Database: Sho

Like many musical instruments in ancient Japan, the shō (sheng in Chinese) was originally imported from China. Often referred to as a mouth organ, the shō is a free reed musical instrument that was used in gagaku, or Imperial Court music. It consists of 17 slender bamboo pipes of equal structure but varying lengths. Each pipe has a resonating chamber. The musician plays the shō by inhaling and exhaling to make sound.

The emperor Go-Kashiwabara, who reigned from 1500 to 1526, was considered a master of this instrument. He learned its technique from the court virtuoso Toyohara no Muneaki, whose family was responsible for introducing this instrument to the Imperial Court. Due to the close association of the Toyohara family with the shō it is not surprising that one of their 13 treatises on music is entirely devoted its music [sic]. Currently, the shō is mainly played for ceremonies conducted at Shinto shrines ceremonies.