Music Education Research International, Volume 3, 2009 American Influences on Japanese Bands Timothy J. Groulx University of South Florida—Tampa, U.S.A. Abstract Before going in depth into aspects of Band programs in Japan have been heavily Japanese bands, I first examine the earliest influenced by bands in the United States influences of the West in Japanese music since the mid-1800s, including education such as Luther Whiting Mason instrumentation, repertoire, rehearsal and Isawa Shuji, as well as the military methods, organization of scholastic band bands that trained Japanese bandsmen in programs (concert and marching), and band Japan. Next I discuss the developments in competitions. Literature is reviewed Japanese band programs from World War II focusing on early influences in Japanese through the late 1970s, including concert music education such as Luther Whiting and marching traditions, drum and bugle Mason and Isawa Shuji and developments in corps, and community and business- Japanese band programs from World War II /industry-centered bands. Finally, I compare through the late 1970s. Band directors in the educational practices in light of the United States have also learned a great deal successes of American and Japanese bands. from Japanese bands, especially in light of It is also important to note the differences cultural differences between Japan and the that still exist, and what we can learn from United States and Japan’s strong each other in areas including pedagogical elementary general music curriculum. styles and the way band programs are organized. Bands and wind ensembles in Japan It is important to note that this paper are internationally respected for their does not include research published in the technical proficiency and musicianship. Japanese language. This limits perspectives Japan has assimilated the Western origins primarily to authors from the United States and American traditions of wind bands and and Japanese authors whose work is combined them with their own traditions, published in English. Much of the literature general music education programs, culture, reviewed is also of a historical nature and ethics and created a unique Japanese (primarily dating prior to 1980) as much style which includes some world-class recent and current research on Japanese musical ensembles. Band directors and bands is published in the Japanese language. music educators both in the United States It is also important to note that since bands and Japan can learn much from each other. in Japan are considered clubs or A careful scrutiny of this subject reveals an extracurricular activities, they are seldom underlying theme that Japanese bands owe the focus of music education research in much of their success to two major Japanese universities. Hebert (2005) stated conditions. One of them is the pedagogical that there were no published doctoral methods and musicianship adopted from dissertations on the subject of band bands of the United States, and the other is programs in Japan, and only a few research the Japanese tradition of work ethic, focus, articles published in Japanese scholarly respect, and commitment. journals. 1 Music Education Research International, Volume 3, 2009 Isawa Shuji and Luther Whiting Mason wholly replace Japanese music. His goal Luther Whiting Mason (1818-1896) was primarily to blend the two musical and Isawa Shuji (1851-1917) were two very cultures. Mason left Japan approximately important figures in the history of music two years after he began teaching there, educational exchange between the United apparently as a result of Isawa Shuji’s States and Japan. Through their efforts conception that Mason was a “stumbling music education had evolved into the newly block” in the attempt to blend Eastern and formed public schools in Japan in the late Western music (Ogawa, 1994). Another 1800s. Since Toyotomi’s banishment of assertion of the time was that foreign foreigners and anything related to employees were brought in only Christianity from Japan in 1587, Japanese temporarily. The Japanese had no intention society had been isolated from the outside of hosting foreigners any longer than world until Emperor Mutsuhito (1867-1912) necessary, and would send them back and began opening up to other societies in the replace them with Japanese as soon as the hopes of improving the economy and necessary skills and ideas were in place military of Japan (Hebert, 2005). Nations (Howe, 1988). One of the reasons Mason with strong economies such as those in found it so easy to teach Western music to Europe were attractive to Japanese leaders Japanese was the similarity of the tonal and they sought to emulate them in hopes of systems. Melodies were composed in modes achieving similar success. “Japan believed different from Western conventions, but the [sic] it had to import and imitate almost intonation of the notes within the scale was everything from European countries in order equivalent to those in Western Music. to catch up. Accordingly, the majority of Probably the most significant result of their Japanese people adopted the view that combined efforts was the creation of a anything Western was superior to Japanese collection of school songs known as Gakko culture” (Ogawa, 1994, p. 27). This mindset Shoka which provided the basis of Western carried over to the arts in Japanese society, music education in Japan (Echols, 1950; including music. Japanese saw their Fukui, 1963; Hebert, 2005; Hirooka, 1949; traditional music as inferior to Western art Howe, 1988; Ogawa, 1994). music. In an effort to bring Western music to Japan, Isawa Shuji was sent to the United Early Band Programs States to study educational practices in Although the majority of influence Massachusetts. While there he met with on the current practices of Japanese bands Luther Whiting Mason under whom he originated from the United States, the studied for three years (Berger, 1987; English and French navy bands visited Japan Echols, 1950; Hebert, 2005; Hirooka, 1949; in the mid-1800s as well, demonstrating a Howe, 1988; Ogawa, 1994). style of music the Japanese were interested Mason came to Yokohama in 1880 in pursuing. The first known Western and soon began teaching music in the influence on the development of Japanese elementary schools as well as beginning wind bands was an English Marine band and private lessons with the Imperial Court a French Army band. John William Fenton musicians on orchestral instruments after helped to establish the Japanese Navy band researching Japanese music. Although Isawa in 1869 (essentially an English brass band Shuji wanted Japanese students to study with one piccolo and thirteen clarinets), and both Japanese music as well as Western in 1872 the Japanese Army Band was music, he did not want Western music to established under the direction of a French 2 Music Education Research International, Volume 3, 2009 bugler, and later led by an Italian numerous difficult leaps and was difficult to bandmaster in 1874 (Obata, 1974). Fenton sing, so a court musician by the name of continued to work with the Navy Band as Hayashi Hiromori wrote a new melody. well as teaching wind instruments to court Fenton transcribed it to Western notation, musicians through 1877 when he returned to harmonized it, and arranged it for his band England. Unfortunately the two ensembles to perform (Hebert, 2005; Howe, 1988). could not share music since the French Bands in the school systems started notation system for brasses used transposed appearing many years after Japanese treble clef notation on all instruments. Franz military bands, at approximately the same Eckert, a German, was hired to instruct the time that bands began to appear in schools in Navy Band in 1879 and in 1888 also became the United States. The first band was a full-time instructor in the Imperial established in Kyoto in 1912, although high Household until he left Japan in 1899. Some school bands did not become popular until of the early Japanese bandmasters were sent the establishment of junior high bands1 in to Europe to study repertoire and 1929 and 1931 by pioneers Yoshio Hirooka procedures, including one sent to France in and Terumi Jinno (Akiyama, 1994). Berger 1882, another to Germany in 1900. (1972), however, cited Masao Nakamura in Although these directors were military band place of Terumi Jinno as the junior high leaders, commercial or “business” bands band pioneer of 1931. These early bands also became popular in Japan in the late 19th were relatively small, more resembling a century. Such bands were organized within pep band (typically 25 instruments). companies, businesses, or industries to Because of the growing presence of bands in perform in the community. Often, band schools and the encouragement of the members would be assigned to rehearsals Japanese government, student interest during work hours; a factory worker might continued to grow and by the beginning of have been required to leave his post on the World War II there were approximately assembly line two hours before the end of 1,300 bands throughout Japanese schools. the normal workday so that he or she may As interest in school bands continued to rehearse with other company members, and mount, the All-Japan Band Contest began in rehearsal hours were most often included as 1940 and included not only school and paid working hours. The first such band was university bands but service bands and organized in Tokyo in 1886, influenced by business bands as well (Akiyama, 1994; professional American bands of the time Berger, 1972; Hebert, 2005; Howe, 1988; such as the Gilmore, Goldman, or Sousa Obata, 1974). bands (Akiyama, 1994; Berger, 1972; Echols, 1950; Hebert, 2005; Howe, 1988; Obata, 1974). Military bands had a significant role in the establishment of Japan’s national anthem. When Fenton, the British Navy band leader noticed that there was no 1 It is somewhat misleading to call these Japanese national anthem, he enlisted one of “junior high bands” because there were only his students, Ekawa Yogoro, to find an two levels of school in Japan at that time: appropriate verse.