The fishermen pulling in their nets, the farmer planting his crop, a wedding,
a festival, a lullaby; these are the inspirations for folk music all over the world. Japan
is no exception. The folk-song field worker need only visit any rural area in Japan
and with patience he can uncover a full repertoire answering these same musical needs
in peasant life.

Because of the long years of feudalism and relative lack of intercommunication, each
area of Japan shows a surprising variety in its folk arts. The festivals and songs of one
district may be quite different from those of adjacent territories. Thus, when we view
all of Japan, we see a very rich tradition of folk music. There have been a few en-
thusiastic collectors of these materials, but as yet there has been little attempt to cor-
relate and compare the musics of various districts nor have there been many studies
made of the all-important relation between Japanese art music and the folk tradition. ¹
However, in this short introduction to the subject one can discover some of the general
musical characteristics and the typical forms which give Japanese folk musical arts
their special appeal.

The study of Japanese folk musical arts can be divided into two major categories:
folk songs (minyo) and folk theatricals (minzoku-geino). While these two are not mutually
exclusive, they emphasize an important characteristic of the field. In addition to the
usual folk-song tradition, there is extant in Japan, as in most oriental countries, a
strong proclivity for folk theatricals. In addition to the charm and color of these folk
geino, their study provides many excellent clues as to the origins and early styles of the
more famous Japanese theatre traditions.

In order to have a well-rounded picture of the music popular with the folk of Japan,
two additional items must be added to our discussion of folk music. One is the field of
commercial Japanese-style popular music. The other is the music of minority groups
and cultures contiguous with Japan. If the essential elements can be found in all these
various areas, one will have a good understanding of the present condition and the rich
heritage of the world of Japanese folk musical arts.

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