Concerts at the National Theatre, Tokyo
The National Theatre, situated in Miyakezaka, Tokyo, opened in November 1966. As well as staging performances of Japanese traditional performing arts, it maintains active training and survey/research programs. Gagaku concerts have been an important element in its activities since its inception.
In addition to performances of pieces from the traditional repertoire, revivals of lost pieces and new compositions for the gagaku ensemble have also been staged. In these terms, the National Theatre has had a strong influence on the currents of gagaku in the contemporary world.
The National Theatre has several concert series that feature gagaku. The basic series of gagaku concerts examines the traditional repertoire from various perspectives. Buddhist chant concerts focus on music used in Buddhist ritual, sometimes including gagaku. Other series deal with vocal music and instrumental music. Efforts are being made to create and sustain a new tradition of gagaku in contemporary Japan.
Concerts by various other gagaku performing groups
In the last century and a half, and especially in the period from the late 1960s to early 1980s, many new gagaku performing groups were founded, some composed of musicians with specialist training, and others of amateur aficionados. They currently undertake various activities, popularizing the art and training new performers.
There are many private, non-professional gagaku groups throughout Japan. Many of these sustain performance traditions at temples and shrines that originally possessed bodies of musicians who performed gagaku in ritual contexts. In addition, certain musicians of the Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency have formed independent private groups, while retired palace musicians also have their own groups that explore new possibilities for their art.
This increase in activity by private and amateur groups means not only that more opportunities are available to appreciate gagaku in performance, but also that there is a strong tendency for more and more groups to be formed. The following table lists important groups with active histories of more than 30 years.
| Prefecture | Group | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hokkaidō | Otaru Gagaku-kai | Founded for amateur practice in about 1970, on the initiative of Morita Toshio. Instructed by the late Tōgi Fumitaka. In addition to practice sessions, there are special lessons given by musicians from the imperial Music Department, as well as from the Kansai region and Shikoku. |
| Tokyo | Ono Gagaku-kai | Founded by the late Ono Ryōdō in 1887. Has given concerts in Japan and overseas, published the scholarly magazine Gagaku-kai, part scores, and CDs. Recognized as an Intangible Cultural Asset of Taitō City, Tokyo. |
| Gagaku Dōyū-kai | Founded by a group centering on the late Sono Hironori in 1967. Aims for improvement in performance level and the spread of gagaku to the Japanese pubilic. | |
| Gagaku Hōmei-kai | Founded by the late Tōgi Fuminori in the early years of the Meiji period. The oldest of Tokyo’s private gagaku groups. | |
| Kōsei Gagaku-kai | Founded in 1950 when gagaku was adopted as ceremonial music of the Risshō Kōseikai, with Ōno Tadatomo as instructor. In addition to ceremonial performance, the group is active both in Japan and overseas. Holds regular concerts. | |
| Jūnion-kai | Founded in 1977 to spread and popularize gagaku. Gives concerts throughout Japan and publishes CDs. | |
| Zōjōji Gagaku-kai | Founded in 1937 on the 500th anniversary of the founding of the temple. Approximately 200 Buddhist priests practice to sustain ceremonial performance, in such ceremonies as the memorial for the founder of the Shin sect, Hōnen, every April. | |
| Tsukiji Honganji Gagaku-kai | Founded in about 1940. Priests practice once a week with instructors from the Music Department. Gagaku music and dance is performed in Buddhist rituals. | |
| Tokyo Gakuso | Founded by members of the older Gagaku Shigenkai in 1978, for the spread of gagaku. Undertakes a great variety of activities, including performing at the National Theatre, publishing CDs, and concerts in both Japan and overseas. | |
| Mizuho Gagaku-kai Fusetsu ‘Gagaku Kenshūjo’ | Founded in 1978. Aims to facilitate research on and transmission of gagaku, focusing on the tradition of the Abe family, which was formerly based in Kyoto. Gives concerts both in Japan and abroad, and holds classrooms and lecture series for the study of gagaku. | |
| Reigakusha | Founded in 1985, to explore the possibilities of ensemble performance. Also specializes in revivals of lost repertoire, performance on reconstructed instruments, and contemporary compositions. It has recorded several CDs, and holds workshops and regular concerts. Its music director is Shiba Sukeyasu. | |
| Reiyūkai Gagakubu | Founded in 1965 for the transmission of orthodox gagaku. Instructed by the late Ōno Hisanao, Tōgi Yoshio, and Shiba Sukeyasu. As well as performing gagaku in the ceremonies of Reiyūkai, the group also gives concerts overseas. | |
| Nihon Gagaku-kai | Founded in 1962 by Oshida Yoshihisa. Publishes books, scores and cassette tapes. It has attempted reconstruction of ancient instruments from the Shōsōin. In addition to regular concerts in Tokyo, it has given many concerts both throughout Japan and abroad. | |
| Kanagawa | Kōyasan Shingonshū, Kanagawa Gagaku-bu | Founded in the early years of the Shōwa era (1925–), it was instructed during the late 1930s and early 1940s by the late Ōno Tadatomo. It undertakes performances of gagaku at temples and shrines. |
| Aichi | Atsuta Jingū Kiritake-kai | Founded in 1944. Performs in ceremonies and Shinto rituals at Atsuta Jingū. |
| Gifu | Hie Gagaku-kai | With a history of as long as 150 years, this group performs gagaku at festivals in Takayama. It also performs in offering at temples and shrines in the vicinity, and offers instruction. |
| Hyōgo | Nyonin no Bugaku, Hara Shō-kai | This group was founded in 1957 as the Kyoto Bugaku-kai, and assumed its present name in 1985. It seeks to revive women’s dances, and performs both in Japan and abroad. |
| Kyoto | Nihon Gagaku Hozon-kai, Kyoto Gakuso | Founded on government petition in the 1890s by the head priest of Ebisu Jinja, with an aim to popularize gagaku. As well as performing film music, the group has given concerts in Europe and undertakes instruction in various parts of Japan. |
| Heian Gagaku-kai | Founded in 1916. Performs in prayer for peace for the country and its people, at shrines and temples in Kyoto and other parts of Japan. It has also given concerts overseas. | |
| Osaka | Osaka Gakuso | Founded in 1982, with a view to transmitting gagaku in its orthodox form, and giving artistically oriented concerts. Its present name was adopted in 1983, when it formed a sister relationship with Tokyo Gakuso. |
| Tennōji Gakuso Garyō-kai | Formed in 1884 to maintain the tradition of the gagaku music office of Shitennōji. Performs at ceremonies at the temple, and on various occasions both in Japan and abroad. The bugaku dance tradition of Shitennōji was classified as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1976. | |
| Rakuchūren | Founded in 1971, for the aesthetic training of the younger generation. Publishes scores edited by Tōgi Toshiharu. | |
| Nara | Nanto Gakuso | With roots in body originally established in 1001, this group assumed responsibility for ceremonial performances of gagaku at shrines (centering on Kasuga Taisha) and temples in Nara following the movement of the capital to Tokyo in the 19th century and the establishment of the imperial Music Department. Its best-known performance venue is the Wakamiya Onmatsuri of Kasuga Taisha. |
| Nanto Kōyō-kai | This group carries on the tradition of Nara gagaku, performing in ceremonial contexts at Himuro Jinja, Tōdai-ji, and Tōshōdai-ji. | |
| Toyama | Yōyū-kai | Founded in 1861. It received its name in 1878 from the imperial Music Department. Performs in religious and other events, as well as concerts overseas. |
| Fukuoka | Chikushi Gakuso | Founded in 1944 for performance of gagaku to honor the Three Treasures of Buddhism. Its present name dates from 1987. As well as performing in ritual contexts, the group also holds concerts in Japan and overseas. |
Information as of March 2014.
