| Name | Image | Description | Video |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biwa |  | The biwa (琵琶) is a Japanese short-necked fretted lute, and a close variant of the Chinese pipa. The biwa is the chosen instrument of Benten, Goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese Buddhism. The biwa derives from a Chinese lute called pipa, which itself derives from a Persian/Middle Eastern lute called barbat. Barbat's modern descendant in Arabic regions is called oud. | |
| Dadaiko |  | The dadaiko is a pair of large barrel drums (around two meters in diameter) that are used for Gagaku (Japanese court music) and religious ceremonies. Dadaiko is one of the oldest styles of taiko used in Japan, dating from at least the 7th century. The drum on the left is used for the left repertoire (of Chinese origin) of gagaku. It has a red body with two images of dragon. The right drum is used for the right repertoire. It has a green body with two images of phoenix. | |
| Digital Piano |  | A digital piano is a modern electronic musical instrument designed to serve primarily as an alternative to a traditional piano, both in the way it feels to play and in the sound produced. Some digital pianos are also designed to look like an acoustic piano. While digital pianos may fall short of the genuine article in feel and sound, they nevertheless have many advantages over normal pianos: They do not require tuning; They are much more likely to incorporate a MIDI implementation; They may have additional features to assist in learning and composition. | |
| Grand Piano |  | Grand pianos have the frame and strings placed horizontally, with the strings extending away from the keyboard. This makes the grand piano a large instrument, for which the ideal setting is a spacious room with high ceilings for proper resonance. There are several sizes of grand piano. Manufacturers and models vary, but a rough generalization distinguishes the "concert grand", (between about 2.2 m to 3 m long) from the "parlor grand" (about 1.7 m to 2.2 m) and the smaller "baby grand" (which may be shorter than it is wide). All else being equal, longer pianos with longer strings have better sound and lower inharmonicity of the strings. The image shows the inside of a Yamaha grand piano. | |
| Hichiriki |  | The hichiriki (篳篥) is a double reed instrument used as one of two main melodic instruments in Japanese gagaku music, the other being the ryuteki. The hichiriki is difficult to play, due in part to its double-reed configuration. Although a double reed instrument like the oboe, the hichiriki has a cylindrical bore and thus its sound is similar to that of a clarinet. Pitch and ornamentation (most notably bending tones) is controlled largely with the embouchure. It produces a sound that many describe as "haunting." | |
| Hocchiku |  | Hocchiku (法竹), sometimes romanized as hochiku or hotchiku, is a Japanese end-blown flute, crafted from root sections of bamboo. After cleaning and sanding, the heavy root end of the bamboo stalk reveals many small circular knots where the roots formerly joined the stalk. The same part of the bamboo plant is also used to produce the shakuhachi but, unlike the shakuhachi, the hocchiku's inside (bore) and outside surfaces are left unlaquered and its mouthpiece is not inlaid. The membranes at the nodes inside a hocchiku bore are generally left more intact than those of a shakuhachi. Together, these characteristics make for a visibly and audibly raw and organic instrument. Hocchiku can be fashioned to any length, suitable bamboo permitting, with longer instruments having their frequency range shifted proportionally lower. | |
| Horagai |  | The conch shell, blown as a trumpet, served a number of purposes in Japanese history. It is called jinkai, horagai, or a number of other names in Japanese depending on its function. The conch is perhaps most associated with its use by Buddhist monks for religious purposes. Its use goes back at least one thousand years, and it is still used today for some rituals. | |
| Hyoshigi |  | The hyoshigi (拍子木) is a simple Japanese musical instrument, consisting of two pieces of hardwood or bamboo that are connected by a thin ornamental rope. Hyoshigi are used in traditional theaters in Japan to announce the beginning of a performance. The clappers are played together or on the floor to create a cracking sound. They are struck, slowly at first, then faster and faster. | |
| Kakko |  | The kakko (羯鼓) is a Japanese double-headed drum. Like the Shime-Daiko and tsuzumi, the skin of the heads are first stretched over metal hoops before they are placed on the body, tying them to each other and tightening them making them taut. Kakko drums are usually laid on their sides on stands so that it can be played with sticks called bachi on both heads. Kakko drums have been used in taiko ensembles and gagaku court music. | |
| Kane |  | The kane (鐘/鉦) is a large bell from Japan. It is a tradition in Japan to ring the large Buddhist temple bells 108 times together with Japanese folk music a few minutes before the new year. This tradition is called "joya no kane." | |
| Kokyu |  | The kokyū (胡弓) is a traditional Japanese string instrument, the only one played with a bow. Although it was supposedly introduced to Japan from China along with the shamisen, its material, shape and sound are unique to Japan. The instrument (28-inch tall) is similar in construction to the shamisen, appearing like a smaller version of that instrument. | |
| Koto |  | The koto (琴 or 箏) is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from Chinese Guqins. Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) long and have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the length of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, forefinger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings. | |
| Nohkan |  | The nohkan (kanji: 能管; hiragana: のうかん) is a Japanese bamboo transverse flute with a three octave range. It is also called fue. The nohkan is commonly used in Noh theatre. Noh (能), or Nōgaku (能楽) is a major form of classic Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. | |
| Odaiko |  | The odaiko is a large barrel drum used in the Eisā (エイサー) folk dance. The "O" syllable in Japanese means something "big" or "fat." The odaiko is big but it is made very light weight for the player to jump up with it easily. Eisā is unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands (a chain of Japanese islands.) Three types of drums are used in various combinations in the dance, depending upon regional style: the odaiko, the shimedaiko (a drum similar to ones used in Noh theatre) and a small hand drum, the paranku, similar to the ones used in the Buddhist ceremony. | |
| Otsuzumi |  | The otsuzumi, also known as the okawa, is an hourglass-shaped Japanese lap drum. It is a larger version of the tsuzumi and is used in traditional Japanese theater and dance. Its appearance and the sound it produces are slightly different than that of the tsuzumi. The sound is higher and sharper in pitch, resembling more of a "pop" than the tsuzumi's "pon" sound. The okawa is played on the side of the player, possibly due to its larger size, whereas the tsuzumi is played upon the shoulder. Both the okawa and tsuzumi are often found played together in nagauta and hayashi ensembles. | |
| Paranku |  | The paranku is a small, thin, hand-held drum used in the Eisā (エイサー) folk dance. It has one drumhead and greatly resembles a tambourine. Eisā is unique to the people of the Ryukyu Islands (a chain of Japanese islands.) Three types of drums are used in various combinations in the dance, depending upon regional style: the odaiko (a large barrel drum), the shimedaiko (a small drum similar to ones used in Noh theatre) and the paranku. | |
| Ryuteki |  | The ryūteki (龍笛; literally "dragon flute") is a Japanese transverse flute made of bamboo. It is used in gagaku, the Shinto classical music associated with Japan's imperial court. The sound of the ryūteki is said to represent the dragons which ascend the skies between the heavenly lights (represented by the shō) and the people of the earth (represented by the hichiriki). The ryūteki is held horizontally, has seven holes, and has a length of 40 centimeters and an inner diameter of 1.3 centimeters. Unlike the western flute, the holes are not covered by the finger tips, rather, the fleshy part of the finger is used. This allows for better control of "half-holing" techniques and chromatic notes, by simply raising the finger slightly above the holes. | |
| Sanshin |  | The sanshin (三線, literally meaning "three strings") is an Okinawan musical instrument, and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings. Traditionally, players wore a plectrum, made of a material such as the horn of the water buffalo, on the index finger. Many still do, whereas others use a guitar pick or the nail of the index finger. In Amami, long, narrow plectra of bamboo are also in use. | |
| Shakuhachi |  | The shakuhachi is a Japanese end-blown flute which is held vertically like a recorder, instead of transversely like the Western transverse flute. Its name means "1.8 foot", its size. It is traditionally made of bamboo, but versions now exist in wood and plastic. It was used by the monks of the Fuke sect of Zen Buddhism in the practice of suizen (blowing meditation). Its soulful sound made it popular in 1980s Western pop music. | |
| Shamisen |  | The shamisen or samisen (Japanese: 三味線, literally "three taste strings"), also called sangen (literally "three strings") is a three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. It is the most common instrument in Japanese traditional music. The shamisen is similar in length to a guitar, but its neck is much slimmer and without frets. Its drum-like rounded rectangular body, known as the dō, is covered front and back with skin in the manner of a banjo, and amplifies the sound of the strings. | |
| Shimedaiko |  | The shimedaiko (also sarugaku taiko) is a small hand drum used in the Eisā (エイサー) folk dance. The word "shime" comes from the verb "shimeru", meaning to bind or make tight. The body of the instrument is made of zekova, pine or on occasion sendan or Japanese bead tree. The skin is horse skin stretched on an iron frame. The skin is 35-centermeter in diameter and its circumference is lacquered for about 4.5 cm. In the very center, where the drum is struck, there is a small circle 4-centermeter in diameter of deer skin. There are eight holes around the drum skin and heavy cords called shirabe are used to tie the skins to the body of the instrument. | |
| Shinobue |  | The shinobue (kanji: 篠笛; also called takebue) is a Japanese transverse flute that has a high-pitched sound. It is found in hayashi and nagauta ensembles, and plays important roles in noh and kabuki theatre music. It is heard in Shinto music such as kagura-den, as well as in traditional Japanese folk songs. The image shows three types of Uta-you shinobue: (1) in Bb, top binding (2) in B, black painted (3) in C, without binding | |
| Shishi Odoshi |  | Shishi odoshi is a Japanese device that is made to threat and send away the birds and beasts damaging agriculture. Sōzu (そうず, 添水) is a kind of Shishi Odoshi. It is a traditional water fountain used in Japanese gardens. Usually made of bamboo, it contains one or more uprights with a hollow pivoting arm attached into which water pours from a tube or pipe above it. When the arm gets full, the weight of the water causes it to tip over and empty, making a sharp sound when it hits a hard surface below it. This noise is intended to startle any deer which may be grazing on the plants in the garden. The empty arm is then free to swing back up into position and refill. The rhythmic clacking sound among the garden with sounds of silence of Japanese style, reminds visitors to the garden of the passage of time. | |
| shō |  | The shō (笙) is a Japanese free reed musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara period. It consists of 17 slender bamboo pipes, each of which is fitted in its base with a metal free reed. The instrument's sound is said to imitate the call of a phoenix. The pipes are tuned carefully with a drop of wax. As moisture collected in the shō's pipes prevents it from sounding, performers can be seen warming the instrument over a small charcoal brazier when they are not playing. The shō is one of the three primary woodwind instruments used in gagaku, Japan's imperial court music. The image shows a Chinese sheng (left) and a Japanese shō (right.) | |
| Taiko |  | Taiko (太鼓) means simply "drum" in Japanese (etymologically "great" or "wide drum"). Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums (和太鼓, 'wa-daiko', "Japanese drum", in Japanese) and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming (sometimes called more specifically, "kumi-daiko" (組太鼓). | |
| Tonkori |  | The tonkori (katakana: トンコリ) is a plucked string instrument played by the Ainu people of Hokkaidō, northern Japan and Sakhalin. It is unfretted and has between three and five strings which are not stopped but instead played "open." The instrument is believed to have been developed in the Karafuto region of Sakhalin. The instrument is constructed of Jezo Spruce with strings made of gut or vegetable fiber. Its shape is traditionally said to resemble a woman's body, and the corresponding words are used for its parts. The most prominent tonkori performer is Oki Kano (see image), who often uses the instrument in contemporary and cross-cultural performances and recordings. | |
| Tsuri-daiko |  | Tsuri-daiko (釣太鼓)is a Japanese drum used in gagaku music, a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial court for several centuries. It is a drum on a stand with ornately painted head, played with a padded stick. The tsuri-daiko image was taken by Zhang Yuwen in Beijing, China, May 2007. | |
| Tsuzumi |  | The tsuzumi (鼓), also known as kotsuzumi, is a Japanese shoulder drum. It consists of a wooden body shaped like an hourglass, and it is tought with two drum heads with cords that can be squeezed or released to increase or decrease the tension of the heads respectively. This mechanism allows the player to raise or lower the pitch of the drum while playing, not unlike the African talking drum. The tsuzumi is the only Japanese drum that is struck with the hands. The tsuzumi plays roles in both Noh and Kabuki theater music, but it is also used in Japanese folk music. |
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