Analysis Of Kagur The Music Of Shinto

Kagura: The Music of Shinto

The two characters currently used for the word “Shinto” are “god” (shin) and “way” or “road” (to). In this way, Shinto can be defined as either “the way of the gods” or “the path to the gods” (b2). This definition presents Shintoism as a way of life with a set of customs that are followed. Several of these customs are regular festivals or ceremonies celebrating or honoring different deities. The dancing and music that can be found at all of these events are collectively referred to as kagura, the music of Shinto.

Shintoism Shintoism is a way of thinking with nature as its primary source of inspiration. It is a belief system that developed over thousands of years at different locations within Japan and is centered

There are many different versions of kagura, as the word is used to describe any music associated with Shintoism, but there are a few themes that run throughout each different type. The lyrics of the songs of kagura are derived from early Japanese poetry (2). This poetry splits kagura songs into two basic types: torimono, songs meant to praise the kami or seek their aid, and saibari, songs meant to entertain the kami (b1). Kagura music has been associated with dance since its beginnings in the story of the sun kami and the word “kagura” itself indicates its function to accompany some form of dance (4). Kagura dances are comprised of patterns which can be arranged in sequences forming cognitive units, making it possible to identify a repertory of kagura dance movements (3). These dance movements are often associated with drum patterns and the renditions of dance movements can determine the number of repetitions of a given drum pattern during a performance (3). Kagura generally contains a drum beat with strong connections to the dance, a number of wind instruments playing long floating melodies, a string instrument playing arpeggios marking the beginning or end of sections of the music, and a