Japan’s Brief History

Japan (Nippon or Nihon, literal meaning: "Origin of Sun") is a country in Far East Asia, made up of a chain of

islands - located between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean peninsula. 

Known as the Land of the Rising Sun, its 13 centuries of recorded history have created a distinctive culture. 

The Japanese name Nippon is used on stamps and for international sporting events, while Nihon is used more

often within Japan. It is from the Chinese version of the name that the

English Japan was derived. The early Mandarin Chinese word for Japan was recorded

by Marco Polo as Cipangu. In Malay the Chinese word became Japang and was thus encountered by Portuguese traders in Moluccas in the

16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to

bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan. 

According to traditional Japanese history, Japan was founded in the 7th century BC

by the ancestral Emperor Jimmu. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the

Chinese writing system and Buddhism were introduced with other Chinese cultures via

the Korean peninsula or directly from China. 

The emperors were the nominal rulers, but actual power was usually held by powerful court nobles, regents, or shoguns (military

governors). 

Japan’s Musical

Instruments

Sanshin

•three-string banjo from Okinawa

Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and

three strings.Traditionally, it was covered with the skin of the Burmese python, but today, due to CITES regulations, the skin of the python reticulatus is also used. A bamboo bridge raises the strings off the skin.

TonkoriThe tonkori  is a plucked string

instrument played by the Ainu people of Hokkaidō, northern

Japan and Sakhalin. It generally has five

strings, which are not stopped or fretted but simply played "open".The instrument is

believed to have been developed in Sakhalin.

By the 1970s the instrument was

practically extinct, but is experiencing a

revival along with the increased interest in

Ainu heritage.

Shamisen

A banjo-like lute with three strings, the shamisen was

brought to Japan from China in the 16th century. Popular in Edo's pleasure districts, the shamisen

was often used in Kabuki theater. Made from red sandalwood and ranging from 1.1 to 1.4 meters long, the shamisen has ivory

pegs, strings made from twisted silk, and a belly covered in cat or dog skin. The strings, which are of different thickness, are plucked or struck with a tortoise shell pick.

Nohkan • Transverse bamboo flute used for noh

theater.Made of split and tapered strips of smoked bamboo (susudake) or burned bamboo (yakidake), glued together to form a tapering conical bore. The smoking carbonizes the bamboo and preserves it. The split strips of bamboo are reversed to place the hard bamboo surface on the inside for improved acoustics. Some modern versions of nohkan use an interior coating oftempera paint for this. The strips are then glued together, bound with thin strips of twisted cherry bark (kabamaki) and lacquered to make the conical tubeThe nohkan plays a strong high pitch (hishigi) that is rich with

high frequency harmonics.

Shakuhachi

Shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown

flute. It was originally introduced

from China into Japan in the 8th

century and underwent a

resurgence in the early Edo Period. The

shakuhachi is traditionally made

of bamboo, but versions now exist

in ABS and hardwoods. It was

used by the monks of the Fuke schoolof 

Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen .

TSURI-DAIKO

•Drum on a stand

with ornately painted

head played •With a padded stick.

Japan’s Traditional Music

SAKURA"Sakura Sakura" "Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms"), also known as "Sakura", is a

traditional Japanese folk song depicting spring, the season of cherry blossoms. Contrary to popular belief, the song did not originate in

ancient times; it was a popular, urban melody of the Edo period and was adopted as a piece for beginning koto students in the Tokyo Academy

of Music Collection of Japanese Koto Music issued in 1888 (in English) by the

Department of Education.[The song has been popular since the Meiji period, and the lyrics in

their present form were attached then. It is often sung in international settings as a song

representative of Japan.In 2007, it was selected for Nihon no Uta

Hyakusen, a collection of songs and nursery rhymes widely beloved in Japan.