Introduction
The “Japanese” scales of Western textbooks derive from music for the koto, shamisen, shakuhachi and from folk music. Traditional Japanese theory does not classify them as fixed scales but as combinations of nuclear tetrachords (two “nucleus” notes a fourth apart, with a movable note in between; Fumio Koizumi’s theory). The names used in the West are therefore conventions, and sources disagree: the same word indicates different sets of notes. Here we give the most common versions and point out the discrepancies.
The two great families
- Yo (“bright” scale, anhemitonic, without semitones): folk music (min’yō), religious chants.
- In (“dark” scale, hemitonic, with semitones): urban art music for koto and shamisen; also called miyako-bushi.
The scales
| Name | Degrees | On C | Notes and sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yo | 1 2 4 5 6 | C D F G A | 4th mode of the major pentatonic; on D: D E G A B |
| In / miyako-bushi | 1 b2 4 5 b6 | C Db F G Ab | on E: E F A B C (“Sakura Sakura”) |
| In-sen | 1 b2 4 5 b7 | C Db F G Bb | version common in guitar books |
| Iwato | 1 b2 4 b5 b7 | C Db F Gb Bb | the darkest; 4th mode of the In |
| Hirajoshi (Kostka-Payne, Speed) | 1 2 b3 5 b6 | C D Eb G Ab | the version most used by guitarists |
| Hirajoshi (Burrows) | 1 3 #4 5 7 | C E F# G B | same sequence of intervals, different mode |
| Hirajoshi (Sachs, Slonimsky) | 1 b2 4 b5 b7 | C Db F Gb Bb | coincides with the Iwato |
| Kumoi | 1 2 b3 5 6 | C D Eb G A | “semi-bright” variant |
All versions of hirajoshi are modes of the same sequence of intervals (2-1-4-1-4 semitones). The hirajoshi is associated with the koto tuning attributed to Yatsuhashi Kengyō (17th century), adapted from shamisen music.
Color
- Yo: open, festive, serene (similar to the suspended pentatonic).
- In / miyako-bushi: melancholy, elegant, with a “sighing” semitone above the tonic and above the fifth.
- Iwato: very tense, ritual, with the b5.
- Hirajoshi (Kostka-Payne): minor with a b6, very evocative, used as an “Oriental” color in rock and metal.
How to harmonize them
Traditional Japanese music is not harmonic in the Western sense: it is based on melody, heterophony and drones. In modern productions:
- Drone or pedal on the tonic and on the fifth (where present).
- Sus and quartal chords (C – F – Bb, C – G – D) that do not contradict the scale.
- For the In and the Iwato, an m(b6) chord or a bicord of a fourth; avoid major triads on the tonic.
- In Kostka-Payne hirajoshi (C D Eb G Ab): Cm(add9) (C D Eb G) and Abmaj7 (Ab C Eb G) chords, both inside the scale, or simple bicords.
Use in genres
- Traditional music: “Sakura Sakura” (folk song in the In scale), repertoire for koto and shamisen.
- Rock and metal: Marty Friedman (Megadeth and solo career) uses hirajoshi and the In scales extensively.
- Contemporary classical: Peter Sculthorpe, Earth Cry (hirajoshi tonal center); Puccini, Madama Butterfly (pentatonic themes and quotations of Japanese melodies).
- Video game and anime soundtracks: stylized “Japanese” colors (often In or hirajoshi with sampled koto, shakuhachi and taiko).
Common mistakes
- Thinking that there is only one “hirajoshi scale”: always specify the formula.
- Using the scale with full Western harmonies (I – IV – V): the color disappears.
- Overdoing the cliché (koto + gong + In scale) without respect for the tradition: use instruments, rhythms (ma, the “emptiness” between sounds) and ornaments with judgment.
Exercise
- Over an E drone, play the In scale on E (E F A B C) with a sampled koto and try to reproduce the character of “Sakura Sakura” without copying it.
- Write a metal riff in E hirajoshi (Kostka-Payne: E F# G B C) and compare it with E Aeolian.
- Create a 30-second cue in the Yo scale on D with flute (shakuhachi) and taiko, harmonized only with fifths and fourths.
Related
Pentatonic scales: major, minor and the five modes; Quartal and quintal harmony; Pedal point and ostinato; Tetrachords.