This chapter traces the shifting situation and nature of Japanese folk music from ‘traditional’ times to the present day. Topics covered include: importation of the European concept of ‘the folk’; distinction between folk song (min’yō) and folk performing arts (minzoku geinō); folk music in the traditional community; music and local identity, past and present (e.g. local vs national identity; folk music’s role in ‘community building’ in modern Japan); professionalization, commodification, folklorization, secularization and the emergence of stage performances; musical change and the Western impact (e.g. fusion); the rise in popularity of wadaiko, Tsugaru-jamisen and Okinawan music; research history and trends
