Photo by Takahashi Noboru Written by Tsuchiya Komei Fusing Gagaku with Modern Music Togi Hideki Togi Hideki playing an ancient instrument called a hichiriki .
Music is made by forcing air past a reed inside the instrument, to make it vibrate.
The reed is carved from the stem of a plant. Japanese Text Gagaku is one of Japan's traditional forms of music. It came to Japan from China and Southeast Asia via the Korean Peninsula, between 1,300 and 1,400 years ago. Once in Japan, gagaku underwent a unique evolution, eventually becoming the formal music of court ceremonies and religious rites. He performed gagaku music for some 10 years for the Music Department of the Imperial Household Agency.