Traditional Japanese music
Traditional Japanese music is the folk or traditional music of Japan. Japan's Ministry of Education classifies as a category separate from other traditional forms of music, such as (court music) or (Buddhist chanting), but most ethnomusicologists view , in a broad sense, as the form from which the others were derived. Outside of ethnomusicology, however, usually refers to Japanese music from around the 17th to the mid-19th century. Within this framework, there are three types of traditional music in Japan: theatrical, court music, and instrumental. Theatrical. Japan has several theatrical forms of drama in which music plays  a significant role. The main forms are kabuki and Noh. Noh. or music is a type of theatrical music used in Noh theatre. Noh music is played by an instrumental ensemble called . The instruments used are the stick drum, a large hourglass-shaped drum called the , a smaller hourglass-shaped drum called the , and a bamboo flute called the . The ensemble is performed along with , vocal music, in Noh theater. Kabuki. is a type of Japanese theatre known for its highly stylized dancing and singing as well as the elaborate make-up worn by the predominately all-male cast. The  first instances of kabuki used the from Noh performances. Later, kabuki began incorporating other instruments like the . Kabuki music can be divided into three categories: , , and and . and. and describe the distinctive sounds made by striking two square oak boards. When the two boards are struck together, they produce the sound. When they are struck against a hardwood board, they produce the sound. Court music (). is court music, and is the oldest traditional music in Japan. It was usually patronized by the Imperial Court or the shrines and temples. music includes songs, dances, and a mixture of other Asian music . has two styles; these are instrumental music and vocal music . Since means "elegance", literally means elegant music and generally refers to musical instruments and music theory imported into Japan from China and Korea from 500–600 CE. is divided into two main categories: Old Music and New Music. Old Music refers to music and musical compositions from before the Chinese Tang dynasty (618–906). New Music refers to music and compositions produced during or after Tang, including music brought from various regions of China and Korea. Old and New Music are further divided into the categories ("Music of the Left") and ("Music  of the Right"). Music of the left is composed of (music from Tang) and (music from Indo-China). Music of the right is composed of (music from Korea). is a kind of Buddhist chanting of sutra syllabically or melismatically set to melodic phrasing, usually performed by a male chorus. came from India, and it began in Japan in the Nara period. is sung a capella by one or more Buddhist monks. The two characters ( and ) translate literally as "voice" and "clear" respectively. is a translation of the Sanskrit word , which means "the (linguistic) study of language". There are other four  styles which have largely died out. , and are old style. These styles are referred to as or "old music". also included . It is not but is like . is a style of music played using the . There are three styles of : one for kabuki dance, one for kabuki plays (dialogue), and one for music unconnected with kabuki. music. music began in the Edo period. Buddhist monks played the as a substitute for a sutra. Sometimes the is played along with other instruments. Traditional music in modern culture. Traditional Japanese musicians sometimes collaborate with modern Western musicians. Also, musicians create new styles  of Japanese music influenced by the West but still use traditional musical instruments.