’s traditional music passed down since ancient times? In gagaku and kagura dwell a solemn atmosphere and profound spirituality that modern music cannot offer.

Japan’s traditional music, handed down for over a thousand years, holds a universal appeal that resonates in our hearts.

In this article, we introduce a selection of exquisitely pure melodies from Japan’s classical music.

Their timbres may be unfamiliar to modern ears, but they will surely sink deep into your heart.

Playlist

Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	EtenrakuBuntei		A famous gagaku piece that represents Japan
2	Bugaku “Gojōraku Ichigu”		A majestic classical Japanese musical masterpiece dating back to the Tang dynasty
3	Hiroshima Prefecture: Hiroshima Kagura Quick Costume Change		Kagura in which costume and mask changes happen in an instant
4	Gagaku ‘Etenraku’Konoe Hidemaro		The orchestral version of “Etenraku” by Hidemaro Konoe is
5	Ballet Music “Bugaku”Mayuzumi Toshirō		Toshiro Mayuzumi's Ballet Music 'Bugaku': A Fusion of Gagaku and the West
6	Daikagura Variety Act: Umbrella Performance		Traditional umbrella acrobatics are a performing art presented at shrines and yose (vaudeville theaters).
7	Iwami Kagura, Shimane Prefecture		Iwami Kagura: a traditional performing art that recreates the mythological world
8	Naso-ri		A renowned Gagaku piece that depicts the dance of a dragon
9	Kume SongKume-shi		The solemn gagaku melodies handed down by the Kume clan
10	Left-side dance “Seigaiha (Blue Ocean Waves)”Nisei Kiyomoto Umekichi		Landscape Chant by Kiyomoto Umekichi: A Fusion of Tradition and New Sensibilities
11	BanzairakuSokuten Bukō		Manzairaku, a representative gagaku piece of Tang music
12	Ying melody “Bintatara”Ifukube Akira		The beauty of Japanese music woven with traditional instruments
13	Shonai Kagura, Oita Prefecture		The dynamic energy of drums and flutes in Yufu City’s traditional Kagura
14	Hiroshima Kagura: Jinrin		Emperor Chūai and Takamaro’s Demon-Slaying Kagura (Sacred Dance)
15	Bugaku: Bailu Hachinraku		The tradition of martial dances originating from Tang-era military formation dances
16	Dance of UrayasuTadatomo Asa		Kagura dance praying for peace, the spirituality of Japan
17	Gagaku SakuraNozu Teruo		Reimagining Gagaku’s tradition through modern technology
18	Etenraku ImayōBuntei		A representative piece of gagaku: scenes of spring and traditional beauty
19	Hyōjō Kōjōkyū Ryūteki SoloChūshū		Representative pieces of Tang music and gagaku introduced to Japan
20	Bugaku: BailuHanarōtoku		Gagaku of Tang music and martial dances transmitted from Vietnam
21	Taishoku-chō Chōkeiko Ryūteki SoloMinamoto no Hiromasa		An orchestral piece that concludes Tang music
22	Hyojo Goshōraku-kyū Ryūteki Solotaiso		A Tang-music piece that maps the Five Confucian Virtues onto a musical scale
23	Bugaku (Japanese court dance and music)		The Eight Immortals is a traditional performing art of Goryeo music, dance, and rhythm.
24	Gagaku, Hyoujou (Basic Tone): ‘Sōboren’ (Yearning for One’s Beloved)kogō no tsukasa		A classical piece of Tang music, a legendary composition of Emperor Takakura
25	Taisyoku Onshu 〜 Keihairaku, Allegro		The horn scale discovered in Dunhuang, reconstructed in Japanese gagaku
26	Heichō: Wang Zhaojun – Ryūteki SoloGentei		Wang Zhaojun was a beauty of the Han dynasty, known in tradition through the shakuhachi.
27	Kagura Dance “Azuma Asobi” at Ise Grand Shrine		Tōasobi is a type of gagaku, a native Japanese song-and-dance performance.
28	Taishoku-chō Taheiraku Kyū, Ryūteki Solo		A gagaku piece of Tang music that praises a military commander
29	Bugaku ‘Ranryo-o’ Ryuteki Solo		A gagaku masterpiece: Ranryōō, solo performance on the ryūteki (dragon flute)
30	Atsuta Shrine Bugaku Ritual: Shin Mokkan		Traditional Gagaku dedicated at Atsuta Shrine
31	Uhou Kanjōraku		Dance of Tang music: drumsticks and serpent, dancing gallantly
32	Miyajima Itsukushima Shrine New Year Festival: Genshi-sai with Bugaku ‘Kotoraku’		Hotokuraku performed at Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima
33	Three Movements of the Shaking Spear, 2016		The Spear Dance that announces the start of bugaku
34	Gagaku, Hyōjō mode: Etenraku Zanraku (three reprises)		Performance techniques that highlight the distinctive qualities of the koto in gagaku
35	Bugaku, Left Dance: Haruniwa no Hana		Dance music of Tang-style court music performed at the spring seasonal festival
36	Bugaku Kiyotoku		In the Koma-gaku dance, they perform wearing masks and costumes.
37	Bugaku ‘Rakuson’ at Asama Taisha		A form of bugaku that depicts the dance of a dragon.
38	Heijo Mode Keiun Music Ryuteki SoloChō Bunshū		Keiunraku is a piece of Tang music with no accompanying dance.
39	Hyōjō Urahitogaku Ryūteki SoloRitoku’u		Court Tang music dance piece, the legendary music for warding off bees
40	Butterfly Raku Express, thrice repeatedFujiwara Tadafusa		Ko-ryōgaku’s Kochōraku is a dance piece from the Heian period.
41	Miyajima / Itsukushima Shrine Peach Blossom Festival Bugaku dance “Soriko”		Sorigoku is a traditional dance of Gorye and music
42	Hyojo Funan, solo ryuteki performance		Funan was an ancient state in the Mekong River basin.
43	Hyōjō Keitoku Ryūteki Solo		A Tang-dynasty court music piece praising the five virtues of the rooster
44	Hyōjō: Hayashi Song, Ryūteki Soloshimo-haru		A type of Tang music: music of Koma (Goguryeo) origin without accompanying dance
45	The Offering Bugaku at Hokke-ji: “Ganzhou”gensō		Tang music 'Ganzhou' is a tradition of music and dance.
46	Sumiyoshi Taisha Unoha Ritual: Polo-like Court Music (Dakyūgaku)koutei		A traditional Tang-style court dance of striking a ball