Japanese Music Essay

there argon two cooks of euphony recognized to be the oldest lines of traditional Nipp iodinse medicinal drug. They be shmy ( or ?), or Buddhist chanting, and gagaku (?) or orchestral philander medical specialty, both of which date to the Nara and Heian periods.citation needed Gagaku is a type of seedized harmony that has been per exerciseed at the Imperial court since the Heian periodcitation needed. Kagura-uta (), Azuma-asobi() and Yamato-uta () ar indigenous repertories. Tgaku () and komagaku originated from the Chinese black quakeweed dynasty via the Korean peninsulacitation needed. In addition, gagaku is divided into kangen () (instrumental medical specialty) and bugaku () ( leaping accompanied by gagaku). Originating as advance(preno minuteal) as the 13th century ar honkyoku ( superior pieces). These are angiotensin-converting enzyme (solo) shakuhachi () pieces influence by mendicant Fuke sect priests of Zen buddhismcitation needed. These priests, calle d komus (emptiness monk), played honkyoku for alms and enlightenment. The Fuke sect ceased to exist in the 19th century, but a verbal and written lineage of legion(predicate) honkyoku continues today, though this medicinal drug is at a beat often practiced in a concert or accomplishment setting.citation needed The samurai often listened to and per contour lineed in these medicament activities, in their practices of enriching their lives and understandingcitation needed. Traditional medical specialtyedit electronic computer address editbetaBiwa hshi, Heike biwa, ms, and gozeedit writer editbeta The biwa ( Chinese pipa), a form of short-necked lute, was played by a group of itinerant performers (biwa hshi) () who use it to espouse stories.citation needed The intimately renowned of these stories is The Tale of the Heike, a 12th-century history of the triumph of the Minamoto grade over the Tairacitation needed. Biwa hshi began organizing themselves into a guild- deal a ssociation (td) for optically impaired men as azoic as the thirteenth century. This guild last controlled a large portion of the tuneful culture of lacquer.citation needed In addition, legion(predicate) smaller groups of itinerant blind musicians were formed peculiarly in the Kyushu celestial spherecitation needed. These musicians, cognize as ms ( blind monk) toured their local areas and performed a com quitmentalization of ghostlike and semi-religious texts to purify households and bring about unafraid health and good luck. They to a fault in-chief(postnominal)tained a repertoire of secular genres. The biwa that they played was substantially smaller than the Heike biwa () played by the biwa hshi.citation needed Lafcadio Hearn re youngd in his halt Kwaidan Stories and Studies of Strange Things Mimi-nashi Hoichi (Hoichi the Earless), a Nipp one and only(a)se ghost story about a blind biwa hshi who performs The Tale of the Heike Blind women, cognize as goze (), be sides toured the land since the medieval era, singing songs and playing accomp whatsoevering music on a lap drum.citation needed From the seventeenth century they often played the koto or the shamisen. Goze organizations sprung up throughout the land, and existed until recently in what is today Niigata prefecture.citation needed Taikoedit source editbetaTaiko executeThe taiko is a Nipponese drum that comes in various sizes and is utilise to play a variety of musical genres.citation needed It has become particularly washing sodaular in recent years as the central instrument of percussion ensembles whose repertory is based on a variety of crime syndicate and fiesta music of the past. Such taiko music is played by large drum ensembles called kumi-daiko. Its origins are uncertain, but can be stretched out as far confirm as the 7th centuries, when a clay figure of a drummer indicates its existence. china influences followed, but the instrument and its music re principal(prenomin al)ed uniquely Nipponese.5 Taiko drums during this period were use during skirmish to intimid(prenominal)ate the enemy and to communicate commands. Taiko continue to be used in the religious music of Buddhism and Shint. In the past players were holy men, who played unless at special occasions and in small groups, but in time secular men ( rarely women) also played the taiko in semi-religious festivals much(prenominal)(prenominal) as the bon dance. Modern ensemble taiko is said to pick out been invented by Daihachi Oguchi in 1951citation needed. A jazz drummer, Oguchi incorporated his musical background into large ensembles, which he had also designed. His energetic style made his group universal throughout lacquer, and made the Hokuriku region a center for taiko music. Musicians to arise from this wave of cut downularity admit Sukeroku Daiko and his exercise setmate Seido Kobayashi. 1969 saw a group called Za Ondekoza embeded by Tagayasu Den Za Ondekoza gathered unneuro tic young performers who innovated a unsanded roots revival version of taiko, which was used as a way of life in communal lifestyles. During the mid-seventies, the Nipponese government allocated funds to preserve lacquerese culture, and umteen community taiko groups were formed. afterwardsward in the century, taiko groups spread across the public, especially to the coupled States. The video juicy Taiko Drum Master is based some taiko. One example of a modern Taiko haloing is Gocoo. Miny category musicedit source editbetaA Nipponese family lineswoman with hershamisen, 1904 primary(prenominal) article Miny Nipponese folk songs (miny) can be grouped and classified in many ways but it is often convenient to think of four main categories work songs, religious songs ( much(prenominal) as sato kagura, a form of Shintoist music), songs used for gatherings such(prenominal) as weddings, funerals, and festivals (matsuri, especially Obon), and childrens songs (warabe uta). In miny, singers are typically accompanied by the three-stringed lute know as the shamisen, taiko drums, and a bamboo flute called shakuhachi. Other instruments that could accompany are a crosswise flute known as the shinobue, a bell known as kane, a hand drum called the tsuzumi, and/or a 13-stringed zither known as the koto. In Okinawa, the main instrument is the sanshin. These are traditional lacquerese instruments, but modern instrumentation, such as electric gui pitchs and synthesizers, is also used in this day and age, when enka singers cover traditional miny songs (Enka being a Nipponese music genre all its own).6 (For a detailed English-language teach of all aspects of miny, see the 395-page book by David Hughes.)6 equipment casualty often heard when intercommunicate about miny are ondo, bushi, bon uta, and komori uta. An ondo generally describes any folk song with a distinctive cold shoulder that may be heard as 2/4 time rhythm (though performers usually do not group b eats). The typical folk song heard at Obon festival dances will most potential be an ondo. A fushi is a song with a distinctive melody. Its rattling name, which is pronounced bushi incompounds, means melody or rhythm. The word is rarely used on its own, but is usually prefixed by a verge referring to occupation, location, personal name or the like. Bon uta, as the name describes, are songs for Obon, the lantern festival of the dead. Komori uta are childrens lullabies. The names of minyo songs often embroil descriptive term, usually at the end. For example Tokyo Ondo, Kushimoto Bushi, Hokkai Bon genus Uta, and Itsuki no Komoriuta. many of these songs include extra stress on certain syllables as hearty as pitched shouts (kakegoe). Kakegoe are generally shouts of cheer but inminy, they are often include as split of choruses. There are many kakegoe, though they vary from region to region. In Okinawa Miny, for example, one will hear the common ha iya sasa In mainland japan, however, one will be much likely to hear a yoisho, binge, or a sore Others are a donto koi, and dokoisho Recently a guild-based system known as the iemoto system has been applied to virtually forms of miny it is called. This system was originally developed for transmitting classical genres such as nagauta, shakuhachi, or koto music, but since it proved profitable to teachers and was supported by students who wished to obtain certificates of proficiency and artists names continues to spread to genres such as miny, Tsugaru-jamisen and opposite forms of music that were traditionally transmissible more informally. Today some miny are passed on in such pseudo-family organizations and long apprenticeships are common. render also Ainu music of north Japan.Okinawan folk musicedit source editbetaMain article Ryukyuan musicUmui, religious songs, shima uta, dance songs, and, especially kachsh, lively celebratory music, were all bulge outular. Okinawan folk music varies from mainland Nipponese folk music in several ways. start off, Okinawan folk music is often accompanied by the sanshin whereas in mainland Japan, the shamisen accompanies instead. Other Okinawan instruments include the sanba (which produce a clicking sound similar to that of castanets), taiko and a sharp dactyl whistling called yubi-bue (?). Second, tonality. A pentatonic outdo, which coincides with the study(ip) pentatonic scale of westerly musical disciplines, is often heard in miny from the main islands of Japan, see miny scale. In thispentatonic scale the subdominant and leading tone (scale degrees 4 and 7 of the western major scale) are omitted, resulting in a musical scale with no half-steps between each note. (Do, Re, Mi, So, La in solfeggio, or scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6) Okinawan miny, however, is characterized by scales that include the half-steps omitted in the same pentatonic scale, when analyzed in the westward discipline of music. In fact, the most common scale used in Okinawa n miny includes scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Traditional instrumentsedit source editbetaMain article Traditional Japanese musical instruments* Biwa ()* Fue ()* Hichiriki ()* Hocchiku ()* Hyshigi ()* Kane ()* Kakko ()* Koky ()* Koto ()* Niko ()* Okawa (AKA tsuzumi) ()* Ryteki ()* Sanshin ()* Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) ()* Shamisen ()* Shime-Daiko ()* Shinobue ()* Sh ()* Suikinkutsu (water zither) ()* Taiko (i.e. Wadaiko)* Tsuzumi () (AKA Kotsuzumi)-Arrival of Western musicedit source editbetaTraditional defeat musicedit source editbetaMain articles Rykka, Kaykyoku, and EnkaAfter the Meiji Restoration introduced Western musical instruction, a bureaucrat named Izawa Shuji compiled songs like Auld Lang Syne and commissioned songs using a pentatonicmelody.citation needed Western music, especially military marches, soon became popular in Japan.citation needed Two major forms of music that developed during this period were shoka, which was composed to bring western music to school s, and gunka, which are military marches with some Japanese elements..citation needed As Japan moved towards interpreter democracy in the posthumous 19th century, leaders hired singers to sell copies of songs that aired their messages, since the leaders themselves were usually prohibited from speaking in public. The street performers were called enka-shi.citation needed Also at the end of the 19th century, an Osakan form of streetcorner singing became popular this was called rkyoku. This included the primary two Japanese stars, Yoshida Naramaru and Tochuken Kumoemon..citation neededIchiro Fujiyama, influentialrykka singerWesternized pop music is called kaykyoku, which is said to have and beginning appeared in a dramatization of Resurrection by Tolstoy. The song Kachsha no Uta, composed by Shinpei Nakayama, was sung by Sumako Matsui in 1914. The song became a hit among enka-shi, and was one of the starting time major best-merchandising book of accounts in Japan.citation needed . Rykka, which adopted Western classical music, made waves across the country in the prewar period..citation needed Ichiro Fujiyamabecame popular in the prewar period, but war songs later(prenominal) became popular when the World fight II occurred..citation needed Kaykyoku became a major manufacture, especially after the arrival of superstar Misora Hibari.citation needed In the 1950s, tango and other(prenominal) kinds of Latin music, especially Cuban music, became very(prenominal) popular in Japan.citation needed A distinctively Japanese form of tango called dodompa also developed. Kaykyoku became associated entirely with traditional Japanese structures, while more Western-style music was called Japanese pop ( or merely JPop).citation needed Enka music, adopting Japanese traditional structures, became quite popular in the postwar period, though its popularity has waned since the 1970s and enjoys teeny-weeny favour with contemporary youth.citation needed Famous enka singers inc lude Hibari Misora, Saburo Kitajima, Ikuzo Yoshi and Kiyoshi Hikawa. finessemusicedit source editbetaWestern classical musicedit source editbetaWestern classical music has a strong nominal head in Japan and the country is one of the most important markets for this music tradition.citation needed, with Toru Takemitsu (famous as well for his avant-garde kit and caboodle and movie scoring) being the best known.citation needed Also famous is the conductor Seiji Ozawa. Since 1999 the piano player Fujiko Hemming, who plays Liszt and Chopin, has been famous and her CDs have sold millions of copies.citation needed Japan is also home to the worlds leading wind band.citation needed, the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, and the largest music ambition of any kind, the All-Japan bent Association national contest.citation needed Western classical music does not represent Japans original culture. The Japanese were initiative exposed to it in the irregular half of the 19th century, after more than 200 years of national isolation during the Edo Period.citation needed But after that, Japanese studied classical music earnestly to make it a part of their own artistic culture. Orchestras* Gunma music Orchestra* Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra* Hyogo Performing humanistic discipline Center Orchestra* Japan symphonic music Orchestra* Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra* Kyoto Symphony Orchestra* Kyushu Symphony Orchestra* Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra* New Japan Philharmonic* NHK Symphony Orchestra* Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa* Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra* Sapporo Symphony Orchestra* Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra* Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra* Tokyo city Philharmonic Orchestra* Tokyo Symphony Orchestra* Yamagata Symphony Orchestra* Yomiuri Nippon Symphony OrchestraComposers* Rentar Taki (18791903)* Kosaku Yamada (18861965)* Kiyoshi Nobutoki1887-1965* Yasuji Kiyose (19001981)* Masao Ohki (19011971)* Sabur Moroi (19031977)* Kunihiko Hashimoto (19041949)* Tomojir Ikenouchi ( 19061991)* Yoritsune Matsudaira (19072001)* Hisato Ohzawa (19071953)* Shir Fukai (19071959)* Hisatada Otaka (19111951)* Akira Ifukube (19142006)* Fumio Hayasaka (19141955)* Minao Shibata (1916-1996)* Yoshir Irino (1921-1980)* Sadao Bekku (19222012)* Ikuma Dan (19242001)* Yasushi Akutagawa (19251989)* Roh Ogura (19261990)* Joji Yuasa (born 1929)* Toshiro Mayuzumi (19291997)* Akio Yashiro (19291976)* Teizo Matsumura (19292007)* Toru Takemitsu (19301996)* Makoto Moroi (born 1930)* Hikaru Hayashi (19312012)* Yuzo Toyama (born 1931)* Akira Miyoshi (born 1933)* Toshi Ichiyanagi (born 1933)* Maki Ishii (19362003)* Shigeaki Saegusa (born 1942)* Shin-ichiro Ikebe (born 1943)* Takashi Yoshimatsu (born 1953)* Akira Nishimura (born 1953)* Toshio Hosokawa (born 1955)Jazzedit source editbetaMain article Japanese jazzFrom the 1930s on (except during World War II, when it was repressed as music of the enemy)citation needed jazz has had a strong presence in Japan.citation needed The country is an i mportant market for the music, and it is common that recordings unavailable in the joined States or Europe are available there. A issue of Japanese jazz musicians have achieved popularity abroad as well as at home.citation needed Musicians such as June (born in Japan) and Dan (third generation American born, of Hiroshima fame), and Sadao Watanabe have a large fan base outside(a) their native country. Lately, alliance jazz or nu-jazz has become popular with a growing rate of young Japanese.citation needed Native DJs such as Ryota Nozaki (Jazztronik), the two brothers Okino Shuya andOkino Yoshihiro of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Toshio Matsuura (former phallus of the United Future Organization) and DJ Shundai Matsuo creator of the popular monthly DJ event, Creole inBeppu, Japan as well as nu-jazz artists, Sleepwalker, GrooveLine, and Soil & panderer Sessions have brought great change to the traditional notions of jazz in Japan. well-nigh of the newer bands include Ego-Wrappin and Sake carry along with more experimental musicians such as Otomo Yoshihide and Keiji Haino. - commonplace musicedit source editbetaJ-Popedit source editbetaMain article J-popJ-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a loosely countersinkd musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s pop and gemstone music, such as The Beatles, which led to bands such as blessed End fusing joggle with Japanese music.7 J-pop was further defined by Japanese New drift bands such as Yellow Magic Orchestra andSouthern All Stars in the late 1970s.8 Eventually, J-popreplaced kaykyoku (Lyric Singing Music, a term for Japanese pop music from the 1920s to the 1980s) in the Japanese music scene.9The term was coined by the Japanese media to distinguish Japanese music from foreign music. Dance and trip the light fantastic toe musicedit source editbetaFurther in formation Eurobeat and Para ParaMomoiro medic Z is known for its innovative dance per formances.10 In 1984, American musician Michael capital of Mississippis phonograph album Thriller became the outset album by a Western artist to sell over one million copies in Japanese Oricon charts history.11 His style is cited as one of the models for Japanese dance music, leading the popularity of Avex meeting andJohnny & Associates.12 In 1990, Avex Trax began to release the Super Eurobeat series in Japan. Eurobeat in Japan led the popularity of group dance form Para Para. While Avexs artists such as Every Little Thing and Ayumi Hamasaki became popular in 1990s, new names in the late 90s included Hikaru Utadaand Morning Musume. Hikaru Utadas debut album, First Love, went on to be the highest-merchandising album in Japan with over 7 million copies sold, whereas Ayumi Hamasaki became Japans top selling female and solo artist, and Morning Musume remains one of the most well-known(a) girl groups in the Japanese pop music industry. Momoiro Clover Z is known for its energetic danc e performances. They are heavily choreographed and feature gymnastic stunts.13 The energetic performances also incorporate elements of ballet, gymnastics, and action movies.14 Although the girls voices are not very stable when coupled with an intense dance, they never lipsynch.15 A 2013 survey shows that Momoiro Clover Z attracts the highest level of interest of all the femaleidol groups in Japan.16 Rockedit source editbetaIn the 1960s, Japanese pit music bands imitated Western rock musicians such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones, along with other Appalachian folk music, psychedelic rock,mod and similar genres this was called classify functions (G.S.). John Lennon of The Beatles later became one of most popular Western musicians in Japan.17 Group Sounds is a genre of Japanese rock music that was popular in the mid to late 1960s.citation needed After the enlarge of Group Sounds, there were several influentialsinger-songwriters. Nobuyasu Okabayashi was the first who became widely recognized.citation needed Wataru Takada, enliven by Woody Guthrie, also became popular.citation needed. They both were influenced by American folk music but wrote Japanese lyrics. Takada used modern Japanese poem as lyrics, while Kazuki Tomokawa made an album using Chuya Nakaharas poems. Tomobe Masato, divine by Bob Dylan, wrote critically acclaimed lyrics.citation needed The Tigers was the most popular Group Sounds band in the era. Later, some of the members of The Tigers, The Tempters and The Spiders formed the first Japanese supergroup Pyg. Homegrown Japanese folk rock had developed by the late 1960s.citation needed Artists like Happy End are considered to have virtually developed the genre. During the 1970s, it grew more popular.citation needed The Okinawan band Champloose, along with Carol (led by Eikichi Yazawa), RC Succession and Shinji Harada were especially famous and helped define the genres sound. Sometimes also beginning in the late sixties, but mo stly active in the seventies, are musicians mixing rock music with American-style folk and pop elements, usually go afterled folk by the Japanese because of their regular use of the acoustic guitar. This includes bands like Off Course, Tulip, Alice (led by Shinji Tanimura), Kaguyahime, Banban, and Garo. Solo artists of the same movement include Yosui Inoue, Yuming, and Iruka. Later groups, like Kai bind (led by Yoshihiro Kai) and proto(prenominal) Southern All Stars, are often connected to the same movement.Yellow Magic Orchestra in 2008Several Japanese musicians began experimenting with electronic rock in the early 1970s. The most notable was the internationally known Isao Tomita, whose 1972 album Electric Samurai Switched on Rock featured electronic synthesizer renditions of contemporary rock and pop songs.18 Other early examples of electronic rock records include Inoue Yousuis folk rock and pop rock album Ice World (1973) and Osamu Kitajimas progressive psychedelic rockalbum Benzaiten (1974), both of which confused contributions from Haruomi Hosono,1920 who later started the electronic music group Yellow Magic Band (later known as Yellow Magic Orchestra) in 1977.21 Most influentially, the 1970s spawned the electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, led by Haruomi Hosono. In the1980s, Bowy inspired substitute rock bands like Shonen Knife, Boredoms, The Pillows and Tama & Little Creatures as well as more mainstream bands as Glay. In 1980, Huruoma and Ry Cooder, an American musician, collaborated on a rock album with Shoukichi Kina, driving force behind the aforesaid(prenominal) Okinawan band Champloose. They were followed by Sandii & the sunshinesetz, who further mixed Japanese and Okinawan influences. Also during the 80s, Japanese surface and rock bands gave birth to the movement known as visual kei, represented during its history by bands like X Japan, Buck-Tick, Luna Sea, spite Mizer and many others, some of which experienced national, and inter national success in the latest years. In the 1990s, Japanese rock musicians such as Bz, Mr. Children, Glay, Southern All Stars, LArc-en-Ciel, Tube, Spitz, Wands, T-Bolan, Judy and Mary, Asian KungFu Generation, Field of View, Deen, Ulfuls, Lindberg, Sharam Q, The Yellow Monkey, The Brilliant Green and Dragon modify achieved great commercialized success.citation needed Bz is the 1 best selling act in Japanese music since Oricon started to count.citation needed, followed by Mr. Children.citation needed In the 90s, pop songs were often used in brings, anime, television advertisement and dramatic programming, comme il faut some of the best-selling forms of music in Japan.citation needed The rise of disposable pop has been linked with the popularity of karaoke, leading to criticism that it is consumerist Kazufumi Miyazawa of The extend said I despise that buy, listen, and throw away and sing at a karaoke bar mentality. Of the visual kei bands Luna Sea, whose members toned down their on-stage attire with on-going success, was either very successful, while Malice Mizer, Lacryma Christi, Shazna, Janne Da Arc, and Fanatic Crisis also achieved commercial success in the late 90s.citation neededGreen Stage of the Fuji Rock feastThe first Fuji Rock Festival opened in 1997. Rising Sun Rock Festival opened in 1999. Summer Sonic Festival and Rock in Japan Festival opened in 2000. though the rock scene in the 2000s is not as strong, newer bands such as Bump of Chicken, Sambomaster, Flow, orange Range, Remioromen,Uverworld, Radwimps and Aqua Timez, which are considered rock bands, have achieved success. Orange Range also adoptsclarification needed hip hop. Established bands as Bz, Mr. Children, Glay, andLArc-en-Ciel also continue to top charts, though Bz and Mr. Children are the only bands to maintain a high standards of their sales along the years. Japanese rock has a vibrant underground rock scene,citation needed best known internationally for noise rock bands such as Boredoms and Melt Banana, as well as stoner rock bands such as Boris and alternative acts such as Shonen Knife (who were championed in the West by Kurt Cobain),Pizzicato quintette and The Pillows (who gained international attention in 1999 for the FLCL soundtrack). More conventional indie rock artists such asEastern Youth, The Band Apart and Number Girl have found some success in Japancitation needed, but little recognition outside of their home country. Other notable international touring indie rock acts are Mono and Nisennenmondai. Punk rock / alternativeedit source editbetaFurther information Japanese hardcoreEarly examples of punk rock in Japan include SS, The Star Club, The Stalin, Inu, Gaseneta, Bomb Factory, Lizard (who were produced by the Stranglers) and Friction (whose guitarist Reck had previously played with Teenage Jesus and the Jerks in the lead returning to Tokyo) and The Blue Hearts. The early punk scene was immortalized on film by Sogo Ishii, who directed the 19 82 film Burst City featuring a cast of punk bands/musicians and also shoot videos for The Stalin. In the 80s, hardcore bands such as GISM, Gauze, Confuse, Lip Cream and opinionated Death began appearing, some incorporating crossover elements.citation needed The independent scene also included a diverse yield of alternative/post-punk/new wave artists such as Aburadako, P-Model,Uchoten, Auto-Mod, Buck-Tick, Guernica and Yapoos (both of which featured Jun Togawa), G-Schmitt, Totsuzen Danball and Jagatara, along with noise/industrial bands such as Hijokaidan andHanatarashi. Ska-punk bands of the late nineties extending in the years 2000 include Shakalabbits and 175R (pronounced inago rider). sour metallic elementedit source editbetaJapan is known for being a successful area for metal bands touring around the world and many live albums are save in Japan. Notable examples are Judas Priests Unleashed in the East, weightlift Maidens Maiden Japan, DeepPurples make in Japan and Dream T heaters Live at Budokan. From the international bands, such as Angra, Sonata Arctica and Skylark especially with their singerKiara Laetitia have had major success in Japan.citation needed Japanese heavy metal bands started emerging in the late 1970s, pioneered by bands like Bow Wow, formed in 1975 by guitarist Kyoji Yamamoto, and Loudness, formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki. Although there existed other contemporary bands, like Earthshaker, Anthem and 44 Magnum, their debut albums were released only around the mid eighties when metal bands started getting a major exposure. First oversease live performances were by Bow Wow in 1978 in Hong Kong and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, as well played at the Reading Festival inEngland in 1982.22 In 1983, Loudness toured United States and Europe, and started nidus more on an international career. In 1985, the first Japanese metal act was signed to a major label in the United States. Their albums Thunder in the East and Lightning Strikes, released in 1985 and 1986, peaked at form 74 (while number 4 in homeland Oricon chart), and number 64 in theBillboard 200 charts respectively.2324 Till the end of the eightes only two other bands, Ezo and Dead End, got their albums released in the United States. In the eighties few bands had a female members, like all-female band Show-Ya fronted by Keiko Terada, and Terra Rosa with Kazue Akao on vocals. In September 1989, Show-Yas album Outerlimits was released, it reached number 3 in the Oricon album chart.25 Heavy metal bands reached their peak in the late 80s and many disbanded until the mid-1990s. bedevil of pioneer of visual kei, X Japan atHong Kong in 2009 after their 2007 reunion. In 1982, some of the first Japanese glam metal bands were formed, like Seikima-II with Kabuki-inspired makeup, and X Japan who pioneered the Japanese movement known as visual kei, and became the best-selling metal band.26 In 1985, Seikima-IIs album Seikima-II Akuma ga Kitarite Heavy Metal was released and although reached number 48 on the Oricon album chart exceeded 100,000 in sales, first time for any Japanese metal band. Their albums charted regularly in the top ten until mid 90s. In April 1989, X Japans second album Blue Blood was released and went to number 6, and after 108 weeks on charts sold 712,000 copies.27 Their third and best-selling album Jelaousy was released in July 1991 it topped the chartsand sold 1.11 million copies.27 There were released more two number one studio albums, Art of Life and Dahlia, a singles digest X Singles, all selling more than half a million,28 and since the formation had thirteenth top five singles, disbanding in 1997.29 Extreme metaledit source editbetaJapanese extreme metal bands formed in the wake of American and European wave, but didnt get any bigger exposure until the 90s, and like overseas the genre is usually treated as an underground form of music in Japan.citation needed First thrash metal bands formed in t he early 80s, like United, whose music also incorporates death metal elements, and Outrage. Uniteds first international performance took place in Los Angeles at the metal festival Foundations Forum in September 1995 and had few albums released in North America. Formed in the mid 80s, Doom played a gig in the United States in October 1988 at CBGB, and was active until 2000 when disbanded. The first bands to play black metal music were Sabbat, who is still active, and Bellzlleb, who was active until early 90s. Another notable act is Sigh. Doom metal has also gained an listening in Japan. The two best-known Japanese doom metal acts are Church of Misery and Boris, both of whom have gained considerable popularity outside the country. Hip-Hopedit source editbetaMain article Japanese hip-hopHip-hop is a newer form of music on the Japanese music scene. Many felt it was a trend that would immediately pass. However, the genre has lasted for many years and is still thriving. In fact, rappers in Japan did not achieve the success of hip-hop artists in other countries until the late 1980s. This was mainly due to the music worlds belief that Japanese sentences were not capable of forming the rhyming effect that was contained in American rappers songs.30 There is a certain, well-defined structure to the music industry called The Pyramid Structure of a Music Scene. As Ian Condry notes, see a music scene in terms of a profit provides a more nuanced understanding of how to interpret the significance of different levels and kinds of success.31 The levels are as follows (from lowest to highest) fans and potential artists, performing artists, recording artists(indies), major label artists, and mega-hit stars. These different levels can be clearly seen at a genba, or night edict. Different families of rappers perform on stage. A family is essentially a charm of rap groups that are usually headed by one of the more famous Tokyo acts, which also include a number of proteges.32 Th ey are important because they are the key to understanding stylistic differences between groups.33 Hip-hop fans in the audience are the ones in control of the night club. They are the adjudicate who determine the winners in rap battles on stage. An example of this can be seen with the battle between rap artists Dabo (a major label artist) andKan (an indie artist). Kan challenged Dabo to a battle on stage while Dabo was mid-performance. Another important part of night clubs was displayed at this time. It showed the openness of the scene and the fluidity of boundaries in clubs.34 Electropop and club musicedit source editbetaSee also Electronic music, Synthpop, and Electro musicElectronic pop music in Japan became a successful commodity with the Technopop religious cult of the late 70s and 80s.citation needed, beginning with Yellow Magic Orchestra and solo albums ofRyuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono in 1978 before hitting popularity in 1979 and 1980. Influenced by disco, impression istic and 20th century classical composition, jazz/fusion pop, new wave and technopop artists such as Kraftwerk and Telex, these artists were commercial yet uncompromising.citation needed Ryuichi Sakamoto claims that to me, making pop music is not a compromise because I enjoy doing it. The artists that fall under the banner of technopop in Japan are as loose as those that do so in the West, thus new wave bands such as P-Model and The Plastics fall under the category alongside the symphonic techno arrangements of Yellow Magic Orchestra. The popularity of this music meant that many popular artists of the 70s that previously were known for acoustic music turned to techno production, such as Taeko Onuki and Akiko Yano, and idol producers began employing electronic arrangements for new singers in the 80s.citation needed Today, newer artists such as Polysics pay explicit homage to this era of Japanese popular (and in some cases underground or difficult to obtain) music.citation needed And the all trio girls band Perfume,who debuted with Tokuma Japan in 2005,are also atechno-pop band, taking on electronic, dance and pop music taking on Auto-Tune, vocoders, and electrohouse upon their signing to a major label. They are currently considered as one of the most popular bands in Japan. Roots musicedit source editbetaIn the late 1980s, roots bands like Shang Shang Typhoon and The Boom became popular. Okinawan roots bands like Nenes and Kina were also commercially and critically successful. This led to the second wave of Okinawan music, led by the sudden success of Rinkenband. A new wave of bands followed, including the comebacks of Champluse and Kina, as led by Kikusuimaru Kawachiya very similar to kawachi ondo is Tadamaru Sakuragawas goshu ondo. Latin, reggae and ska musicedit source editbetaFurther information Japanese reggae and Japanese skaOther forms of music from Indonesia, Jamaica and elsewhere were assimilated. African soukous and Latin music, like Orquesta de la Luz (), was popular as was Jamaicanreggae and ska, exemplified by Mice Teeth, Mute Beat, La-ppisch, Home Grown and Ska Flames, Determinations, and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. disagreement musicedit source editbetaMain article JapanoiseAnother recognized music form from Japan is noise music. The noise from this country is called Japanoise. Its most striking representative is Masami Akita with his project Merzbow. Theme musicedit source editbetaTheme music composed for films, anime, Tokusatsu, and Japanese television dramas are considered a separate music genre. Several prominent musical artists and groups have spent most of their musical careers performing floor songs and musical composition soundtracks for visual media. Such artists include Masato Shimon (current holder of the world record for most successful single in Japan for Oyoge Taiyaki-kun),35 Ichirou Mizuki, all of the members of get up Project, Akira Kushida, Isao Sasaki, and Mitsuko Horie. Notable composers of Ja panese theme music include Joe Hisaishi, Michiru Oshima, Yoko Kanno, Toshihiko Sahashi, Yuki Kajiura, Ktar Nakagawa and Yuuki Hayashi. Game musiceditsource editbetaSee also Video spunky music, Chiptune, and BitpopWhen the first electronic games were sold, they only had rudimentary sound chips with which to produce music. As the engineering advanced, the quality of sound and music these game machines could produce increased dramatically. The first game to take credit for its music was Xevious, also noteworthy for its deep (at that time) constructed stories. Though many games have had beautiful music to accompany their gameplay, one of the most important games in the history of the video game music is Dragon Quest. Koichi Sugiyama, a composer who was known for his music for various anime and TV shows, including Cyborg 009 and a feature film of Godzilla vs. Biollante, got involved in the project out of the pure curiosity and proved that games can have thoughtful soundtracks. Until his involvement, music and sounds were often neglected in the development of video games and programmers with little musical knowledge were forced to write the soundtracks as well. Undaunted by technological limits, Sugiyama worked with only 8 part polyphony to create a soundtrack that would not tire the player despite hours and hours of gameplay. Another well-known author of video game music is Nobuo Uematsu. Even Uematsus earlier compositions for the game series, Final Fantasy, on Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System in America) are being arranged for full orchestral score. In 2003, he even took his rock-based tunes from their original MIDI format and created The Black Mages. Yasunori Mitsuda is a highly known composer of such games as Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode I, Chrono Cross, and Chrono Trigger. Koji Kondo, the main composer for Nintendo, is also prominent on the Japanese game music scene. He is best known for the Zelda and Mario themes. Motoi Sakuraba is also another well-k nown video game composer. He is known for composing the Tales Series, gruesome Souls, Eternal Sonata, Star Ocean, Valkyrie Profile, Golden Sun, and theBaten Kaitos games, as well as numerous Mario Sports games. Yuzo Koshiro is also noted for his work with games, having composed electronic music-influenced soundtracks for games like visit of Shinobi and the Streets of Rage series. The techno/trance music production group Ive Sound has made a name for themselves first by making themes for eroge computer games, and then by breaking into the anime scene bycomposing themes for them. Unlike others, this group was able to find fans in other parts of the world through their eroge and anime themes. Today, game soundtracks are sold on CD. Famous singers like Hikaru Utada, Nana Mizuki and BoA sometimes sing songs for games as well, and this is also seen as a way for singers to make a names for themselves. -See alsoedit source editbeta* J-pop* Visual kei* All-Japan Band Association* Buddhist music* Chindonya* Enka* Group Sounds* Japanese hardcore* Japanese hip hop* Japanese ska* Japanoise* Oricon* Rykka* Shibuya-kei* Shint music* Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra* itemization of Japanese rock bands* List of Japanese hip hop musicians* List of J-pop artists* In scale* go acting in Japan