Traditional Japanese musical instruments, known as in Japanese, are musical instruments used in the
traditional folk music of
Japan. They comprise a range of string, wind, and percussion instruments.
Percussion instruments
*; also spelled – clapper made from wooden slats connected by a rope or cord
* – wooden or bamboo clappers
* –
pellet drum
Pellet drums, or rattle drums, are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by their construction and manner of playing. They have two heads (either a single double-headed drum or two hemispherical single-headed drums joined together with ...
, used as a children's toy
* – small, ornately decorated hourglass-shaped drum
* – hand-held bell tree with three tiers of pellet bells
* – small drum used in
* – small flat gong
* – a pair of sticks which are beaten together slowly and rhythmically
* (also called ) – clapper made from a pair of flat wooden sticks
* – woodblock carved in the shape of a fish, struck with a wooden stick; often used in Buddhist chanting
* – hand drum
* or () – singing bowls used by Buddhist monks in religious practice or rituals
* – hourglass-shaped double-headed drum; struck only on one side
* – clapper made from wooden slats connected by a rope or cord
* – a lithophone either bowed or struck
* – small drum played with sticks
* – small bronze
gong used in
gagaku; struck with two horn beaters
*
* – drum on a stand with ornately painted head, played with a padded stick
* – small hand drum
String instruments
Plucked
Zithers
* – monochord
* – the 17-string koto
* – a long
zither
* – ancient long zither; also called
Harps
* – an angled
harp used in ancient times and recently revived
* – a zither with metal strings and keys
Lutes
* – a pear-shaped lute
Other
* or
* – an Okinawan precursor of the mainland Japanese (and Amami Islands)
* – a banjo-like lute with three strings; brought to Japan from China in the 16th century. Popular in Edo's pleasure districts, the is often used in
kabuki
is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
Kabuki is thought to ...
theater. Made from red sandalwood and ranging from long, the has ivory pegs, strings made from twisted silk, and a belly covered in cat or dog skin or a synthetic skin. The strings, which are of different thickness, are plucked or struck with a tortoise shell, ivory or synthetic ivory pick.
* () – a plucked instrument used by the
Ainu people
The Ainu are the indigenous people of the lands surrounding the Sea of Okhotsk, including Hokkaido Island, Northeast Honshu Island, Sakhalin Island, the Kuril Islands, the Kamchatka Peninsula and Khabarovsk Krai, before the arrival of the Yam ...
of
Hokkaidō
Bowed
* – a bowed lute with three (or, more rarely, four) strings and a skin-covered body
Wind instruments
Flutes
Japanese flutes are called . There are eight traditional flutes, as well as more modern creations.
* – vertical bamboo flute
* – transverse bamboo flute used for
Noh
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ...
theater
* – transverse bamboo flute used for
* – transverse bamboo flute used for ,
Shinto ritual music)
* – transverse bamboo flute used for ; similar to the
* – vertical bamboo flute used for Zen meditation
* – transverse folk bamboo flute
* – globular flute made from clay
* – a flute developed by
Ishida Nehito
Ishida (written: lit. "stone ricefield") is a Japanese surname. The name is sometimes romanized as Isida. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese voice actor
*, actress and singer
*, Japanese singer
*, Japanese idol and singer
*, J ...
with bow hair on it to accompany the .
Reed instruments
* – double-reeded flute used in different kinds of music
Free reed mouth organs
* – 17-pipe mouth organ used for
gagaku
* – large mouth organ
Horns
* – seashell horn; also called
Other instruments
* () –
jaw harp used by the Ainu people
* – general name for the
jaw harp, also known as the in the
Edo period
See also
*
Music of Japan
In Japan, music includes a wide array of distinct genres, both traditional and modern. The word for "music" in Japanese is 音楽 (''ongaku''), combining the kanji 音 ''on'' (sound) with the kanji 楽 ''gaku'' (music, comfort). Japan is the worl ...
*
Notes
References
Bibliography
* .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments
*
Japanese music-related lists
Instruments
Lists of musical instruments