As the governing power became centralized, local music was brought to the capital and adopted into court music.īefore long, a governmental music bureau was established with two departments: one dedicated to native music and the other to foreign music.

Until that time, folk songs had been sung with dancing and musical accompaniment during Shinto rituals, ceremonies and functions at the regional level, as well as for the purpose of passing down history and important information from one generation to the next. Among them, Chinese court music, which was mostly presented with dancing, made a significant impact on music in Japan. Along with Buddhism, a variety of music was brought to Japan (including Buddhist music and musical instruments), from as far as Thailand, Vietnam and the Bohai State, as well as Korea and China. Political and cultural exchanges with China and the Korean Peninsula intensified from the 6 th to 8 th centuries.