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How do kangen and bugaku differ within the gagaku tradition?
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Japanese music
Courtesan playing a samisen, Japanese woodcut print.
Within the gagaku tradition—the ancient court music of Japan—kangen and bugaku are distinguished primarily by whether they involve dance.
- Kangen refers to purely instrumental performances of gagaku, featuring an ensemble of flutes and strings.1
- Bugaku refers to court dances and their musical accompaniment. These dances are highly stylized, often incorporating masks, and are categorized into two major forms: sahō no mai ("dances of the left"), which are accompanied by tōgaku (music derived from Chinese and Indian forms), and uhō no mai ("dances of the right"), accompanied by komagaku (music from Korea and Manchuria).1234
While both forms share the same underlying musical heritage and organizational structure, they serve different functions within the imperial court and shrine traditions. Bugaku is further defined by its specific choreography and the color of the dancers' costumes, which correspond to the "left" or "right" musical categories.24