There are more than 30 traditional Japanese musical instruments consisting of various wind, string, and percussion instruments, some of which are over 3,000 years old!
Many were initially played in ensembles in Japanese court music, but playing the sho, flutes, and koto (zither) subsequently became an art that samurai and the nobility were expected to learn.
Japan’s musical tradition is rich and enduring. Originally, traditional music was taught orally, with students learning by observing their masters. This article explores how these Japanese instruments are made and played and highlights notable musicians.
1. Shamisen
The shamisen, also known as a samisen, is a type of three-stringed musical instrument that resembles a Western banjo in appearance but is actually a type of lute.
While it is usually plucked with a type of plectrum known as a bachi, it can also be played percussively by striking the skin stretched tightly over the drum of the body.
The shamisen is used in many genres of Japanese music, including geisha music, ningyo joruri puppet shows, folk songs, and kabuki theater. It can be played alone or as an accompaniment to vocals.
It comes in three different neck sizes — thick, medium, and thin — and there are also variations in skin and string thickness and the bridge’s weight. The size of the fretless neck depends on the genre and its musical requirements.
2. Shakuhachi
The shakuhachi is a type of bamboo flute blown at the end and has finger holes to form the notes. It resembles a recorder but doesn’t have a noticeable mouthpiece as the stem is just cut at an angle for blowing.
It makes a range of low-pitched and high-pitched sounds that depend on its tuning and length.
Initially, the shakuhachi was used in Japanese dance and court music (gagaku) before being further refined and was even played byKomuso monks as a meditation and in sacred solos between 1603 and 1868.
Others also played it in non-religious settings, and it became an ensemble instrument played with the shamisen and sho.
Japanese composer Tozan Nakao, influenced by Western music, wrote several new pieces for it in the 19th and 20th centuries.
3. Tsuzumi
The tsuzumi, also called the kotsuzumi, is an hourglass-shaped hand drum used in Japanese folk music, kabuki theater, and a type of classical Japanese dance-drama called Noh that originates from the 14th century.
It has a wooden body with two drum heads on either end linked by a cord system. The skin over the two ends of the drum is stretched taut, and the cords can be released or squeezed to lower or raise the pitch, much like the African djembe drum.
The tsuzumi is very sensitive to ambient humidity and temperature, so the player usually fine-tunes it at the venue.
Interestingly, the drum heads need a certain degree of moisture to achieve the desired sound quality, so the player will apply pieces of paper moistened with his saliva to the skin of the drum head to add humidity.
Some of the tsuzumi still in use today are centuries old, and a new instrument can take years to be properly broken in.
4. Biwa
The biwa is a four-stringed Japanese lute with a short neck, commonly used in Japanese court music in the seventh and eighth centuries. Later versions were played by the blind Japanese lute priests of the Heian period, and it was also played as background music for story-telling.
The bowl of the body is tear-shaped, similar to the Western lute, but there are more than seven variations of the instrument, and it is made of different kinds of wood, depending on the type of biwa.
The biwa had almost fallen into disuse by the 1940s until Japanese musicians collaborated to revive it. Japanese composers began to include it in their compositions in the 1960s, one notable example being Tōru Takemitsu, who combined it with Western orchestral performances.
5. Koto
The koto is a type of Japanese zither that is the national instrument of Japan. Typically, they have 13 strings — but you can get them with more too — and were initially played in Japanese court music.
The koto is about 180 centimeters long and is made of Paulownia wood. It’s played by plucking the strings with the right hand using a plectrum or with three fingers wearing fingerpicks and is tuned by moving the position of the wooden bridge.
It has several notable players. Yatsuhashi Kengyo, who lived between 1614 to 1865, was a notable blind musician who created a new style of koto music.
Michio Miyagi, another blind musician and composer, was the first to combine koto music and Western music and is responsible for keeping the instrument alive.
Later composers, such as Kimio Eto, Tadao Sawai, and Kazue Sawai, have ensured the visibility of the Koto in the modern world.
6. Kokyu
Next, we have the kokyu, which is the only Japanese stringed instrument played with a bow. The standard version has three strings, and it closely resembles the shamisen but is a bit smaller.
The kokyu traditionally has an ebony neck with a body made of Styrax japonica or coconut wood. The body is then covered with snakeskin or cat skin stretched taut, and the bow is strung with horsehair.
It was initially played in ensembles with the shamisen and sho, but the shakuhachi eventually took its role. These days, it is played as background music in folk songs and the performing arts.
7. Sanshin
Another Japanese stringed instrument, the sanshin closely resembles the shamisen but is smaller and is the heart of Okinawan folk music. It’s usually played with a cow horn or plastic plectrum on the index finger of the right hand, which plucks the strings.
The sanshin traditionally has a snakeskin covering, but faux snakeskin is now often used due to international wildlife protection laws. Real snakeskin can tear and crack in low humidity and temperature, so synthetic skins have been developed.
It is played by people of all ages, even children, at festivals, parties, weddings, birthdays, and family gatherings. The sanshin is often a family heirloom passed down from one generation to the other and is regarded as a deity in the Ryukyuan culture.
8. Shinobue
The shinobue is a type of flute made from bamboo with rattan bindings. It is blown on the side like a Western flute and has finger holes to make different notes.
There are 12 different kinds for playing in different keys, with the lowest in the key of F, and the highest is in the key of E.
It has a high-pitched and haunting sound on which graceful trills and melodies are played and is an iconic sound of traditional Japanese music.
It is featured in local instrumental ritual music at agricultural and religious festivals, Bon dance songs, and as an accompaniment in kabuki theater performances.
9. Hichiriki
The hichiriki is said to have been introduced to Japan during the Tang Dynasty of China in the early seventh century and was played in Japanese courtly dance and court music.
It is a type of double-reed wind instrument with a bamboo body and is around 18 centimeters long.
It works like the Western oboe and has seven finger holes on the front and two thumb holes at the back. The player controls ornamentation and pitch using his embouchure.
Notable Japanese players include Hitomi Nakamura and Hideki Togi; however, it has also been played by Western musicians Joseph Celli, Thomas Piercy, Alan Hovhaness, and Richard Teitelbaum.
10. Hyōshigi
The hyōshigi is a wooden percussion instrument consisting of two bamboo or hardwood sticks around 25 centimeters long, which a player holds in each hand.
The sticks are then clapped against each other to create a cracking sound and are often used to get the attention of the spectators at an event or performance. As such, you’ll often see them used in music for ningyo joruri puppet shows, kabuki theater, and even sumo wrestling!
The instrument is also used to indicate the start and end of Japanese festivals, and street performers called kamishibaiya (performers of a type of street theater that was popular in Japan before television) will use it to attract children to buy candy and entertain them with stories.
11. Shō
Made of several lengths of bamboo pipes,the shō (a type of Japanese mouth organ) is a wind instrument thought to have been introduced to Japan between AD 710 and 794. Initially, it was used in Japanese court music, but it is still used in contemporary music today.
The 17 bamboo pipes are clustered together in a base with a free metal reed called the shita. The pipes are tuned with resinous wax holding a small lead shot.
Like a harmonica, sounds can be made by both exhalation and inhalation, which allows for extended uninterrupted play.
One notable player is Mayumi Miyata, who uses specially constructed instruments that give a broader range of pitch. John Cage, the famous 20th-century American composer, wrote several pieces for Mayumi Miyata.
Also, Björk used the shō as a primary instrument to create the soundtrack for the film Drawing Restraint 9, which tells an unconventional Japanese love story.
12. Mokugyo
The mokugyo, or “fish drum,” is a wooden drum with a handle shaped like a stylized fish used as a rhythmic accompaniment for Taoist and Buddhist chants. Buddhists sometimes call it the “wakeful drum” because it is used to keep meditators from falling asleep.
It is a type of slit drum and is usually made of camphor wood, which is hollow inside. Small ones are handheld, while large ones are placed on cushions on the floor, and then they are struck with a stick with a cloth-wrapped end to create the sound.
The mokugyo is used in Japanese kabuki and more recently has made an appearance in jazz and classical music.
13. Kagura Suzu
The kagura suzu is a handbell set used in kagura dance. It has a handle with up to 15 bells arranged in tiers of seven, five, and three, with 12 bells being the standard.
During the dance, the shrine maiden holds it in her right hand and shakes the bells over her head.
Shinto shrines sometimes have a larger version of the instrument suspended from a front rafter. It can be rung by a worshipper using ribbons or a rope hanging from it.
The word kagura means “god entertainment,” and the instrument is of great antiquity.
14. Uchiwa Daiko
The uchiwa daiko is a simple drum that resembles a ping-pong paddle. It is often referred to as a fan drum (uchiwa means “fan,” and daiko or taiko means “drum”).
Typically, the drum’s skin is made of cowhide stretched tightly over the round part, with a wooden handle attached. It is struck with a stick and comes in various sizes, from 20 to 45 centimeters in diameter.
This drum is used by monks in Nichiren Buddhism during chanting and also appears in kabuki theater and folk performing arts.
15. Bonsho
Bonsho is a large bronze bell used in Buddhist temples to send signals and alarms and announce the time. It originated in China and plays a key role in Buddhist New Year ceremonies and Bon festivals.
It varies in size between one and two meters and is typically decorated with inscriptions and raised patterns. It is struck on the outside with a beam suspended on a rope or with a handheld mallet.
Bonsho has a clean, clear tone that reverberates for up to 10 seconds after being struck. The decay phase of the sound lasts for around a minute, and numerous harmonic overtones are detectable while it is tolled. Its sound is low and sonorous and carries over as much as 20 miles!
16. Horagai
The horagai is the classic conch shell trumpet that has been used in Japan for centuries. It can produce between three and five different notes due to a wooden or bamboo mouthpiece attached to the shell’s apex.
Metal mouthpieces are sometimes used, but in freezing temperatures, these can stick to the lips.
Buddhist monks have used it for around a thousand years, and yamabushi, Japanese warrior monks, used it to communicate with each other between the mountains and for accompaniments to chanting.
17. Binzasara
The binzasara is a series of wooden slats — usually 108 of them — strung together by a sturdy cord. It has deep roots in Japanese folk music and ritual dances and has been used for centuries in various cultural festivities, ceremonies, celebrations, and theatrical performances.
The wooden slats are typically made from high-quality hardwood. It has handles on each end, and as you move the instrument, the slats knock against each other, producing a rhythmic clattering sound.
18. Nohkan
And lastly, the nohkan is another transverse flute traditionally made from smoked bamboo that is used in Kyogen farces and Noh plays, festivals, kabuki theater, and long songs (nagauta).
The sound it creates is high-pitched, and it is played either together with the tsuzumi (a hand drum) or solo.
Nohkan means “noh pipe,” and in modern times, it has appeared in concerts and nontraditional ensembles such as orchestras and jazz groups.
Summing Up Our List Of Traditional Japanese Instruments
As you can see from the list of Japanese instruments above, there are a wide variety of types of instruments with lots of them still in use today.
These instruments are central to Japanese folk music, religious practice, and culture, but some of them have crept into Western music genres like jazz and New Age music.
We hope you enjoyed learning about them and encourage you to check out more of the musicians that play these amazing instruments on YouTube!
