Shomyo, a liturgical Buddhist chant, was introduced from China to Japan in 736 AD. It was influential in the development of Japanese music styles. Shomyo became popular in those days due to the fact that Buddhism, chanting and music worked well together in temples. Shomyo was used in Buddhist ceremonies and services, as a ritual of comfort for the souls of the deceased and as a way to create an atmosphere of reference and mystery. It was also performed in praise of Amida Buddha.
Shomyo is used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two Shomyo styles: ryokyoku and rikkyoku.
Both sects maintained their traditions and used their theory books and notation systems as the basis for newer forms of Buddhist chanting. Shomyo‘s nomenclature and performance practices are found in later Japanese music, much in the way ancient Western art music is based on early Roman Catholic music theory.
Shomyo, like Gagaku, employs the Yo scale, a pentatonic scale with ascending intervals of two, three, two, two, and three semitones.
After all these years Shomyo still exists today because there have been a number of monks and listeners in the past and today who have been seriously studying and practicing this traditional chant music. It became popular in Japan in 1966 when Shomyo was performed at the National Theater in Tokyo in public for the first time. Since this performance, composers of Japanese contemporary music such as ISHII Maki, KONDO Jo, FUJIEDA Mamoru, NISHIMURA Akira, and TAKAHASHI Yuji integrated Shomyo in their compositions. Using Shomyo’s expressive vocabulary, Japanese modern music developed to Japanese contemporary music.
Nowadays Shomyo is often performed as a (Japanese) music style for other than religious reasons. Not only contemporary music lovers are interested in Shomyo, but also Japanese Jazz musicians. Please check out the video below: Shomyo meets Free Jazz!
Audio file: Shichi No Bongo (7’22)
Zen Chanting – Shomyo (Samporai, Jusan)
by Rapmebaby
IMPRO MUSIC+SHOMYO
members: Susumu Congo (sax), Akemi Hayashi (p), WAGANE N’diaye Rose (sabar), Ken Tsunoda (dr), Doshu Hotegi & Michihiro Hotegi (Shomyo chanters)
