Political significance of ceremonial music and dance performance in ancient Japan

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520177
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Study of the arts/History of the arts/Arts in general
• Research Institution: Toho Gakuen School of Music
• Principal Investigator: HIRAMA Michiko 桐朋学園大学, 音楽学部, 非常勤講師 (90600495)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 日本芸能史 / 日本古代史 / 雅楽 / 雅楽寮 / 近衛府 / 節会

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study revealed the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” and “how” of ancient Japanese ceremonial performances and their audiences, using descriptions in official histories, protocols, and records of the time. I thereby examined “why”-what ceremonial music and dance performances meant in their respective political situation, including funeral rites, royal ceremonial visits (gyoko), grand harvest festivals (daijosai), New Year's grand banquets (taikyo), 10-day cyclical rites (shunnogi), fifth of May ceremonies, and sumo wrestling.
I concluded that native Japanese dance was considered a symbol of the land’s spirit. Additionally, it is likely that the performance, and the idea of “music as a way to extol the emperor’s virtue,” were introduced from China with the foundations of the Ritsuryosystem. Finally, Imperial guards (Konoefu) managed the performances based on former idea, while the Music Department (Gagakuryo) applied imported ideology.

Free Research Field

日本音楽史