Japanese InfluenceBy: Sara Nielson

Japan/Japanese Population in the

United States

• Total Population in the US = 9.7% Asian

• 19.1% of that total is Japanese

(Totals are Asians along with Asians combine with other races)

Traditional Culture

• Traditional Ceremonies such as “rites of passage”

• A few generations back, still very traditional

• Now more westernized in many aspects

Shintoism/Buddhism

• Wa – benign or harmless• Shintoism came before Buddhism in 500 BC

• Shintoism combined with Buddhism• More of a cultural tradition than a religion

Religion and Music

Most Japanese people will claim to not be religious Religion is culture/tradition Many participate in traditional (somewhat religious)

ceremonies Much old traditional music was written in Old

Samurai Wa Kaku – westernized music Sakura – Japanese Folk music Enka – traditional mixed with pop

Music and AnalysisKagura: Traditional Shinto Dance Melody: Small range, sudden ascensions,

overall a lot of skips, up and down movement. A lot of phrases little cadence, several focal points the super high pitch.

Rhythm: Quadruple, simple. Polyrhythm. Harmony: Major. Dissonance. Texture: Pretty transparent, polyphony. Timbre: Drums, and flute. Expression: Tempo is moderato, style is

agitato, and the dynamic is mostly mezzo forte.

Form: Repetition, strophic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bC8sSfEZqw

Bibliography - MediaMap of Japan: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalsherpa.org%2Fjapan&h=0&w=0&sz=1&tbnid=RPAoQjZLEKZLXM&tbnh=203&tbnw=249&zoom=1&docid=nt3291B2CysydM&hl=en&ei=hkaBUqO1BuGfyQH1lIC4Ag&ved=0CAQQsCU

Music/religious picture: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-5683724-japanese-music.php

Population Map: http://www.asiamattersforamerica.org/japan/census-counts-1-3-million-japanese-in-us

Traditional Robes picture: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/japanese-traditional-clothing.html

Treble Clef picture: http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-image-music-notes-image7544001

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bC8sSfEZqw

Bibliography - Information Jones, Nicholas A. The Asian Population in the United States. Results

from the 2010 Census. Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau. Presentation for the 2010 Asian Profile America Event. May 2, 2012. Washington, DC. <http://www.ssa.gov/aapi/2010census-data.pdf>.

Kagura, Traditional Japanese dance. Sacred Shinto music and dance. Published October 3, 2012. YouTube jpnscape. October 31, 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bC8sSfEZqw>.

Sonnier, Suzanne. Shinto, Spirits, and Shrines: Religion in Japan. Lucent library of historical eras. 2008 Gale Cengage Learning. Farmington Hills, MI.

Thornock, Satomi. Interview, Japanese Culture. September 13, 2013. Taylorsville, UT.