Kabuki hayashi is the name of a section, comprising three drums and a Ilute, that performs music during kabuki performances.These ensembles originated out of the drum and Ilute music that accompanied traditional Noh theater performances. These ensembles were called nougaku hayashi. For a long time, they were also referred to as nagauta hayashi ensembles because they would mount the stage and perform epic nagauta songs as well (termed debayashi [on-­‐stage ensembles]). When kabuki emerged at Kyoto’s Shijougawara theatre at the start of the Edo Period, these nougaku ensembles apparently joined in to accompany the performances. Shortly after the birth of kabuki, the shamisen rose in popularity. Because of its rich expressiveness, it took over as the lead instrument in kabuki music. Consequently, hayashi ensembles shape-­‐ shifted into accompanists to shamisen music.

I expect it took no small amount of ingenuity on behalf of these pioneers to switch from accompanying the songs and dance rhythms of Noh theatre with shibyoushi ensembles (the “four rhythms” referring collectively to the kotsuzumi, otsuzumi, taiko, and Noh Ilute) to keeping up with the free-­‐ form rhythms and melodies of shamisen music. That’s because in Noh, the hayashi ensemble has a drum-­‐like impact that supports the “framework” of the music, whereas in shamisen music, the ensemble takes a more percussive role. This led to the development of special playing techniques like the chirikara rhythm that closely mimics the shamisen’s rhythm. And as the scope of drama within kabuki itself evolved, a greater variety of percussion instruments, including the large dadaiko drum and handbells, and Ilutes were used for speciIic purposes, so the musicians could express more meanings and spectacles on stage. This important section, known as kabuki hayashi or nagauta hayashi, continues to this day.

One thing common to shamisen music and to other traditional performance arts in Japan is the lack of a conductor, even with a large ensemble, when performing classic period music. While the tate, or lead instrumentalist, of each section leads the performance in general, each performer carefully observes the overall progression of the music and performs with an awareness of their own position and role in the music. This is critical, because only when this is achieved will a performance come together with true harmony.

With improvements in performance technology, Japanese instruments have come to be routinely used in modern Japanese musical composition and performance. Major orchestral pieces now exist where, for the Iirst time, conductors lead the performances. This is undoubtedly an important development. But more often than not, I can’t help feeling that these are performances of Western music with Japanese instruments. The feeling is similar to Japanese people trying to operate in English. I often use the metaphor of language when talking about music. For me, Japanese music is like written Japanese, a mixture of kanji ideograms and phonetic kana symbols. In the same vein, Western music is akin to letters.

Ideograms are distinctive in that you can’t understand them by sound alone without already knowing the meaning of the character. The meaning of phonetic symbols can be felt just by hearing them. This is, Iirst of all, a cultural difference and the reason for the vast variations in musical languages. Based on this idea, I want people to place both classic period music and modern music on the same continuum.

My dream in the future is for modern music in the Japanese language to be ubiquitous the world over. At the same time — and this may seem to contradict this dream, I continually hope for the day when composers around the world can include parts for Japanese instruments in their compositions as naturally as other instruments.
(Text by Takinojo Mochizuki)