Music fit for Kings

The court music of medieval Japan was an elaborate affair. Known as gagaku, a proper troupe of musicians would consist of:

• Three flautists with their flutes called ryuteki,
• Three oboe players – their instruments called hichiriki,
• Three mouth organ players – the instruments were known as sho,
• Two lute players with their four stringed instruments being called biwa,
• Two musicians with another stringed instrument known as the koto,
• One musician playing a small gong known as the shoko
• A percussionist with his taiko.