Japanese music and martial arts in the Royal Theatre
The ‘Gagaku and Budo’ show of Japanese court music and martial arts was held on 7 February 2017 in the Royal Theatre. The event was organised by the Meiji Jingu shrine from Tokyo. Watch the photo coverage.
The Gagaku music and Bodo martial arts are gems of Japanese culture and tradition. They express the Japanese spirit, which has been cultivated for ages in the Country of Cherry Blossoms.
Gagaku, as traditional court music, has been passed on from generation to generation for at least one thousand five hundred years. It features musical and dance pieces performed in original Japanese style or one borrowed from other regions of Asia. The instruments which are used include drums, flutes and string instruments. Gagaku has been cultivated at the Japanese imperial court until today. In the Royal Theatre, the Gagaku recital was presented by priests and shrine maidens called miko.
Budo involves spiritual and physical exercises, which are both treated equally. The audience in the Royal Theatre watched spectacular techniques of aikido and kenjutsu, which were presented by masters from Meiji Jingu and practitioners from Europe who attend training courses in the Japanese shrine.
The event was organised by the Meiji Jingu shrine from Tokyo. Co-operation: Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw, patronage: Embassy of Japan in Poland, The Shokokai Association of Employers, The Japanese Club in Poland.
