The is the main cultural

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ' ('turn off the tap'), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeepers near military g ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, which features guest bands from the Asia-Pacific regions as well as bands of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is regularly held at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo every November. The festival was established in 1963, and is one of the oldest military tattoos in the Asia-Pacific region.

History

The first event was held at the

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium is a sporting complex in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1954 for the World Amateur wrestling, Wrestling Championship, it was also used as the venue for Gymnastics at the 1964 Summer Olympics, gymnastics at the 1964 Summer Olympics ...

as an independent Self-Defense Force commemorative event on 27 October 1963.日本最高峰の吹奏楽団は自衛隊にあり！　魅惑の「自衛隊音楽隊」＜後編＞
/ref> It has been held every year since 1964, particularly during the

Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics may refer to: * 1940 Summer Olympics, Games of the XII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II * 1964 Summer Olympics, Games of the XVIII Olympiad * 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an ...

and in 1988, when the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

's medical condition worsened and celebratory events were therefore requested. From 1973, Nippon Budokan began to be used as a venue, however in 2019 (the first year of the

Reiwa era is the current and 232nd era of the official calendar of Japan. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's eldest son, Naruhito, Enthronement of the Japanese emperor, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The da ...

), it was held at the

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its Suspended structure, suspension roof design. The arena holds 13,291 people (9,079 stand seats, 4,124 arena sea ...

due to the renovation of the Budokan.

Overview

The content of each performance is a 2-hour presentation, which is composed of various songs such as pops, classical, jazz, theme music of movie and TV drama,

anime song is a genre of music originating from Japanese pop music. Anime songs consist of theme, insert, and image songs for anime, manga, video game, and audio drama CD series, as well as any other song released primarily for the anime market, includ ...

game music Video game music (VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to the s ...

, and Japanese folk songs. Every year, the last performance on the last day is broadcast simultaneously on the Internet, and edited DVDs are also marketed at a later date. The organizer is

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

, with

JGSDF The , , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct t ...

Chief of Staff being in charge of implementation.

Notable participants

The following multinational units have participated in the three day festival over the years:

Regular and semi-regular participants

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Band The Music Corps () is a department of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force that is tasked with presiding over military bands in the JGSDF. Similarly, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Japan Air Self Defense ...

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

Band,

(central band of JMSDF) *

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...

Central Band * JGSDF Northern Army Band * JGSDF North Eastern Army Band * JGSDF Eastern Army Band * JGSDF Central Army Band * JGSDF Western Army Band * ''Jieidaiko'' (JSDF

Taiko are a broad range of Traditional Japanese musical instruments, Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese language, Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various J ...

Teams) * JGSDF 302nd Military Police Company (national

honor guard A guard of honour (Commonwealth English), honor guard (American English) or ceremonial guard, is a group of people, typically drawn from the military, appointed to perform ceremonial duties – for example, to receive or guard a head of state ...

of Japan) * National Defense Academy Honor Guard *

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

III Marine Expeditionary Force Band III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

* United States Seventh Fleet Band * United States Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia

Regular participants in past

United States Army Japan United States Army, Japan (USARJ) is a Major Command of the United States Army. It operates port facilities and a series of logistics installations throughout Honshū and Okinawa. USARJ participates actively with the Japan Ground Self-Defense F ...

Band (1981 - 2023)

Guest participants in past

* Australian Army Band *

Bagad Lann Bihoue The Bagad de Lann-Bihoué is a bagad, a Breton pipe band. It is the bagad of the French Navy. It represents the French Navy and France in multiple national and international events. It has performed regularly in front of Heads of State. It is a ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

Staff Band of the Bundeswehr The Staff Band of the Bundeswehr () is the main representative brass band of the Bundeswehr, stationed in Berlin. It works together with the Wachbataillon in the Berlin Garrison Command, having responsibility for protocol during state receptions of ...

Indian Army Chief's Band The Indian Army Chief's Band is the Indian Army's full-time music band. It was founded in 1990 as the official band of the Indian Army and the foremost in the armed forces. It also, as its name implies, represents the Chief of the Army Staff at ...

Jordanian Armed Forces The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) (, romanized: ''Al-Quwwat Al-Musallaha Al-Urduniyya''), also referred to as the Arab Army (, ''Al-Jaysh Al-Arabi''), are the military forces of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. They consist of the ground forces, ...

Band * Korean Navy Band *

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 ...

Central Band * Philippine Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Team *

Singapore Armed Forces Band The Singapore Armed Forces Band (commonly known as the SAF Band) form the musical arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. Consisting of the flagship SAF Central Band, SAF Ceremonial Band, the National Youth Winds and the SAF Volunteer Corps Band, ...

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

Band *

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

Band * Military Ceremonial Troupe of the

Vietnam People’s Army The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national military force of the Socialist Republic o ...

Photos

File:NOH 4141 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 38.jpg,

JMSDF The , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy ( ...

Band, Tokyo File:TS3 5503 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 73.jpg,

military singer File:09 133 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 126.jpg, ''

'' playing File:HAR 2903 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 140.jpg, National Honor Guard File:NOH 2958 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 99.jpg,

National flag A national flag is a flag that represents and national symbol, symbolizes a given nation. It is Fly (flag), flown by the government of that nation, but can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanin ...

admission File:NOH 4158 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 98.jpg, JMSDF military singer File:HAS 3858 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 26.jpg,

JASDF The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...

color guard File:TAK 3589 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 6.jpg, National Defense Academy Honor Guard File:SEK 1044 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 169.jpg, Taiko

drumline Marching percussion instruments are percussion instruments (usually drums, such as snare, bass, and tenor drums) specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier ...

File:09 021 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 129.jpg, JGSDF 15th Brigade '' eisa'' corps File:NOH 4093 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 52.jpg, USMC III MEF Band

References

External links

(Japanese) {{Commons category, Japan Self-Defense Forces Marching Festival Festivals established in 1963 Military tattoos Tourist attractions in Tokyo Events at the Nippon Budokan