Ancient Japanese orchestral tradition displayed on campus

By Colleen Coveney

The Japanese word gagaku translates to “elegant music,” and refers to the instrumental and vocal music and dance performed within the Imperial Court of Japan. An exhibition at the UC Santa Barbara Art, Design, and Architecture Museum is now displaying the unique instruments used in this traditional art form.

Exhibit Entrance

The entrance features an example of the traditional attire worn during gagaku performances, which are influenced by Buddhist ceremonial dress.

Shoko (gong), Mid 20th c

This instrument, on loan from the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, is made from bronze, lacquered wood, metal, and silk ropes.

Sode-kan (sleeve woodwind), Early 20th c.

This instrument is on loan from the UCSB Department of Music and made from bamboo, lacquered wood, and metal.

Kakko and Bachi (double drum and drumsticks), Mid-20th c.

Both artifacts, on loan from the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology, are made from wood, and the double drum also features leather and silk ropes.

Biwa (4-string lute), Mid-20th c.

This 4-string lute is made from wood, leather, and silk, and is on loan from the UCLA Department of Ethnomusicology.

Gagaku originated during the 10th-13th centuries and blends ancient Chinese, Korean, Indian, Persian, and Southeast Asian influences with songs and dance from Indigenous Japan.

The thousand-year-old “elegant music” is made with distinct strings, woodwinds, and percussion instruments specific to gagaku, and is regarded as the oldest orchestral music of the world.

The exhibition “Sound of a Thousand Years,” which includes items from UCLA, UCSB, Scripps College, and Kokugakuin University Museum collections, will be on display until May 1, 2022. It was curated by the Art, Design, and Architecture Museum staff in collaboration with Fabio Rambelli, Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at UC Santa Barbara.