Gagaku’s representational tropes during

the 20th and 21st centuries

Augusto Piccinini
2018
Main idea: investigate appearances of Gagaku (kangen) throughout the 20th and
21st centuries and what it has been used to represent.

[1] Brief discussion on origins of Gagaku: one of the oldest ensemble traditions and
its social status of Court Music.

[2] Brief history of Gagaku: how has it been able to survive (somewhat) unaltered
for so long (Court funded, theorized practice, strict teaching system).

[3] Modern representational tropes: Gagaku as (1) national identity; (2) exotic
eastern; (3) ancient; (4) mystic/supernatural/divine.
 [gagaku as national identity]
[1] Nationalist movement in Japan during the 30s and association with the Third
Reich: western orchestral versions of Etenraku arranged by Ahn Ekitai and
Konoye Hidemaro.

[2] Kimigayo - Gagaku origins of the Japanese national anthem melody

 [gagaku as exotic]
[1] Gagaku used by western (and japanese!) composers in orchestral concert music.

Ex: Henry Cowell’s ‘Ongaku’ (1957); Messiaen’s ‘Sept Haikai’ (1952); Stockhausen’s
‘Jahreslauf’ (1977).
But also: Takemitsu’s ‘In an Autumn Garden’ (1973), Hosokawa’s ‘New Seeds of
Contemplation’ (1995).

[2] Gagaku used in World Music: Togi Hideki

 [gagaku as ancient/divine]
Ancient - gagaku is arguably Japan’s oldest music tradition.
Divine - status of court music, associated w/ the Emperor whose lineage trace
back to the gods themselves.

[1] Gagaku in movie, anime and game soundtracks.

Ex: Kurosawa’s ‘Yume’; Naruto Shippuden’s ‘Kaguya Theme’; ‘Tale of Princess

Kaguya’; Mononoke; video-game ‘Okami’;
 [conclusion… so far]

Uses of Gagaku to evoke national identity were made by the Court as a mean to represent itself abroad or
to position itself at the center of the japanese cultural heritage.

Exotic views of Gagaku are based on the (constructed or exaggerated) distinction between West and East,
the latter treated as a supplier for the needs and desires of the former - that is, revitalizing western
concert music and pop music.

Gagaku appearances in pop culture to represent a generic japanese identity are not as abundant as other
types of japanese music. Even inside Japan, gagaku is seen as a distant tradition, both in terms of time and
social context. This accounts for the exotic views around Gagaku by japanese and european composers
alike.
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