Choujuu Gigaku

Choujuu Gigaku shown in Symposium of Post-mysticism.

Choujuu Gigaku (鳥獣伎楽 (ちょうじゅうぎがく) , "Dance of Bird and Beast") is a punk rock band consisting of Kyouko Kasodani (vocals) and Mystia Lorelei (guitar), who hold night concerts on the road between the Human Village and the Hakurei Shrine. Its name is derived from Choujuu Giga and gigaku. The level of dissatisfaction has undeniably proven popular with the youth and their concerts have already gathered impressive crowds of excited fairies and disaffected youkai.

Being a typical punk band, the duo wear eccentric clothing and create chaotic music while shouting rebellious lyrics that can echo throughout Gensokyo all night long. It is not known how the duo learned what punk rock is, though presumably information on the topic crossed into Gensokyo from the Outside World at some point. Kyouko describes punk as "an explosion of oppressed frustration! The roar of the soul!" in which helps her relief from the difficulty of training from the Myouren Temple.

The band has received complaints that mostly involves noise pollution, since they also sing at night. Kyouko argues that "it's kind of strange that it's okay for people to shout 'Hello!' as loud as they can at the top of a mountain, but it's not okay for me to sing!". Aya says that it's "just a performance of explosive sounds and screaming about whatever annoys them" and that it isn't even music. Byakuren Hijiri is not pleased with this development, and in Symposium of Post-mysticism promises to punish Mystia for being a bad influence.

Additional Information

• Hata no Kokoro, who brought and later gave rise to Noh plays to Gensokyo, and Raiko Horikawa, who brought Taiko drums and later taught other tsukumogami, may have been influenced by Choujuu Gigaku. This is because gigaku is the oldest form of masked plays in Japan (introduced by a Korean actor in early 600s, during a time in which Prince Shoutoku, the base for Toyosatomimi no Miko, was a part of the current ruler's reign, while Noh plays were introduced somewhere in the early 800s and perfected in the 1300s), were farces by nature, and used waist drums and other instruments. Gigaku is also closely related to sarugaku, which is the base for Noh plays and what Hata no Kawakatsu, the father of Hata no Kokoro, was said to found in a legend. The only thing possibly older than any of them are kagura, which is rooted in Shinto but has an unclear origin.
• Hieda no Akyuu is a known fan and has attended at least one of their concerts.
• In Chapter 16 of Wild and Horned Hermit, it appears that because Kyouko and Mystia were both drinking from the Ibaraki Box of a Hundred Medicines at a flowering viewing, they gained the personality of an oni and that they weren't up to standards, in which some people in the crowd to have a sweat.

See Also

Bunbunmaru Newspaper — "A New Trend in Youkai Music"