日本伝統文化振興財団

Danmono is a classical Japanese koto repertoire consisting of instrumental pieces built from successive sections called dan (“steps” or “stanzas”). Originating in the early Edo period, these works established the archetype of solo koto artistry that later became central to the broader sōkyoku tradition. Each piece unfolds through a chain of dan that articulate a clear sense of progression, often reflecting the Japanese aesthetic principle of jo–ha–kyū (introduction, development, and rapid conclusion). Canonical examples include Rokudan no Shirabe (“Six Sections”), Hachidan no Shirabe (“Eight Sections”), and Midare (“Disorder,” notable for its irregular sectional lengths). Musically, danmono favors pentatonic modal tunings such as hirajōshi and kumoi-jōshi, idiomatic arpeggiation and broken-chord textures, timbral coloration via koto plectra (tsume), and ornaments like slides (suri) and presses (oshi). Although originally conceived for solo koto, danmono pieces are widely performed in sankyoku settings with shamisen and shakuhachi.

Folk is a song-centered acoustic tradition rooted in community storytelling, everyday life, and social history. It emphasizes clear melodies, simple harmonies, and lyrics that foreground narrative, protest, and personal testimony. As a modern recorded genre, folk coalesced in the early-to-mid 20th century in the United States out of older ballad, work song, and rural dance traditions. It typically features acoustic instruments (guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, harmonica), strophic song forms, and participatory singing (choruses, call-and-response).

Instrumental is music created and performed without sung lyrics, placing the expressive weight on melody, rhythm, harmony, and timbre produced by instruments. As an umbrella practice it appears in many cultures, but its modern identity cohered in Baroque-era Europe when purely instrumental forms such as the sonata, concerto, and dance suites began to flourish. Since then, instrumental thinking—developing motives, structuring form without text, and showcasing timbral contrast—has informed everything from orchestral music and solo piano repertoire to post-rock, film scores, and beat-driven electronic styles. Instrumental works can be intimate (solo or chamber) or expansive (full orchestra), narrative (programmatic) or abstract (absolute music). The absence of lyrics invites listeners to project imagery and emotion, making the style a natural fit for cinema, games, and contemplative listening.

Min'yō refers to the diverse body of Japanese folk songs that arose from everyday life—work, festivals, travel, drinking gatherings, and lullabies—across regions of Japan. The songs are typically strophic, use local dialects, and often include onomatopoeic calls and interjections (kakegoe) such as “sore!” or “yoisho!” that energize group participation. Musically, min'yō commonly employs Japanese pentatonic scales—especially the anhemitonic yo scale and the hemitonic in-sen scale—with characteristic melismatic ornaments (kobushi), tight, bright vocal timbres, and flexible timing that respects ma (expressive space). Accompaniments are traditionally provided by shamisen, shinobue (transverse bamboo flute), shakuhachi, taiko and hand drums, and sometimes koto, with heterophonic textures rather than harmonic progressions. Stylistically, subtypes such as “-bushi” and “-ondo” reflect narrative vs. dance-oriented tendencies, respectively, with well-known regional examples like Soran-bushi (Hokkaidō), Tsugaru folk repertoire (Aomori), and Sado okesa (Niigata).

Sōkyoku is the classical repertoire for the Japanese koto (a 13-string zither) that crystallized during the Edo period. It encompasses instrumental pieces and vocal works accompanied by koto, and later, chamber ensembles with shamisen and shakuhachi (sankyoku). The genre is defined by distinctive koto tunings (such as hirajōshi and kumoijōshi), idiomatic plucking techniques using plectra (tsume), and expressive left-hand string pressure to create glissandi and pitch inflections. Major formal types include danmono (multi-section variation sets), kumiuta (song cycles), and tegotomono (works alternating lyrical sections with more elaborate instrumental interludes). Two principal lineages—Ikuta-ryū and Yamada-ryū—shape its aesthetics, repertoire, and pedagogy.

Tribal ambient is a branch of ambient music that merges spacious, drone-based atmospheres with hand-played, "tribal" percussion, non-Western instrumentation, and environmental field recordings. It emphasizes trance-inducing polyrhythms, ritualistic timbres (frame drums, shakers, clay and skin drums, rattles), and sustained harmonic beds, often evoking a sense of timeless, pre-industrial ritual or nature-centered spirituality. Rather than song-like structures, pieces unfold slowly and organically, favoring texture, space, and gradual transformation over melody or chord changes. The result is immersive, cinematic soundscapes that feel both primordial and otherworldly.