City in Japan. It was the country's capital from 794 to 1868. Together with the nearby city of Osaka it represents the distinct musical tradition known as the Kamigata style, in contrast to the Edo style of Tokyo. In Kyoto the traditions of gagaku (court music), shōmyō (Buddhist chant), nō drama and many other kinds of vocal music were firmly established and carried on for centuries. Gagakuryō (the Imperial Music Bureau), which has handed down the music and dance traditions of both gagaku and mikagura (the Shintō ritual), had its centre here until it was moved to Tokyo at the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868).
In early 9th century two important shōmyō traditions were established in Kyoto, one at Tōji of the Shingon sect by Priest Kūkai in 806, and the other at Enryakuji of the Tendai sect by Priest Saichō in 847; the centre of the Shingon shōmyō was later moved to Mt Kōya, south of Osaka. The two traditions have remained the most representative of the shōmyō schools. During the 10th and 11th centuries a number of new vocal styles, such as saibara, imayō and azuma-asobi, were popularized in the town, while heikyoku, the recitation of the Tale of Heike with a biwa accompaniment, appeared after 1185 as the earliest genre of narrative singing. All these vocal traditions originated in Kyoto and later spread to other provinces.
The tradition of nō drama was also established in Kyoto in the late 14th century. There are still many excellent nō stages for private use, of which the most important is at the temple of Nishi-honganji; also notable are the private stage belonging to the Kongo school, and the Kanze Theatre (opened in 1958). The origin of kabuki goes back to about 1600, when the dancer Okuni gave her performance on a stage by the river Kamo in Kyoto; Minami-za, the present kabuki theatre, stands on the same riverside. The nearby Gion area is famous as the headquarters of traditional singing and dancing, particularly jiuta songs and dances.
The Kyoto Municipal SO, founded in 1956, was the first European-style orchestra in Japan operated by a local government. Of choral groups active in the town the best known is Dōshisha Glee Club, a student organization. The most important music hall is the Kyōto Kaikan, built in 1960, while the small Aoyama Music Memorial Hall (1987) is specifically designed for Baroque music. There are competent music departments at Kyoto City University of Arts, Kyoto University of Education and Dōshisha Women's College.
For bibliography see Japan.
MASAKATA KANAZAWA