Western Musics Introduced in Japan in Modern Times

As Japan embarked on the process of opening up to the West, local clan leaders who were jockeying for position in the new political order actively sought to develop connections with foreign nations. Many of the delegations sent from Europe were accompanied by military bands , providing the Japanese people with their first experience of Western music. These bands made such a strong impression that Simazu Hisamitu (1817–1887), lord of the Satuma clan (in present-day Kagosima...