Posted: July 1st, 2015

Music Importance in Japan's History

Almost nothing is known in Japan’s prehistory in the Jomon and Yayoi period. But in some remains from those periods researchers found the ritual figures of musicians, suggesting the early importance of music (Columbia Jtrade). Some songs are inherited from the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki. When the Kojiki was compiled during the reign of Emperor Temmu (673-686) these songs were already part of tradition in the imperial court. However, unlike ancient China, there was no clear distinction between poem and songs in Japanese history. The word “Uta” can either mean song or poem in Japanese history. In this article, I want to take a look at the earliest songs, which combined both musical instruments and verbal illustration. Furthermore, I want to categorize the early songs and try to fit them into different genres. Then, I want to make a comparison with the early songs in Chinese history at the same period. I will examine their similarities and the differences and try to find in what ways they were related. Please develope a specific topic relate to the importance of the music in Japanese history, the work should be original, you can feel free to choose your sources but they should be professional sources.