The Wa-Kan configuration of music culture in Heian (794-1185) Japan: The case of Chinese music theory

Kwok Wai NG

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlespeer-review

Abstract

This article examines Chinese music theory as utilized in Japan during the Heian period; it scrutinizes that system’s intricate configuration of Wa (Japanese) and Kan (Chinese) materials. Previous scholarship has yielded findings with significant implications for both the development and analysis of this Wa-Kan assemblage as it occurred in different aspects of Heian culture, but the assimilation of specifically Chinese music theory has not been investigated from this perspective. The present article describes how, through applying different types of conceptual frameworks in the discourse of the assimilation of Chinese music theory in Japan, Heian music culture exhibited a highly complex integration of Wa and Kan materials, which coexisted in both the theoretical and practical territories. Copyright © 2020 Institute of History and Philology. All Rights Reserved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)33-63
JournalAsia Major
Volume33
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2020

Citation

Ng, K.-W. (2020). The Wa-Kan configuration of music culture in Heian (794-1185) Japan: The case of Chinese music theory. Asia Major, 33(1), 33-63.

Keywords

  • Chinese music theory
  • Heian music culture
  • Wa-Kan assemblage
  • Tōgaku
  • Kuchizusami
  • Sango yōroku

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