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How did Chinese and Korean music influence early Japanese music?

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woodcut: samisen player — Japanese music Courtesan playing a samisen, Japanese woodcut print.

Chinese and Korean music significantly shaped early Japanese musical traditions, particularly through the development of gagaku, the ancient court music of Japan.12

Korea served as a vital bridge for importing Chinese musical ideas, while also contributing its own distinct court music styles. By the 6th century, Japan began importing these foreign traditions, which were later organized in the 9th century into two primary categories:31

Tōgaku: Known as the "music of the left," this category primarily featured Tang-dynasty Chinese music, alongside influences from India.14
Komagaku: Known as the "music of the right," this category incorporated music from the Korean Three Kingdoms (Silla, Paekche, and Koguryŏ), sometimes collectively referred to as sankangaku.12

Beyond court music, the introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century led Japanese converts to study rituals and chanting in China, further embedding continental influences into Japanese religious and art music. These imports were so well-preserved in Japan that they remain essential sources for understanding the musical practices of ancient East Asia.5614