Twelve Disciples in the Temple
The tune, "Tokyo", is patterned after the ancient gagaku music of the imperial court of China dating back to the Tang dynasty. Introduced to Japan about 1400 years ago, gagaku was originally derived from Persia and India and was used for court entertainment in china. Combined with music from the Korean peninsula, it developed into a unique musical style regarded as the most ancient traditional performing art of Japan. It is a highly refined, dignified music and dance performed at an extremely deliberate tempo. Gagaku, literally meaning "elegant music", has always been considered sacred music. Percussion instruments (suspended cymbal or gong, triangle, or wind chimes) are used.