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Terms commonly used in traditional Japanese music composition and performance.
| Ai-no-te 合の手, 合手, or 合 |
Brief instrumental interlude within a vocal section (Mae-uta, Naka-uta, Ato-uta). | |
| Arui wa 或 |
Alternate version | |
| Arui wa nashi 或無 |
Not played in some versions | |
| Atari 当 |
To strike a finger hole | |
| Ato-Uta 後唄 |
Ending vocal section | |
| Chikuzen inchinyo |
The bamboo and Zen are as one | |
| Chirashi 散らし or チラシ |
Transitional section, usually between Tegoto and Ato-uta. | |
| Dai Kan 大甲 |
Third (highest) octave on the shakuhachi | |
| Danmono 段物 |
Scored in Dans (sections) without vocals | |
| Dojikyoku |
Children's song. Actually called "Dokyoku" | |
| Furi フリ |
A rapid meri/kari head dip. | |
| Gagaku 雅楽 |
Japanese Imperial Court music | |
| Gaikyoku 外曲 |
Literally, “Outside music”. Usually used by shakuhachi players to describe the music (particularly ensemble music) outside of the solo Honkyoku repertoire. | |
| Gakufu 楽譜 |
Musical notation | |
| Hachigaeshi 鉢返 |
Returning the bowl. | |
| Hate 果て |
A light kind of honkyoku. Played in the afternoon when free from strict discipline of religion. | |
| Hayai / Hayaku 早い、早 or 早く |
Faster | |
| Hōgaku 邦楽 |
Generally, music for traditional Japanese instruments. | |
| Honkyoku 本曲 |
The original music, mostly solo pieces, for shakuhachi, often called Zen music due to the traditional history of the shakuhachi’s use as a tool for meditation. | |
| Honte 本手 |
The main body of a piece. A melodic development in higher register. | |
| Ichi Ji Ichi Ritsu 一寺一律 |
One temple, one piece | |
| Ichion Jobutsu 一音成仏 |
To reach enlightenment by the use of only one sound | |
| Jiuta 地歌 or 地唄 |
Music originally written for voice and shamisen originating in the Kansai region. | |
| Kaede 替手 |
Second part to be played along with the original melody line or a secondary arrangement of a piece. | |
| Kake-ai 掛合 |
Call and response section, usually indicated by brackets (「 and 」) at the beginning and end. | |
| Kan 甲 |
Second (higher) octave on the shakuhachi | |
| Kari カリ |
Blow by putting the chin up, to raise the tone | |
| Kokyū 胡弓 |
A stringed instrument resembling a Shamisen in construction (and also having origins in Okinawa) that is played with a bow. | |
| Komi Buki 込吹 |
Pulsing breath technique. | |
| Koto 箏 |
Often referred to as “Japan’s National Instrument”, the koto is a long, horizontal multiple-stringed instrument with movable bridges that allow changes in scales and tuning, often during play. Its roots can be traced to similar instruments in both Korea and China. The standard version features 13 or 17 strings, but 25+ stringed versions have been available since the early 20th Century. | |
| Kumiuta 組歌 |
Pieces for Koto license | |
| Mae-Uta 前唄 |
Opening vocal section | |
| Meri メリ |
Blow by putting the chin down, to lower the pitch | |
| Min'yo 民謡 |
Japanese folk songs. | |
| Miyakobushi scale 都節 |
Ascending: D, Eb, G, A, C, D - Descending: D, Bb, A, G, Eb, D | |
| Musubi 結び |
Tying up, concluding. Final section of a piece. | |
| Nagashi |
Playing in the street | |
| Naka-uta 中唄 |
Middle vocal section | |
| Nayashi |
To begin pitch meri and rise to standard pitch | |
| Nobiru / Nobasu 延 |
Slower | |
| Noh 能 |
A major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. | |
| Otsu (or Ryo) 乙 or 呂 |
Lowest octave on the shakuhachi | |
| Reibo 鈴慕 |
Yearning for the Bell | |
| Sankyoku 三曲 |
An umbrella expression meaning “three voices/instruments” used to describe a wide variety of ensemble music, including Sokyoku and Jiuta. The three instruments are often: Koto, Shamisen, and Shakuhachi. | |
| Shaku 尺 |
30.30 cm | |
| Shakuhachi 尺八 |
A traditional Japanese, end-blown bamboo flute. Though the current form of the shakuhachi hasn’t significantly changed since the Edo Period, shorter, 6-holed versions of the shakuhachi in Japan date back to 752 CE when bamboo flutes with a similar blowing edge were gifted to Japan from Chinese ambassadors at an event in the capital city of Nara. The evolution of the shakuhachi from those early examples is unclear, but other versions of an end-blown, bamboo flute (Tenpuku and Hitoyogiri) eventually led to the thicker, heavier “Fuke Shakuhachi”with 5 finger holes and incorporating the root end of the bamboo at the bell. Though bamboo is still preferred, modern shakuhachi can be made in a variety of materials, (ABS plastic, wood, metal), but generally retain the shakuhachi’s unique angled blowing edge to produce tone. | |
| Shamisen 三絃 |
This three-stringed instrument with origins in Okinawa is often likened to the American banjo in sound. Slightly different versions exist to accommodate different traditional styles of music. | |
| Shinkyoku 新曲 |
New Pieces. Used mostly to describe early post Meiji era compositions influenced by western music. | |
| Shirabe 調 |
To check the sounds and move into the proper frame of mind before performing Honkyoku. Exploring / Investigating. | |
| Shōmyō 声明 |
A style of Japanese Buddhist chant. | |
| Sōkyoku 箏曲 |
Music originally composed for Koto. | |
| Sugagaki 菅垣 |
The term Sugagaki, when used in Shakuhachi music, simply means pieces which are unrelated to the Fuke legend. The term Sugagaki also refers to a technique used in solo Koto music without voice. | |
| Sun 寸 |
3.03 cm | |
| Suri スリ |
See suri age | |
| Suri age スリ上 |
A slide upwards | |
| Suri sage スリ下 |
A slide downwards | |
| Takane 高音 |
Section of a honkyoku piece usually played in the upper octave, often containing the climax of the piece. | |
| Takuhatsu 托鉢 |
The practice of begging for alms by monks / pieces played by Komuso when begging. | |
| Tamane 玉音 |
Flutter tongue technique | |
| Tegoto 手事 |
Musical Interlude | |
| Tegotomono 手事物 |
Musical form with Tegoto | |
| Utaguchi 唄口 |
The sharp blowing edge of the shakuhachi | |
| Utsu 打(つ) |
Hit or strike | |
| Yuri ユリ |
Vibrato |