Contents: Foreword; Context and change in Japanese music, Alison McQueen Tokita and David W. Hughes; Court and religious music (1): history of gagaku and shomyo, Steven G. Nelson; Court and religious music (2): music of gagaku and shomyo, Steven G. Nelson; The musical narrative of The Tale of the Heike, Komoda Haruko; The Kyushu biwa traditions, Hugh de Ferranti; No and kyogen: music from the medieval theatre, Fujita Takanori; The shakuhachi and its music, Tsukitani Tsuneko; Sokyoku-jiuta: Edo-period chamber music, Philip Flavin; Gidayu-bushi: music of the bunraku puppet theatre, Yamada Chieko; Music in kabuki: more than meets the eye, Alison McQueen Tokita; Popular music before the Meiji period, Gerald Groemer; Folk music: from local to national to global, David W. Hughes; The music of Ryukyu, Robin Thompson; The music of the Ainu, Chiba Nobuhiko; Popular music in modern Japan, Christine Yano and Hosokawa Shuhei; Western-influenced 'classical' music in Japan, Judith Ann Herd; Bibliography; Audio/videography; Index.