The Kotsuzumi (shoulder hand drum)

The kotsuzumi is used in Noh, the flute and percussion ensemble of Nagauta, the background music of Kabuki and a variety of folk entertainments.

The Okawa (side hand drum)

This musical instrument is used in Noh and the hayashi flute and percussion ensemble of Nagauta.

The Shimedaiko (stick drum)

The real name of this musical instrument is Sarugaku taiko.

It is used in Noh, Nagauta and kagura.

This instrument came from the Korean kingdom of Kudara long ago in the Asuka period.

It is only used in some Noh plays, but when it is used, it is only at the last final half of the play in order to create an exciting effect.

The Sho 笙

At the 8th century this musical instrument is imported from China where it is called "sheng" and adapted in Japan to get a smaller instrument.


His beauty is supposed to suggest the mythical bird, the phoenix.

When The sho camr to Japan he took part of Gagaku where his role was to carry on the melody

The Hichiriki

The hichiriki is the most used instrument in the gagaku (imperial court music). And it is used in all form of music associated with poetry recitation.

Often the main melody of a Gagaku piece is carried by the hichiriki, but his sound is very high-pitched, powerfull and heart-rending, so it is an unpleasant sound for European poeple and also criticized by some Japanese poeple.

The shakuhachi

In the mid-Kamakura period, the first man who played shakuhachi was a Zen priest named Kakushin. He learned it in China and return to Japan in 1254.

He taught shakuhachi to his disciples who established different temples throughout Japan.

During the Muromachi period students of Fuke shakuhachi grew very numerous and the music spread throughout Japan.

The sakuachi became a religious instrument and was forbid to play in popular music.

In the mid-18th century, a former retainer of the Fukuoka clan named Kurosawa Kohachi was a famous player of the shakuhachi and composed many pieces.

With the new Meiji governement the shakuachi was no longer a religious instrument with legal restrictions. From this time, the shakuhachi became a pure musical instrument.

The Shinobue (Bamboo flute)

It is used in the hayashi ensemble for Nagauta, background music for kabuki, Sato Kagura and festival flute and percussion ensembles.

The shinobue is made with a stemb of bamboo