Camaleja

Music
Japanese music is eclectic and diverse. Many instruments, such as the koto, were introduced in the 9th and 10th centuries. The accompanied recitative of the Noh drama dates from the 14thcentury and the popular folk music, with the guitar-like shamisen, from the sixteenth.[191] Western classical music, introduced in the late 19th century, now forms an integral part of Japanese culture. Theimperial court ensemble Gagaku has influenced the work of some modern Western composers.[192] Notable classical composers from Japan includeToru Takemitsu and Rentarō Taki. Popular music in post-warJapan has been heavily influenced by American and European trends, which has led to the evolution of J-pop, or Japanese popular music.[193] Karaoke is the most widely practiced cultural activity inJapan. A 1993 survey by the Cultural Affairs Agency found that more Japanese had sung karaoke that year than had participated in traditional pursuits such as flower arranging (ikebana) or teaceremonies.[194]
Literature
12th-century illustrated handscroll ofThe Tale of Genji, a National Treasure The earliest works of Japanese literature include the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki chronicles andtheMan'yōshū poetry anthology, all from the 8th century and written in Chinese characters.[195][196] In the early Heian period, the system of phonograms known as kana (Hiragana and Katakana) was developed. TheTale of the Bamboo Cutter is considered the oldest Japanese narrative.[197] An account of Heian court life is given in The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, while The Tale of Genji byMurasaki Shikibu is oftendescribed as the world's first novel.[198][199]
During the Edo period, the chōnin ("townspeople") overtook the samurai aristocracy as producers and consumers of literature. The popularity of theworks of Saikaku, for example, reveals this change in readership and authorship, while Bashō revivified the poetic tradition of the Kokinshū with his haikai(haiku) and wrote the poetic travelogue Oku...