Ancient Music

I had the chance to assist to a Minyo concert and "workshop" in my region (you may check photograph location).

What you are seeign in this photograph is a Minyo music group.
If you are not into Japanese culture, read further. Otherwise, you don't need to read anymore.
Minyo is a traditional and popular Japanese music from the Tokugawa Shogunate (19th century).
Minyo are the music and songs sung by commoners during that period. There were one song cathegory for each job, for example, songs for sailors, songs for blacksmiths, songs for travelers...
In addition, there were also songs for specific events, such as a song for harvesting rice or for other events.
Along that century, some Minyo "groups" (two or three artists) were stablished and used to travel from north to south (or otherwise) in Japan, singing their songs. And because each region has their own tastes about that music, those "trovadours" had to adapt the song to the peoples in that region and their tastes.
Due to this, the song kept changing, and finaly the final song used to be different to the one at the start of the trip, not only the rythm and music, but also the lyrics.

In the photo you can see a group of three Minyo performers. They won the national Minyo contest in 2013. From left to right: singer and taiko, shamisen, and shakuhachi.
A Taiko is a type of drunk. A Shamisen is a three-stringed instrument that sounds like a Banjo. And a Shakuhachi is a Japanese vertical flute.


Image taken with some random Sony small digital camera. Sorry for the terrible quality. The camera doesn't have stabilizer and my hand is everything but stable. :P